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Jesus Reveals the 7 Most Wrong Things to Do When Talking to God · truthunedited

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  Speaker 1: The gentle breeze swept through the streets of Jerusalem. As
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  Speaker 1: Jesus walked with his disciples along the bustling paths of
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  Speaker 1: the Holy City, the sun stood at its zenith, marking
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  Speaker 1: the time of prayer many Jews observed. At noon, the
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  Speaker 1: Master paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on a
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  Speaker 1: scene unfolding in the main square near the market place.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus highlighted that the first mistake in speaking to God
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  Speaker 1: is praying for appearance. In Matthew sixth five to six,
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  Speaker 1: he sees the opportunity to deliver one of his deepest
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  Speaker 1: teachings on prayer. And when you pray, do not be
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  Speaker 1: like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in
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  Speaker 1: the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen
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  Speaker 1: by men. Truly, I tell you they have received their
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  Speaker 1: reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room,
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  Speaker 1: close the door, and pray to your father, who is unseen.
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  Speaker 1: Then your father, who sees what is done in secret,
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  Speaker 1: will reward you. In the square, a group of Pharisees
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  Speaker 1: stood strategically positioned. Their robes were elaborately adorned for the occasion,
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  Speaker 1: with unusually large philactries strapped to their foreheads and arms
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  Speaker 1: small leather boxes containing verses from the Torah. As recorded
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  Speaker 1: in Matthew twenty three five, they do all their deeds
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  Speaker 1: to be seen by others, for they make their philactries
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  Speaker 1: broad and their fringes long. The disciples watched intently as
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  Speaker 1: Jesus explained how this scene represented one of the gravest
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  Speaker 1: errors in communication with God. The problem was not where
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  Speaker 1: they prayed, but the intent of their hearts. These men
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  Speaker 1: had turned a sacred moment of connection with the Father
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  Speaker 1: into a theatrical performance. In Luke eighteen nine eleven, Jesus
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  Speaker 1: had already warned against such behavior through a parable to
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  Speaker 1: some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked
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  Speaker 1: down on everyone else. He told this parable two men
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  Speaker 1: went up to the temple to pray, while a pharisee
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  Speaker 1: and the other a tax collector. The pharisee stood by
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  Speaker 1: himself and prayed, God, I thank you that I am
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  Speaker 1: not like other people, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like
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  Speaker 1: this tax collector. Jesus explained that these religious leaders carefully
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  Speaker 1: chose not only their garments but also the busiest times
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  Speaker 1: of the day for their prayers. They ensured they were
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  Speaker 1: at the most crowded street corners precisely when the trumpets
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  Speaker 1: sounded to announce the prayer hour. Some even hired people
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  Speaker 1: to blow trumpets before their prayers, drawing even more attention
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  Speaker 1: to themselves. The situation became even more egregious when these
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  Speaker 1: public displays were used to exploit the vulnerable. In Mark
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  Speaker 1: twelve forty, Jesus condemned this practice. They devour widow's houses
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  Speaker 1: and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will
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  Speaker 1: be punished most severely. He exposed how some of these
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  Speaker 1: religious leaders used their apparent and piety to gain the
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  Speaker 1: trust of vulnerable widows, often exploiting them financially. The Master
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  Speaker 1: emphasized that true prayer is an act of intimacy with God,
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  Speaker 1: not a public spectacle. When he spoke of entering the
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  Speaker 1: secret Room, he referred not just to a physical space,
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  Speaker 1: but to an attitude of the heart. It was a
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  Speaker 1: call to abandon the need for human approval and genuinely
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  Speaker 1: seek the presence of God. In Jewish culture of the time,
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  Speaker 1: there were three main moments of prayer throughout the day, morning, afternoon,
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  Speaker 1: and evening. It was common for people to pause their
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  Speaker 1: activities at these times to pray wherever they were. Jesus
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  Speaker 1: did not condemn this practice itself, but exposed those who
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  Speaker 1: manipulated these sacred moments for their own glorification. In Matthew
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  Speaker 1: twenty three, twenty seven twenty eight, Jesus compared such hypocrisy
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  Speaker 1: to whitewashed tombs. Woe to you, teachers of the law
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  Speaker 1: and pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which
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  Speaker 1: look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are
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  Speaker 1: full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.
