Article Display
Email  |  My Account  |  Donate
What if you had a friend who always repeated the same thing to you, every time you saw him? Maybe he'd say something complimentary, something really nice, but for some reason he just had to say the same thing each time you came around.


To make matters worse, you could tell that this guy was just saying it out of obligation. It didn't seem to mean all that much, but for some reason he felt he just had to say it anyway.

Would you say that friendship had good communication? No? Then, let me ask you this: Why do you think so many people pray that way? Better yet, have you ever caught yourself praying mindlessly? Just spouting off what you heard somebody else say? What about going through the motions of prayer and repeating the same old things?

God is real. His Son, Jesus, is real. So, why do so many pray like He isn't?

Do You Pray Just To See Where The Words May Splatter?
You see, when somebody aimlessly prays a prayer I say that they are "spouting" off prayers. It's almost like people gather up all the good sounding words they've heard and then spout 'em off.  They pray just to see where the words may splatter.

But I don't believe God gets too much enjoyment hearing His children spout off somebody else' words...especially when they do it just because they feel they "have to."

What about you? Have you ever found yourself doing that? All God is asking for is for you to put forth a little effort! All He wants is for you to desire Him and think about Him enough to want to talk to Him.

He wants to hear your voice. But not just your voice, He wants to hear your heart. He's willing to share His true Self with you. Are you willing to do the same with Him?

What? Do You Think God Speaks Japanese?
God loves me. He just can't help Himself. Sometimes people think I'm arrogant when I say that, but I know it's true. God told me! He just loves me and He loves to tell me so. He speaks my language. And sometimes that is Cajun slang!

Sometimes He talks sternly to me and sometimes He talks softly. But most all of the time He talks to me straight out, real and to the point. Why do you think He talks that way to me?

Because that is how I can understand it.

I used to think that He talked to everybody that way. But I've come to know that He doesn't. He talks to each individual in the way that he or she can understand Him plainly. Why? Because He doesn't want to make it hard for you!

Imagine if I started talking to God and I said, "Hey, Jesus!" and He responded in Japanese. Would I be able to understand Him? No, I'm a Cajun! God speaks Japanese to a person who is Japanese! To me, it's Cajun!

The Lord makes every effort to speak your language. He's holy and pure, so His words will only be holy and pure. But He will come across in a way that you can easily understand Him.

Be Real!
What about you? Do you make every effort to be real when you're talking to Jesus? Or do you go digging in the back of your brain for the last good sounding prayer somebody else said?

How do you talk to Jesus? How you pray when you are alone is probably a reflection of how your relationship with Jesus is. Do you talk to Him from your heart? Are you expectant to hear His voice? Do you pray like He is way up in the sky, almost out of reach? Or do you pray like He is right there in front of you, listening to what you're saying and waiting to respond?

Jesus is real! He is inside you and that is as close as He can get! So if He planted Himself right there on the inside of you, isn't it obvious that He wants to talk? Let me tell you something. God isn't interested in how holy and flowery you can sound.

Unless you already speak eloquently and it's in your nature, forget about trying to sound good. Just be yourself. God already knows who you are. He made you. Remember, prayer isn't for Him to get to know you...prayer is for you to get to know Him!

God Will Shock Your Socks Off!
Maybe you are saved, but you really haven't developed an open, communicating relationship with Jesus quite yet. You might say that you've met Him and received Him as your Savior and Lord but maybe you have yet to experience that "friendship" type of relationship. You could be in that position no matter if you prayed the sinner's prayer two days or twenty years ago!

If that is where you are, man, are you in for a surprise! Once you start talking and being honest and real with God, you are going to find out that He is not the way you may have thought He was. God will shock your socks off!

His personality and nature is so multi-faceted, even the angels haven't seen all that He is! They continually fly over the throne shouting words of praise about Him (Isa. 6:2)!

Yet for as complex as He is, it is amazing how simple He is to understand! When He talks to you, it won't be so beyond you that you can't understand Him. He's going to shoot straight with you and be real. You'll understand Him. He'll see to that!

Remind Yourself: Prayer Makes Life Easier. Doing It Isn't Hard!
Most Christians know that reading the Word and spending time with Jesus in prayer can help them. And in their hearts they might really want to do it. But somehow they become swept away with the day's "priorities" and become lazy when it comes to the Lord.

But you know, it really isn't such a big deal. You don't have to spend all your time on your knees, although you'll receive a lot of wisdom and insight doing that! What God really wants is for you to talk to Him. Wake up in the morning and do like I do. Say, "Hello, Jesus!" Chat with Him throughout your day and you'll be able to keep a good relationship with Him.

As you practice chatting and praying with Jesus each day, you'll find that you suddenly have the urge to find out even more about Him. He's just that way. Sort of infectious, you might say. It seems like the more you talk to Jesus, the more you want to talk with Jesus.

Go For The Good Stuff!
But what if your mind is empty? And your will is idle because of it? Where does that leave you? Without results, that's where! Without a manifestation of God's awesome power to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that you ask or think! And you don't want that! Nobody wants that!

Nobody who knows what faith in God can do wants to live without His power in his or her life. Most people just get carried away with life and neglect what is most important. They are sort of like Martha, worrying about food instead of sitting with her sister at the feet of Jesus where she belonged (Luke 10:38-42).

Next time you find yourself skipping prayer...even if you think you've got a great reason, think about Martha. Remember what Jesus told her, "Martha, Martha. Thou art careful about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which will not be taken from her" (Luke 10:41-42).

Look, no matter what you do or how busy you are at doing it...prayer ought not to be neglected. God's Word shouldn't be neglected. And neither should you. After all, prayer isn't really hard. It doesn't take all day. All it takes is honesty, no matter what you're doing. So, forget about cheating yourself! Go for prayer! It's the good stuff! Get to know God!

Source: God is Not Enough - He's Too Much! by Jesse Duplantis
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers

Author Biography

Jesse Duplantis
Web site: Jesse Duplantis Ministries
 
Jesse Duplantis is a dynamic evangelist who has traveled throughout the world since 1978 preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries (JDM), which has its International Headquarters in America and additional offices in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Read more...

About Us

The online ministry of cfaith has been helping people discover faith, friends and freedom in the Word since 2000. Cfaith provides a unique and comprehensive collection of faith-building resources for the worldwide faith community.

At cfaith, you can strengthen your faith and deepen your understanding of the Word of God by digging into the vast collection of teaching articles, streaming audio and video messages, and daily devotionals. No other website offers such a unique and extensive collection of spiritual-growth resources aimed at helping you grow in your knowledge of the Word.

Read More...

 

 

Support Us

Why support cfaith?


(All contributions are 100% tax deductible)


SUPPORT CFAITH WITH ONE CLICK!

For every Internet search you make using
goodsearch, cfaith will receive one penny!

GS Logo 250x38

Contact Us

Business Hours:


Monday—Friday: 9 a.m.—5 p.m. CST
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Phone:

(763) 488-7800 or (800) 748-8107

Mailing Address: 

CFAITH.com
9201 75th Avenue North
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428

 

Login Form

Please ignore the “Secret Key” field; it is not needed to log in to cfaith.

Login Change Article

Spring360x442
You need to enable user registration from User Manager/Options in the backend of Joomla before this module will activate.