Seeking Real Truth Minisitries - Seeking Higher Faith In Our Lord Jesus Christ

What Our Response Should Be

Throughout both Old and New Testament history (we are currently in New Testament or New Covenent times) men and women have run away from the calling of God. Jonah was swallowed into the belly of a fish for running from the call to give God's prophecy to Ninevah. I ran for years. But one thing God doesn't do is take 'no' for an answer. If he wants you, he will do what it takes to get you to serve him.

For me, it involved years of frustration, anxiety, depression. It involved homelessness. It involved using drugs and sex to run away from living in obedience to him. Even though I was raised in a Christian home, I never really understood what faith was all about, or why it was important.

Then when I was in the utter pit of despair, exactly where God wanted me to be, and having prayed for years believing that my faith in him was a guarantee of financial security I came to realize that the truth was I was only praying for things for my own personal comfort. I had to come to a place where personal comfort just did not matter anymore. And that is where God brought me.

When I got there, realizing my prayers were not heard, I changed my prayer. I acknowledged that I did not have the ability to pray proper prayers. So my prayers changed. In my article "Prayers That Work" I discuss these changes in my prayers.

Our response to his invitation should be one of humility, of fear (not the "I'm so terrified" type of fear, but a different fear that acknowledges the power of God), and of gratitude. Here are some simple but effective prayers you can say every day to put yourself in that place. Maybe you won't have to go through "hell on earth" like I did. Maybe you already are there. Maybe it is on the way and you know it. Maybe you need to experience it in order to truly come to the point where you will walk in obedience to him. When you begin praying for these things, keep in mind that you should stop praying for anything that will be for your personal comfort.

James 4
²You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. ³When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
⁴You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? ⁶But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
   "God opposes the proud
       but gives grace to the humble."
⁷Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Prayer 1

Father, I acknowledge that in your site I am utterly sinful. I don't know how to believe in you. I don't know how to receive your Son. I don't know how to seek your kingdom. So I ask you to give me these abilities. I want to live according to your will for me, Father. I want to live my life with the life you promised to give me in your word. I will no longer pray for things for my own comfort, but only to have the ability to seek first your kingdom, and to trust you completely to fulfill your promise that all these things will be added to me. Take away all my bitterness, anger, pain, sorrow, everything that tears me up inside and draws me away from you. Give me your blessings, Father, lift me up according to your word. I want to walk in obedience to you. Forgive me for all my sins, Father, according to your promise. I ask this all in Jesus Name. Amen

Jesus, I ask you to give me the ability to receive you. I don't know how, it is beyond my ability to understand. Give me that ability, Lord and Savior. I want to live my life to serve you only. Amen.

Jesus, I renounce the way of the world and seek to serve you only. Nothing else matters. Amen.

When you pray these prayers, don't expect things to happen overnight. It took over a month of praying that first and second prayer before I was truly able to say the renouncing prayer. But when the Father opened the floodgates of blessings on me, I could not contain them, just as he promised in his word in Malachi 3.

When you get to that place, and he floods you with his blessings, what will be the result? For that, lets go to "What Is The Result Of Receiving Jesus."