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  Speaker 1: In the same way, on the outside you appear to
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  Speaker 1: people as righteous, but on the inside you are full
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  Speaker 1: of hypocrisy and wickedness. The teaching extended beyond that historical moment.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus was establishing an eternal principle. True prayer arises from
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  Speaker 1: a sincere heart, not a religious performance. Those who pray
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  Speaker 1: for appearances have already received their full reward, the human
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  Speaker 1: recognition they sought so eagerly. However, they have missed the
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  Speaker 1: true essence of prayer, intimate communion with the Father, for
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  Speaker 1: the disciples and for all who would hear these teachings
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  Speaker 1: throughout the centuries, Jesus made it clear that God is
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  Speaker 1: not impressed by outward displays of piety. The Father seeks
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  Speaker 1: those who worship him in spirit and in truth, as
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  Speaker 1: recorded in John four twenty three. Yet a time is
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  Speaker 1: coming and has now come, when the true worshippers will
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  Speaker 1: worship the Father in the spirit and in truth, for
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  Speaker 1: they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. The
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  Speaker 1: second error Jesus identified in the way people approached God
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  Speaker 1: was the excessive use of empty words vain repetitions in prayers.
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  Speaker 1: This mistake was particularly evident in the temple courtyard, where
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  Speaker 1: the constant hum of repetitive prayers echoed among the marble columns.
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  Speaker 1: In Matthew six point seven, Jesus directly addresses this issue,
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  Speaker 1: and when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as
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  Speaker 1: the gentiles do, for they think that they will be
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  Speaker 1: heard for their many words. With these words, the Master
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  Speaker 1: exposes a practice common not only among the gentiles, but
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  Speaker 1: one that had also infiltrated God's own people. In the temple,
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  Speaker 1: one could observe people spending hours repeating the same phrases,
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  Speaker 1: as if the sheer quantity of words could make their
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  Speaker 1: prayers more effective. Some recited the names of their deities
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  Speaker 1: hundreds of times, a practice Jesus had witnessed among the
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  Speaker 1: worshippers of Bal, as recorded in First Kings eighteen twenty six.
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  Speaker 1: They called on the name of Bale from morning till noon, saying,
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  Speaker 1: O Bail answer us, But there was no response. No
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  Speaker 1: one answered. Jesus critique was not directed at persistence in prayer,
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  Speaker 1: as he himself had taught about the importance of perseverance,
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  Speaker 1: as recorded in Luke eighteen one. Then he spoke a
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  Speaker 1: parable to them that men always ought to pray and
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  Speaker 1: not lose heart. The problem lay in the emptying of
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  Speaker 1: prayer's meaning, turning it into mechanical and meaningless repetition. In
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  Speaker 1: the Court of the Gentiles, Jesus pointed to a group
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  Speaker 1: that repeated their prayers as if they were magical formulas.
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  Speaker 1: A similar example of this behavior is found in Acts
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  Speaker 1: nineteen thirty four, where the Ephesians, all with one voice,
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  Speaker 1: cried out for about two hours great is Diana of
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  Speaker 1: the Ephesians. This practice of exhaustive repetition was common among Pagans,
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  Speaker 1: who believed their gods would respond to persistent repetition. The
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  Speaker 1: Master taught that the heavenly Father does not need to
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  Speaker 1: be persuaded with many words. In Matthew six eight, he states,
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  Speaker 1: do not be like them, for your Father knows the
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  Speaker 1: things you have need of before you ask him. This
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  Speaker 1: fundamental truth revolutionized the understanding of prayer. God is not
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  Speaker 1: a distant being who needs to be convinced through endless repetition.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus observed how some scribes memorize lengthy prayers not to
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  Speaker 1: seek a genuine connection with God, but to impress others
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  Speaker 1: with their apparent piety. In Mark twelve forty, he warns
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  Speaker 1: about those who devour widow's houses and for a pretense,
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  Speaker 1: make long prayers, revealing how the length of prayer had
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  Speaker 1: become a misguided measure of spirituality. In the temple itself,
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  Speaker 1: it was common to find people who believed their prayers
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  Speaker 1: would be more effective if they repeated God's name multiple times.
