James 4:2-3 You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Jesus said, Ask, Seek, Knock – “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7). However, many prayers remain unanswered because we do not ask with the divine motives, intentions or vocabulary. When an infant cries the mother would presume that the baby is hungry. If the child doesn’t settle with milk then the mother will change the nappy or try to put the baby to sleep. This is how many of our prayers are. We know the “what” we want but seldom know the “how” and “why”. You do not have because you do not ask God, the way you ought to ask.
Prayer is not a stream of elaborate words but precise, pristine and purposeful sentences with pure intentions. We can never pray decisive prayers if we do not know the “instruction manual” the Bible. Pharisees thought that prayer was public performance of their purity. Jesus said, “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others… when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you (Matthew 6:5-6). Prayer is not a public display of our goodness, generosity and greatness but a recollection of God’s genuineness, His grace and grandeur.
Three guidelines to genuine prayer:
1. Appropriately: Prayer is a personal dialogue with pure intentions. Many prayers remain unanswered as they are selfish, self-centred and self-seeking. You do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. Ask blessing not just to be blessed but to bless others, ask health not just to live long but to serve and encourage others, ask wealth to build the Kingdom of righteousness with your affluence and influence. Ask appropriately.
2. Authority: Prayer is a personal dialogue with purity, legitimacy and authority. I assure you: Whatever you bind on earth is already bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in Heaven (Matthew 18:18). Our prayer for a dear one to be set free from addiction should not be for our comfort, peace and prestige. We must bind the spirit of drunkenness, orgies or promiscuity and release a hunger for purity, holiness and self-control, for us to become ambassadors for Christ. When we pray for healing, we must bind the spirit of sickness or curse and release health and healing to become witnesses for Jesus the Healer. When we live righteously we can release kingdom culture authoritatively. Ask authoritatively.
3. Authenticity: Prayer must be genuine, unadulterated and authentic. Our prayers should not be criticising, complaining or whining. Prayer is bringing the culture, customs, health and wealth of Heaven to earth. Thy will be done in: earth, as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10). God’s original intention was that earth should be an extension of Heaven, however, sin corrupted and contaminated the earth. Prayer reinstates the original intention of God. Violence, corruption or fornication does not exist in Heaven, hence our prayer must release kingdom culture of peace, joy and righteousness. Ask authentically.
Prayer is an appropriate, authoritative and authentic expression of releasing the power of God over our culture, community and country.
Matthew 6:9 This, then, is how you should pray.
Prayer: Our Father in Heaven, change my self-centred, self oriented and selfish prayers to become appropriate, authentic and authoritative expression of releasing the kingdom culture, wealth and lifestyle on earth. Amen
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