May 27: Effective Praying: Examine Your Motives & Manner

For the next seven days we’ll look at some prayer thoughts from John Fallahee. John has appeared on Crosstalk and WVCY-TV30 with Mike Gendron of Proclaiming the Gospel. He’s the author of a new book, Reflect the Glory of God in Prayer, and has graciously allowed us to share some excerpts from his new book:

After focusing on the person and work of God, we now travel from the throne room of God to the innermost part of our being, our heart and mind. When it comes to praying to God, remembering He knows all and sees all is both a comfort and a warning.

…God hates the ways of pride and hypocrisy. Interestingly, He also dislikes prayers that repeat the same words over and over. God wants an honest conversation in prayer, not “vain repetition.” These are solemn reminders regarding our mindset before we enter the prayer closet. What is the right kind of spirit for prayer? Psalm 34:18 affirms that the Lord appreciates a broken heart and contrite spirit in prayer.

Question: When you pray, are you captivated by God or something else? How do you keep yourself focused on God in prayer?

When my children were around the ages of 6, 4 and 2, I would find them clutching their favorite stuffed animal when we were praying to God. As lovingly as possible, I would remind them to give their full attention to the Lord and to put away their toys. As adults we too must guard our mind and heart against clutching anything that would distract us in prayer.

Therefore we must examine our motives and manner in prayer.

Read the rest of this chapter in Reflect the Glory of God in Prayer.

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