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  Speaker 1: This practice disregarded the third commandment recorded in Exodus twenty seven,
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  Speaker 1: you shall not take the name of the Lord your
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  Speaker 1: God in vain. The repetitive and empty use of the
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  Speaker 1: divine name was a form of profanation. Jesus demonstrated a
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  Speaker 1: stark contrast when he taught the Lord's prayer in Matthew
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  Speaker 1: six nine thirteen, he presents a model prayer that is
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  Speaker 1: both profound and concise. Every word has meaning and every
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  Speaker 1: phrase has purpose. There are no empty repetitions, only direct
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  Speaker 1: and meaningful communication with the Father. The fundamental issue Jesus
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  Speaker 1: addressed was not the length of the prayer itself, but
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  Speaker 1: the authenticity of the heart. He himself spent long hours
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  Speaker 1: in prayer, as recorded in Luke six twelve. Now it
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  Speaker 1: came to pass in those days that he went out
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  Speaker 1: to the mountain to pray and continued all night in
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  Speaker 1: prayer to God. The difference lay in the purpose and
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  Speaker 1: genuineness of the communication. At the heart of this matter
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  Speaker 1: was the understanding of who God is. The heavenly Father
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  Speaker 1: is not like pagan idols who need to be awakened
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  Speaker 1: by endless repetitions. In as Kings eighteen twenty seven, Elijah
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  Speaker 1: mocks the prophets of Bale, saying, shout louder, surely he
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  Speaker 1: is a God. Perhaps he is deep in thought, or
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  Speaker 1: busy or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus taught that true prayer is sincere dialogue with a
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  Speaker 1: loving Father who already knows our needs. In John sixteen
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  Speaker 1: twenty seven, he states, for the Father himself loves you.
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  Speaker 1: This revelation completely transformed the nature of prayer. It was
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  Speaker 1: no longer an attempt to manipulate the divine through repetition,
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  Speaker 1: but a moment of intimate communion with a loving Father.
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  Speaker 1: The third mistake Jesus identified in prayer was the attempt
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  Speaker 1: to bargain with God, a practice that turned prayer into
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  Speaker 1: a commercial negotiation. As the shadows lengthened in the temple courtyard,
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  Speaker 1: the Master observed people bringing their offerings and vows, often
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  Speaker 1: attempting to negotiate with the Divine as if they were
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  Speaker 1: in the nearby market place. In Malachi three thirteen and fourteen,
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  Speaker 1: this attitude had already been confronted. You have spoken arrogantly
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  Speaker 1: against me, says the Lord. Yet you ask what have
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  Speaker 1: we said against you? You have said, it is futile
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  Speaker 1: to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out
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  Speaker 1: his requirements. This passage reveals how some viewed their relationship
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  Speaker 1: with God as a business transaction, expecting proportional returns on
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  Speaker 1: their spiritual investments. Jesus noticed a wealthy man approaching the treasury,
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  Speaker 1: the place where offerings were deposited. In his heart, the
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  Speaker 1: man planned and to give a substantial offering, but his
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  Speaker 1: motivation was to secure prosperity in his business. Proverbs twenty
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  Speaker 1: one twenty seven had already warned the sacrifice of the
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  Speaker 1: wicked is detestable, how much more so when brought with
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  Speaker 1: evil intent. In Solomon's Colonnade, a group discussed vows and
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  Speaker 1: promises made to God. Ecclesiastes five four five provides a
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  Speaker 1: clear warning. When you make a vow to God, do
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  Speaker 1: not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools.
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  Speaker 1: Fulfill your vow. It is better not to make a
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  Speaker 1: vow than to make one and not fulfill it. Jesus
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  Speaker 1: observed how many made elaborate promises, hoping to compel God
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  Speaker 1: to answer their requests. The practice of spiritual bargaining had
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  Speaker 1: deep roots in Israel's history. Hoseiah eight thirteen records God's words,
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  Speaker 1: though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me, and though
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  Speaker 1: they eat the meat, the Lord is not pleased with them.
