Prayer and Godliness

30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 NLT

19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.

Point: The Holy Spirit makes our life in Christ happen—including the activity and quality of our prayer life.

Romans 8:26–27 NLT

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

Question: Does a person’s character impact the effectiveness of one’s prayer life? In other words, does our attitudes and actions affect the meaningfulness of our praying?

Point: The sincerity and attitude of our heart (the core of our being) does indeed impact the motivation, quality, and content of our prayers—and how God will interact with those prayers.

We can resist the Holy Spirit or we can welcome the Holy Spirit—and that decision will affect every aspect of our life—including when we pray.

So, today I want to address the attitude of our heart—and how that attitude should be shaped.

Listen to what Jesus said.

Text

Matthew 6:5–8 ESV

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

1. Jesus goes right to the heart of the matter—our attitude.

2. Our attitude either helps or hinders our prayers—it makes them either effective or meaningless—it either ushers in the power of God or it may in actuality serve to oppose the cause of Christ.

3. What Jesus is saying about praying is that effective praying must always be approached with utter humility.

Our focus must not be to impress others.

Jesus said: “…you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.” [Blank]

Jesus gave to us a forceful command: don’t be a play-actor, a pretender.

The religious people of Jesus’ day were practicing prayer to affect people rather than pursue God.

This kind of praying not only is ineffective, but it can also have an affect of leading people into an inaccurate picture of spiritual maturity.

No doubt witnesses to this kind of intercession viewed these religious leaders as powerful giants of the faith—but in reality it was the blind leading the blind.

We are always in danger of corrupting a good thing. Receiving the applause of people is intoxicating and addictive. And we can quickly lose sight of God when we are looking for the approval and commendation of those around us.

Our focus must not be an attempt to manipulate God almighty.

Faith and trust in rituals and methods can all to easily circumvent faith and trust in God. [Blank]

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day invoked many different rules to implement a religious way of life that all too often replaced a genuine personal relationship with God.

In other words, the rules became more important than the relationship.

The result of this line of thinking was and is that somehow we can utilize a formula to get God to give us what we what.

God is holy and sovereign—we must approach God on His terms, not our own.

fMatthew 6:5 (The Message) — 5 “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?

So, what should—what must our focus be?

Our focus must be on God by removing distractions.

Jesus said: Matthew 6:6 (ESV) — 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

As a human being we are highly susceptible to distractions.

We are bombarded with information—constantly interrupted.

We are overwhelmed with facts and figures and voices and opinions.

As a result, God so easily is pushed to the margins—relegated to the leftovers of our time—and usually there are no leftovers.

Psalm 46:10 (ESV) — 10 “Be still, and know that I am God…!”

If we are going to have an effective prayer life—if we are going to follow what Jesus is saying—we need to remove the distractions.

How to remove distractions:

Make it your priority.

Make an appointment.

Make a place.

Make it you and God.

Our focus must be on the personal before it can be on the public.

It is not wrong to pray in public in the assembly (1 Tim. 2:1ff), or even when blessing food (John 6:11) or seeking God’s help (John 11:41–42; Acts 27:35).

But it is wrong to pray in public if we are not in the habit of praying in private. [Blank]

Observers may think that we are practicing prayer when we are not, and this is hypocrisy.[1]

I have heard it said: “You can’t give what you do not have.”

If we are going to lead others in prayer—or be utilized by God in the Gifts of the Spirit—or prayer with others on behalf of their needs—then we must develop a healthy, frequent prayer time alone with God.

In our time alone with God, God will strengthen our ability to engage in authentic humility—and enabling us to withstand against selfish pride.

Conclusion

1. I sincerely believe God wants all of us to experience the life-changing power of prayer.

2. God chooses to work through our prayers and obedience to His Word.

3. We need to approach God with humility—it is for His glory and His redemptive purpose we must align ourselves—not our plan, or our goals, or our dreams.

4. So God invites to pray—to earnestly seek Him—so let’s seek Him, not with arrogance and pride, but humbly bowing our hearts and our lives to His glory and His honor.

5. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV) — 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Questions

What do you think are the qualities of a person who prays effectively?

Why do you think a person’s attitude affects their prayer life (and the quality of their prayer)?

Does this mean that only perfect people can pray?

Can the conduct of a person impact how God will answer their prayer?

What key characteristic is essential for effective praying?

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