From Your Heart

Praying is like talking to your best friend. God cares about you. He loves you so much. He doesn’t care if your prayer is long or eloquent! He even condemned the Pharisees for their long prayers because they loved to stand out in front of every one and look great in mans eyes by their long words and knowledgeable prayers. But their hearts were in the wrong place. They were seeking status and approval from man and not from God (Matthew 6:5).

Luke 18:9-14 NLT

Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector

⁹ Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: ¹⁰ “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! ¹² I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

God just wants us to talk to Him. He knows our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7). There is no sense trying to hide anything from Him. Just keep your prayers real. 100% from the heart. If all you can muster is ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ then it is better than a lot of words that do not come from your heart.

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2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 

Father God,

There is none like You in all the world. All greatness, power and glory are Yours. You are The Creator. Nothing is too difficult for You. We all need You right now. Show up and show off in a way that only You can. Then the nations will know and see that You alone are God. Move these mountains that we have built. I ask You to remove mountains of indifference, hatred, pride or anything else that is exalting itself. Please remove anything that is trying to separate us from You. Indeed. I ask just like the tax collector did, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ Be merciful to the United States. Help us to once again be a nation whose God is You, Lord. Raise up someone who will speak to the people and bring peace and unity. We need You. We love You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Let’s worship today with a song I saw yesterday on Beholding Him Ministries blog. Here is the link as it was a very good blog. https://beholdinghimministries.org/2020/09/14/save-us-o-lord-our-god/ via @BH_Ministries1

If you do not know Jesus but would like to know more about Him, please read the following blog titled, Never let Us Go. God bless. https://thefathersfeet.wordpress.com/2020/01/07/you-never-let-us-go/

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