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  Speaker 1: The issue was not the offerings themselves, but the attempt
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  Speaker 1: to manipulate God through them. In a corner of the temple,
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  Speaker 1: Jesus overheard a man praying, Lord, if you grant me
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  Speaker 1: success in this business, I will build an altar in
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  Speaker 1: your honor. This negotiation echoed Jacob's story in Genesis twenty
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  Speaker 1: eight twenty. Then, Jacob made a vow saying, if God
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  Speaker 1: will be with me and will watch over me on
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  Speaker 1: this journey, I am taking and will give me food
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  Speaker 1: to eat and clothes to wear. However, at that point
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  Speaker 1: Jacob did not fully understand the nature of God. The
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  Speaker 1: Master taught that God is not a celestial merchant with
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  Speaker 1: whom we can barter for blessings. Deuteronomy ten seventeen declares,
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  Speaker 1: for the Lord, your God is God of Gods and
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  Speaker 1: Lord of Lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who
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  Speaker 1: shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. This foundational truth
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  Speaker 1: dismantles any attempt to bargain with the divine. Near the
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  Speaker 1: altar of incense, Jesus observed priests encouraging people to give
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  Speaker 1: increasingly larger offerings, promising proportional blessings in return. Amos five
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  Speaker 1: twenty two had already declared, even though you bring me
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  Speaker 1: burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.
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  Speaker 1: Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no
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  Speaker 1: regard for them. The Lord desired sincere hearts, not manipulative offerings.
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  Speaker 1: The issue became even clearer when Jesus saw a poor
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  Speaker 1: widow placing two small coins into the treasury. As recorded
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  Speaker 1: later in Second Corinthians ninety seven, each of you should
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  Speaker 1: give what you have decided in your heart to give,
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  Speaker 1: not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
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  Speaker 1: The value of the offering lay not in its amount,
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  Speaker 1: but in the attitude of the heart. Jesus taught that
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  Speaker 1: the heavenly Father cannot be bribed or manipulated. In Acts
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  Speaker 1: eight eighteen to twenty, we see Simon the Sorcerer, attempting
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  Speaker 1: to buy the gift of God with money, only to
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  Speaker 1: be sharply rebuked by Peter. This story illustrates how the
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  Speaker 1: mentality of bargaining with God is fundamentally flawed. The fundamental
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  Speaker 1: principle Jesus established is that God is a loving father,
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  Speaker 1: not a tradesman. In Isaiah fifty five one, the divine
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  Speaker 1: invitation reads, come all you who are thirsty, come to
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  Speaker 1: the waters, And you who have no money, Come buy
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  Speaker 1: and eat. Come buy wine and milk without money and
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  Speaker 1: without cost. Divine grace cannot be bought or negotiated. The
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  Speaker 1: fourth error Jesus identified in prayer was the absence of
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  Speaker 1: forgiveness in the hearts of those praying. As the sky
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  Speaker 1: over Jerusalem turned the colors of dusk, the Master observed
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  Speaker 1: fervent prayers offered by people harboring bitterness and resentment in
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  Speaker 1: their heart. In Mark eleven twenty five to twenty six,
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  Speaker 1: Jesus established a fundamental principle, and whenever you stand praying,
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  Speaker 1: forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your father,
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  Speaker 1: who is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses. But
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  Speaker 1: if you do not forgive, neither will your father, who
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  Speaker 1: is in heaven, forgive your trespasses. This direct connection between
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  Speaker 1: forgiving and being forgiven revealed a crucial dimension of prayer.
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  Speaker 1: In the temple courtyard, Jesus noticed two brothers who avoided
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  Speaker 1: each other's gaze while praying in opposite corners. In one
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  Speaker 1: John four twenty twenty one, this principle is reinforced. If
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  Speaker 1: anyone says I love God and hates his brother, he
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  Speaker 1: is a liar. For He who does not love his
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  Speaker 1: brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he
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  Speaker 1: has not seen. And this commandment we have from him,
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  Speaker 1: whoever loves God must also love his brother. The gravity
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  Speaker 1: of this error is illustrated in Psalm sixty six eighteen.
