Jesus the Light 10 Prayer
God hates the prayers of a person who does not obey His instruction Prov.28:9
The Lord Jesus taught us to pray “After this manner” [Mt.6:9]. His instruction about prayer include these 4 aspects: Worship (Mt.6:9), Intercession (Mt.6:10), Personal requests (Mt.6:11,13), and Confession (Mt.6:12). This is what true prayer consists of according to our Lord’s instruction.
Throughout the Scriptures, no additional elements comprising true prayer are to be found. Anything added to these and calling itself prayer is not prayer at all. Anything that is not biblical prayer must be abandoned.
Twins, now grown men, journeyed from afar to greet their ancient father. A vast estate was their portion; an inheritance bounteous and blessed awaited them from their father’s gracious hand.
The first burst through the door of his father’s abode with agitated loud demands, and shrieked with authoritative shouts, right before his father’s face:
“I decree; today I will possess my possessions! I am the head, and not the tail! I bind any contrary spirit blocking my destiny! Father! I command; I shall prosper! I confess, I will not lack! Baba, I will enter and take the inheritance by force! Father! I no go suffer; I no go beg for bread! Am I not a god! Do I not have dominion! I decree; The portion is mine! The portion is mine! The portion is mine!”
The second son drew near with full assurance to his father’s inner chamber, yet in lowliness with deep appreciation and spoke thus:
“Father, I am come today because you are great and my heart is overwhelmed with your love. O, what can I render to you for your mercies, new every morning, unworthy as I am? There is none like you and I am so blessed to even be called your son.
“I do wish to bring up one matter to you, knowing your love and concern for my other brothers and sisters, which are my concerns as well. Please, will you attend to them in their needs? My heart is heavy that they might love you as you ought to be loved and I know you will lead them to yourself: to acknowledge and walk in your ways. Father, this is my heart’s desire. May you hear and do for the sake of your great name.”
Dear Listener, I ask you, which of these sons honored his father? Which one understood his father’s heart and concerns? Which of these twins prayed? It was the second one. Which one of these twins did not pray? It was the first.
The very nature of prayer is to ask. Mt.21:22: “All things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” The fundamental attitude in approaching the throne of God is that of an unworthy servant presenting a humble request with fear.
The child who demands from his father shows he has no proper sense of honor or respect. It reveals a heart bent upon his own self-will. It is not for the son to command and decree, but to humbly request while awaiting His father’s good pleasure.
Thus, Positive Confession is the very opposite of true prayer. It is anti-prayer. It cannot claim to legitimately be placed in the ranks of prayer at all. PC does not ask.
Rm.8:26: “We do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us.” Since we do not truly know how to pray, we need to ask for wisdom as James 1:5 commands us: “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God.”
Prayer is asking. Apart from praise, confession, and adoration, to pray is to ask. But “to pray” is never to command. We do not tell the Sovereign Lord what to do. Not even once can anything approximating the falsehood of PC be discovered in the Scriptures.
How then are we to pray? We are to ask. We are to ask according to the will of God. Jesus tells us in Jn.14:13,14: “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
Yet it is in this very thing that our sinful hearts rush to gratify self. The “Name of Jesus” is eagerly attached to our every utterance with the expectation that God is now obligated to honor our words and grant our desires.
Saying, “In Jesus’ Name” has become a carnal method to get what we want, really little more than a “Christian” incantation. We imagine that God must sit up and pay attention because we’ve used the correct technique and words that He cannot ignore.
Actually, this is nothing more than sorcery. The incantations are different but the approach is not. The procedure is the same for each. (1) Present whatever you want to get, (2) say the right words, and (3) receive what has been spoken.
This is the basic sorcery of African Traditional Religion. It has nothing to do with real prayer, nor does it have anything to do with praying in the name of Jesus.
Praying in the name of Jesus is a different matter altogether. If a person is to request something in another’s name, he must present it for that person as if the person were doing it himself. It must accurately reflect the true interests and requests of the other.
David instructed his young men to greet Nabal “in my name” -1 Sam.25:5. David then directed the youths what to request when they did [I Sam.25:6-8]. When they came “they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David” -1 Sam.25:9.
The request they presented was according to the will of David communicated to them by his word. Their petition had the approval and authority of David to back it up. Their request was actually David’s request and accurately represented his will. Praying in the name of Jesus is quite similar to what these young men did in the name of David.
Dear Listener, God forbid that we should come to the Father with our own interests and present them as if this is what the Lord Jesus Himself wants to do! How will such “prayer” be received by the Father? Will He not verify with His Son if, in fact, these requests represent His purpose and will?
If they are found to be falsely presented “in Jesus’ name,” they will be thrown out, and we ourselves will be found to be false witnesses of Christ before the Majesty in heaven. God and Christ both will be provoked to anger and we will reproved in shame.
We must pray what the Lord Jesus Himself wants to accomplish if we are to identify His name with the requests we bring. His Word tells us what His will and purposes are so we can pray according to His mind. We then can ask that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven while confidently attaching the name of Jesus to our request.
Prayer that is truly in His name, is that “the Father may be glorified in the Son” -Jn.14:13. Thus any genuine prayer must arise from and be motivated by His glory alone.
Glory is the manifested excellence of God’s character: the outshining of His moral perfections. Self-will does not arise from or reveal the glory of God. Whether the words “In Jesus’ Name” accompany our prayers or not does not impress the God of heaven. Only what accords with His glory and purpose does.
How does commanding the death of enemies glorify the God of love? It does not. Destroying enemies and lusting after wealth have nothing in common with the glory of God’s truth, holiness, and love. Glory and greed, godliness and destruction cannot co-exist.
Self-focus is not “sanctified” by uttering the words “In the Name of Jesus.” It is an abomination and vain attempt to “use” God to get what we want: and one that provokes His wrath. It is not prayer.
The Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain -Deut.5:11.
Copyright Steve Phillips 2019