Verse: “At that day ye shall ask in My name.“
– John 16:26
Quote: “We are not here to prove God answers prayer; we are here to be living monuments of God’s grace.”
Prayer is about communication with God, not having our wishes granted us. God promises to give the desires of our heart, but He also promises to change our hearts to line up with His if we will pursue Him. Focus on talking to God in prayer, not on the answers. The answers will come, but not always in the way we hoped for.
Verse: “Out of the heart proceed…“
– Matthew 15:19
Quote: “We resent what Jesus Christ reveals.”
We do not want to hear what Jesus Christ has to say when He tells us what is really in our hearts. “I could never…” Sure you could; you are capable of every possible evil when you reject Christ’s teachings and allow the enemy a foothold in your life. 1 John 3:15 says that whoever hates his brother is a murderer, James 2:10-11 says that if you break only one law you break every law because the same God decreed the entire law.
What does this mean for us? It means you must never take sin lightly, especially when Christ reveals an evil inside your heart. Don’t ever think a sin is too extreme for you to actually commit. If the Holy Spirit takes the time to confront you, take heed and listen. Our lives as Christians are under constant attack from the enemy, and quite frequently we fall in the most unsuspecting ways. Take time to ask God what areas of your life still have flesh dwelling in them, and expedite it’s removal.
Verse: “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
– Matthew 5:20
Quote: “The only thing that exceeds right-doing is right-being.”
It is a difficult thing for many Christians to grasp that doing good is not enough; you must also be doing good for the right reason. I Chronicles 28:9 says to “serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.” It has been said that God doesn’t want service, He wants obedience; that is to say, He wants us to want to do the right thing, not feel like we have to do it. It does God no good for us to just go through the motions hoping to earn a gold star at the end of the day. Our chief goal should be that we are so right in our living, motives, dreams, and recesses of our minds that “God Almighty can see nothing to censure” in us.