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  Speaker 1: If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord
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  Speaker 1: would not have listened. Harboring resentment is a form of
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  Speaker 1: iniquity that blocks our communication with God. Jesus observed how
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  Speaker 1: some sought God's presence while nursing hatred toward their neighbors.
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  Speaker 1: Near the altar of burnt offerings, a man prayed fervently,
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  Speaker 1: yet Jesus knew he refused to forgive a debt owed
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  Speaker 1: by a poor neighbor. Proverbs twenty one thirteen states, whoever
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  Speaker 1: closes his ear to the cry of the poor, will
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  Speaker 1: himself call out and not be answered. The principle of
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  Speaker 1: mercy and forgiveness extends beyond spiritual matters to the practical
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  Speaker 1: relationships of daily life. In Lamentations three forty one forty two,
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  Speaker 1: there is a warning. Let us lift up our hearts
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  Speaker 1: and hands to God in heaven. We have transgresst and rebelled,
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  Speaker 1: and you have not forgiven. Jesus taught that we cannot
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  Speaker 1: expect divine forgiveness while refusing to forgive others. This truth
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  Speaker 1: was exemplified in the story of a priest Jesus observed
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  Speaker 1: who performed rituals flawlessly but harbored bitterness against a Samaritan.
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  Speaker 1: The Master saw a woman praying with tears, pleading for peace,
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  Speaker 1: yet her heart was filled with bitterness toward her sister.
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  Speaker 1: In James three ten eleven, we read from the same
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  Speaker 1: mouth come blessing and cursing my brothers. These things ought
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  Speaker 1: not to be. So does a spring pour forth from
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  Speaker 1: the same opening, both fresh and salt water. The inconsistency
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  Speaker 1: between seeking God and harboring unforgiveness was evident in Colossians
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  Speaker 1: three thirteen. We find the divine standard. Bear with one another,
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  Speaker 1: and if one has a complaint against another, forgive each other.
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  Speaker 1: As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus observed how some sought divine forgiveness without extending the
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  Speaker 1: same to others. The seriousness of this error is underscored
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  Speaker 1: in Jeremiah fifteen one. Though Moses and Samuel stood before me,
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  Speaker 1: yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Jesus
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  Speaker 1: taught that not even the most eloquent prayers can overcome
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  Speaker 1: the barrier of unforgiveness. On the eastern side of the temple,
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  Speaker 1: a group debated justice and vengeance. In Zechariah seven nine ten,
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  Speaker 1: the Lord had already declared, render true judgments, show kindness
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  Speaker 1: and mercy to one another. Do not oppress the widow,
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  Speaker 1: the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none
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  Speaker 1: of you devise evil against another in your heart. Prayer
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  Speaker 1: without forgiveness directly contradicts this divine command. Jesus taught that
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  Speaker 1: forgiveness is not optional for those who wish to communicate
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  Speaker 1: with God. In Isaiah fifty nine one two who it
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  Speaker 1: is written, behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened that
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  Speaker 1: it cannot save, or his ear dull that it cannot hear.
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  Speaker 1: But your iniquities have made a separation between you and
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  Speaker 1: your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you,
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  Speaker 1: so that he does not hear. Unforgiveness creates a spiritual
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  Speaker 1: barrier that prevents our prayers from being heard. The principle
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  Speaker 1: of forgiveness is so foundational that in Hoseiah six to six,
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  Speaker 1: God declares, for I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice
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  Speaker 1: the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Jesus demonstrated
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  Speaker 1: that forgiveness is a practical expression of love for God
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  Speaker 1: and for one's neighbor. The fifth mistake Jesus identified was
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  Speaker 1: prayer without faith, a hollow way of addressing God without
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  Speaker 1: truly believing in his ability to respond. As the stars
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  Speaker 1: began to shine in the night sky over Jerusalem, the
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  Speaker 1: Master of ors of how many prayed more out of
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  Speaker 1: habit than conviction. In Hebrews eleven to six, we find
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  Speaker 1: a fundamental principle. But without faith it is impossible to
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  Speaker 1: please him. For he who comes to God must believe
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  Speaker 1: that he is, and that He is a rewarder of
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  Speaker 1: those who diligently seek him. Jesus saw people approaching God
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  Speaker 1: with their lips, but their hearts were filled with doubt.
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  Speaker 1: In the temple courtyard, a group discussed a severe illness
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  Speaker 1: afflicting one of their members. James one six to eight states,
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  Speaker 1: but let him ask in faith with no doubting, For
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  Speaker 1: he who doubts is like a wave of the sea,
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  Speaker 1: driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that
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  Speaker 1: man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.
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  Speaker 1: He is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.
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  Speaker 1: Jesus noticed an anguished father praying for his son's healing,
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  Speaker 1: but his words revealed more despair than trust. In Numbers
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  Speaker 1: fourteen eleven, God asks, how long will this people reject me?
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  Speaker 1: And how long will they not believe me? With all
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  Speaker 1: the signs which I have performed among them? Even in
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  Speaker 1: the face of God's demonstrated power, unbelief remained a barrier
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  Speaker 1: to effective prayer. Near the altar of incense, a group
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  Speaker 1: of Levites sang psalms, but Jesus discerned that some were
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  Speaker 1: merely repeating the words without genuinely believing in their meaning.
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  Speaker 1: Isiah twenty nine thirteen prophesied. Therefore, the Lord said, inasmuch
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  Speaker 1: as these people draw near with their mouths and honor
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  Speaker 1: me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far
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  Speaker 1: from me. The importance of faith in prayer is illustrated
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  Speaker 1: in Second Chronicles twenty twenty. Believe in the Lord your God,
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  Speaker 1: and you shall be established. Believe his prophets and you
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: shall prosper. Jesus taught that prayer without faith was like
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  Speaker 1: a seed sown on rocky ground, it could not bear fruit.
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  Speaker 1: An elderly woman prayed for provision, but her expression revealed
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  Speaker 1: that she did not truly expect an answer. A similar
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  Speaker 1: example is found in Psalm seventy eight nineteen twenty. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: they spoke against God, they said, can God prepare a
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  Speaker 1: table in the wilderness? Behold, he struck the rock so
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  Speaker 1: that the waters gushed out and the streams overflowed. Can
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: he give bread? Also? Can he provide meat for his people?
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: In Herbaccuk two four we read but the just shall
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: live by his faith. Jesus demonstrated that true prayer is
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: an expression of this living faith, not an exercise in
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: doubt disguised as piety. In the temple, he saw people
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: praying as if they were speaking into the air, with
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: no real expectation of a response. The seriousness of this
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: error is highlighted in Second King seven one to two,
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: where an officer outed a prophetic word and received a
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: stern rebuke. Look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven,
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: could this thing be? Jesus taught that deliberate doubt is
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: an insult to God's faithfulness. In Solomon's Portico, a group
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: of scribes debated divine promises, but their prayers revealed more
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: skepticism than trust. Jeremiah seventeen seven eight says, blessed is
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree
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  Speaker 1: planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: the river. Jesus emphasized the need for persistent faith through
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: the story in Daniel three p. Seventeen, where Shadrach Meshach
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: and Abednigo declared, our God, whom we serve, is able
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  Speaker 1: to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, and he
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: will deliver us from your hand, o King. This is
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: the kind of faith that moves mountains, unshakable confidence in
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: God's power and goodness. In his zeis Keel thirty seventy three,
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: God asks the prophet, son of Man, can these bones live?
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: This testing question highlighted the importance of believing in the
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: impossible when God is involved. Jesus observed many who limited
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: their prayers to what seemed humanly possible, forgetting that they
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: served the God of the impossible. True faith is exemplified
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: in Joshua ten twelve, when Joshua commanded the sun to
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: stand still. Then Joshua spoke to the Lord Son stands
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: still over Gibeon. This bold prayer demonstrated complete confidence in
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: God's power, something Jesus often found lacking in those who
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: approached the altar. The sixth error Jesus identified was the
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: haste and lack of intimacy in prayers. While the temple
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: lamps illuminated the night in Jerusalem, the Master observed how
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: many treated prayer as just another task to check off
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: their daily list, without taking the time to develop a
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: genuine relationship with God. In Psalm forty six to ten,
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: we find a fundamental principle, be still and know that
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: I am God. Jesus saw how people rushed through their prayers,
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: uttering hurried words, without pausing to listen to the Father's
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: voice or contemplate his presence. In the temple courtyard, a
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: merchant prayed while simultaneously calculating figures in his mind. In
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: Exodus thirty three thirteen fourteen, Moses demonstrated a contrasting attitude. Now, therefore,
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: if I have found favor in your sight, please show
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: me your ways, And he said, my presence will go
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: with you, and I will give you rest Jesus noticed
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: a young woman murmuring prayers while her eyes wandered around
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: the temple, distracted by the bustle of people. In First
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: Samuel three nine to ten, we find Samuel's example, go
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: lie down, and if he calls you say speak Lord,
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: for your servant hears. Then the Lord came and stood
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: there calling, as at the other times Samuel Samuel. The
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: importance of dedicating time to God is illustrated in Job
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: twenty three three four. Oh, that I knew where I
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: might find him, that I might come to his seat,
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  Speaker 1: I would lay my case before him and fill my
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: mouth with arguments. Jesus observed how many failed to invest
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  Speaker 1: time in building this intimacy with the Father. In a
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: corner of the temple, a priest hurried through his ritual prayers,
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  Speaker 1: eager to finish his shift. In Second Kings nineteen fourteen
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: we see a different example in Hezekiah. Hezekiah received the
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: up to the temple of the Lord and spread it
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: out before the Lord. This act reflected a desire to
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: share everything with God. In Song of Songs two fourteen,
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: we find a beautiful description of the kind of intimacy.
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: God desires my dove in the clefts of the rock,
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: in the hiding places on the mountain side. Show me
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: your face. Let me hear your voice, for your voice
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: is sweet and your face is lovely. Jesus taught that
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: prayer should be a moment of intimate communion, not a
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: race against the clock. An elderly woman recited her morning
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: and evening prayers mechanically without pausing for reflection. In Zephyniah
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: three seventeen, it is written, the Lord your God is
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  Speaker 1: with you, the mighty warrior who saves. He will take
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: great delight in you. In his love. He will no
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: Jesus showed that prayer should be a time of mutual
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: delight between God and his children. In the Portico, a
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: group rushed through their prayers as if they were merely
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: another religious obligation. In Hagai one five, God says, now
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: this is what the Lord Almighty says. Give careful thought
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: to your ways. Jesus taught that prayer requires careful reflection
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  Speaker 1: and consideration. The gravity of this error is highlighted in
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: Ecclesiastes five one two. Guard your steps when you go
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: to the House of God. Go near to listen, rather
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: than to offer the sacrifice of fools. Do not be
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: quick with your mouth. Do not be hasty in your
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: heart to utter anything before God. In Judges six seventeen eighteen,
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: we see Gideon seeking deeper intimacy with God. If now
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: I have found favor in your eyes, give me a
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: sign that it is really you talking to me. Please
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: do not go away until I come back. This pursuit
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: of confirmation and closeness contrasted with the rushed prayers Jesus
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: observed in the temple. Many fulfilled their religious duties without
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: true engagement of the heart. In Ruth one sixteen, we
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: find and an example of deep commitment. Where you go,
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: I will go, and where you stay, I will stay.
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: Your people will be my people, and your God my God.
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: Jesus taught that this kind of dedication should characterize our
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: relationship with God. Intimacy with God is exemplified in fol
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: Chronicles seventeen sixteen, when David went in and sat before
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: the Lord, demonstrating an attitude of reverent closeness. Jesus observed
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: how many kept God at a safe distance never allowing
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: him to become truly intimate. The seventh and final error
• 29:37
  Speaker 1: identified by Jesus was self centered prayer, where individuals placed
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: their own desires and wants above the divine purpose. In
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: this stillness of the night in Jerusalem, with only a
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: few lamps still lit in the temple, the Master observed
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: the last faithful ones who remained in prayer, many entirely
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: focused on their own needs and desires. In Philippians two
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: were three to four, we find a fundamental principle, do
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility,
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests,
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: but each of you to the interests of the others.
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: Jesus observed how many prayers directly contradicted this principle. In
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: the nearly empty temple courtyard, a wealthy man prayed fervently,
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: but his words revealed only concern for his possessions and status. Similarly,
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: in Jonah four two, we see an example of self centeredness.
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: Isn't this what I said, Lord when I was still
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: at home? That is what I tried to forestall by
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: and compassionate God, slow to anger, and abounding in love,
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: a God who relents from sending calamity. The correct attitude
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: in prayer is demonstrated in Sewing Samuel seven, eighteen nineteen.
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: Then King David went in and sat before the Lord,
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: and he said, who am i, Sovereign Lord? And what
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: is my family that you have brought me this far?
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: And as if this were not enough in your sight,
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: the house of your servant. This humility sharply contrasted with
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: the self centered prayers that Jesus observed in Esther four fourteen.
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: We encounter a broader perspective. For if you remain silent
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: arise from another place, but you and your father's family
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: will perish. And who knows but that you have come
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: to your royal position for such a time as this.
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: Jesus taught that our prayers should consider the greater good,
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: not merely our personal interests. In the darkest corner of
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: the temple, a wealthy woman prayed for more prosperity without
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: any mention of others. Needs. In Nahum one seven, it
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: is rich. The Lord is good, a refuge in times
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: Jesus demonstrated the true prayer acknowledges God's goodness and trusts
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: in his provision without always demanding more. In Verse Kings
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: three eleven twelve, we see the example of Solomon. So
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: God said to him, since you have asked for this,
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: have you asked for the death of your enemies, but
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: have asked. This contrast between a selfless prayer and a
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: selfish one was precisely what Jesus wanted to highlight. The
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: importance of a broader perspective is illustrated in Joel two seventeen.
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: Let the priests who minister before the Lord weep between
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: the portico and the altar. Let them say, spare your people, Lord,
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: do not make your inheritance an object of scorn. Jesus
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: saw how few prayers expressed concern for the collective good.
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: In Mica six eight, we find the essence of what
• 33:06
  Speaker 1: God seeks. He has shown you o mortal. What is
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: good and what does the Lord require of you? To
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: with your God. Self centered prayers often ignored these divine priorities.
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: The seriousness of this error is emphasized in Obadiah one
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: to three. The pride of your heart has deceived you,
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: You who live in the clefts of the rocks and
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: make your home on the heights, You who say to yourself,
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: who can bring me down to the ground. Jesus taught
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: that pride and self centeredness in prayer were forms of
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: self deception. In Ezra nine to six, we see a
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: contrasting attitude, I am too ashamed and disgrace my God
• 33:53
  Speaker 1: to lift up my face to you, because our sins
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: to the heavens. This humility and collective awareness were what
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: Jesus sought in prayer. God centered prayer is exemplified in
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: Nehemiah one five two to six. Lord, the God of Heaven,
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of
• 34:15
  Speaker 1: love with those who love him and keep his commandments.
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: hear the prayer your servant is praying. Jesus taught that
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: our prayer should begin by acknowledging the greatness of God,
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: not with a list of personal desires. Beloved, After sharing
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: these precious teachings of Jesus about prayer, I want to
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: invite you to become part of this community that strives
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: to grow spiritually every day. If this video touched your
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: heart and you wished to learn more about developing a
• 34:48
  Speaker 1: true and transformative prayer life, go ahead and click the
• 34:52
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• 34:57
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• 35:00
  Speaker 1: profound revelations from the Word of God. Do you know
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: some one who needs to hear this message? How about
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: sharing this video right now? Sometimes a simple share can
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: be the instrument God uses to transform some one else's
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: prayer life. Let us know in the comments which of
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: these lessons impacted you the most and how you planned
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: to apply these teachings in your prayer life. Your experience
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: could inspire other brothers and sisters watching. Thank you for
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: staying with us until now. May the Holy Spirit use
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: these truths to lead you to a new level of
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: intimacy with the father. See you in the next video.