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Counterfeit Prayers

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Aurien Jimenez
Aurien Jimenez

This document contains summaries of various passages from Ellen G. White on the topic of prayer. It discusses the importance of humility, sincerity, and obedience in prayer. True prayer engages the soul and affects one's life and actions. Formal or hypocritical prayers that are not heartfelt are unacceptable to God. Communion with God through prayer can impart knowledge of His will and power to overcome sin.

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Mrs. Ellen G.White
Humility and Reverence should characterize the deportment of all who come to the presence of God. We should remember that we are in His sight whom seraphim adore and before whom angels veil their faces.
The prayers that are offered to God to tell Him of all our wretchedness, when we do not feel wretched at all, are the prayers of hypocrisy. It is the contrite prayer that the Lord regards. Prayer is not intended to make a change in God. It does not take the place of duty. (MYP 247-248)
There are some who do not take their troubles to God in private prayer, but reserve them for the prayer meeting, and there do up their prayer for several days. Such may be named conference and prayer meeting KILLERS.
To expect that our prayer will always be answered in just the way we want is presumption. The prayer of faith is never lost but to claim that it will be always answered in the very way and for the particular thing we have expected, is presumption.
The heathen looked upon their prayers as having themselves merit to atone for sin. Prayer is not a compensation for sin; it has no virtue or merit of itself. God does not desire our ceremonial compliments, but the unspoken cry of the heart broken and subdued with a sense of its sin and utter weakness finds its way to the Father of all mercy.
Satan leads people to think that because they felt a rapture of feeling, they are converted. But their actions are the same as before. They are deceived for their experience is no deeper than feeling. What is the sign of a new heart A changed life.
Men and women, in the face of the most positive commands of God, will follow their own inclination, and then dare to pray over the matter, to prevail upon God to consent them to go contrary to His expressed will. The prayers of this class are an abomination to God. True prayer engages the energies of the soul and affects the life. He who thus pours out his wants before God feels the emptiness of everything else under heaven.
The eye of faith will discern God very near, and the suppliant may obtain precious evidence of the divine love and care for him. He speaks of some who have not cried unto Me with their heart. Such petitions are prayers of form, lip service only, which the Lord does not accept.
Heaven is not closed against the fervent prayers of the righteous. The only reason for our lack of power with God is to be found in ourselves. We must be much in prayer if we would make progress in the divine life.
There were some like Judas among those who profess to be waiting for their Lord. Satan controls them, but they know it not. If the eyes of such could be opened, they would see Satan in hellish triumph, exulting over them and laughing at the folly of those who accept his suggestions and enter his snares.
Our petitions to God should not proceed from hearts that are filled with selfish aspirations. God exhorts us to choose those gifts that will redound to His glory. When the worldly possession is swept away, the believer will rejoice in his heavenly treasure, the riches that cannot be lost in any earthly disaster.
The church needs the fresh, living experience of members who have habitual communion with God. Dry, stale testimonies and prayers, without the manifestation of Christ in them, are no help to the people. If everyone who claims to be a child of God were filled with faith and light and life, what a wonderful witness would be given to those who come to hear the truth!
The poor publican who prayed, God be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13), regarded himself as a very wicked man, and others looked upon him in the same light; but he felt his need, and with his burden of guilt and shame he came before God, asking for His mercy. His heart was open for the Spirit of God to do its gracious work and set him free from the power of sin.
The Pharisees boastful, self-righteous prayer showed that his heart was closed against the influence of the Holy Spirit. Because of his distance from God, he had no sense of his own defilement, in contrast with the perfection of the divine holiness. He felt no need, and he received nothing.
There are conditions to the fulfillment of Gods promises, and prayer can never take the place of duty. If ye love Me, Christ says, Keep My commandments. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. John 14:15, 21.
The prayer of form and the prayer of faith. The repetition of set, customary phrases when the heart feels no need of God, is formal prayer. The prayer that comes from an earnest heart, when the simple wants of the soul are expressed just as we would ask an earthly friend for a favor, expecting that it would be grantedthis is the prayer of faith.
Communion with God imparts to the soul an intimate knowledge of His will. But many who profess the faith know not what true conversion is. They have no experience in communion with the Father through Jesus Christ, and have never felt the power of divine grace to sanctify the heart.
Praying and sinning, sinning and praying, their lives are full of malice, deceit, envy, jealousy, and self- love. The prayers of this class are an abomination to God. True prayer engages the energies of the soul and affects the life. He who thus pours out his wants before God feels the emptiness of everything else under heaven.
GOD BLESS US & THANK YOU!!!

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Counterfeit Prayers

  • 2. Humility and Reverence should characterize the deportment of all who come to the presence of God. We should remember that we are in His sight whom seraphim adore and before whom angels veil their faces.
  • 3. The prayers that are offered to God to tell Him of all our wretchedness, when we do not feel wretched at all, are the prayers of hypocrisy. It is the contrite prayer that the Lord regards. Prayer is not intended to make a change in God. It does not take the place of duty. (MYP 247-248)
  • 4. There are some who do not take their troubles to God in private prayer, but reserve them for the prayer meeting, and there do up their prayer for several days. Such may be named conference and prayer meeting KILLERS.
  • 5. To expect that our prayer will always be answered in just the way we want is presumption. The prayer of faith is never lost but to claim that it will be always answered in the very way and for the particular thing we have expected, is presumption.
  • 6. The heathen looked upon their prayers as having themselves merit to atone for sin. Prayer is not a compensation for sin; it has no virtue or merit of itself. God does not desire our ceremonial compliments, but the unspoken cry of the heart broken and subdued with a sense of its sin and utter weakness finds its way to the Father of all mercy.
  • 7. Satan leads people to think that because they felt a rapture of feeling, they are converted. But their actions are the same as before. They are deceived for their experience is no deeper than feeling. What is the sign of a new heart A changed life.
  • 8. Men and women, in the face of the most positive commands of God, will follow their own inclination, and then dare to pray over the matter, to prevail upon God to consent them to go contrary to His expressed will. The prayers of this class are an abomination to God. True prayer engages the energies of the soul and affects the life. He who thus pours out his wants before God feels the emptiness of everything else under heaven.
  • 9. The eye of faith will discern God very near, and the suppliant may obtain precious evidence of the divine love and care for him. He speaks of some who have not cried unto Me with their heart. Such petitions are prayers of form, lip service only, which the Lord does not accept.
  • 10. Heaven is not closed against the fervent prayers of the righteous. The only reason for our lack of power with God is to be found in ourselves. We must be much in prayer if we would make progress in the divine life.
  • 11. There were some like Judas among those who profess to be waiting for their Lord. Satan controls them, but they know it not. If the eyes of such could be opened, they would see Satan in hellish triumph, exulting over them and laughing at the folly of those who accept his suggestions and enter his snares.
  • 12. Our petitions to God should not proceed from hearts that are filled with selfish aspirations. God exhorts us to choose those gifts that will redound to His glory. When the worldly possession is swept away, the believer will rejoice in his heavenly treasure, the riches that cannot be lost in any earthly disaster.
  • 13. The church needs the fresh, living experience of members who have habitual communion with God. Dry, stale testimonies and prayers, without the manifestation of Christ in them, are no help to the people. If everyone who claims to be a child of God were filled with faith and light and life, what a wonderful witness would be given to those who come to hear the truth!
  • 14. The poor publican who prayed, God be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13), regarded himself as a very wicked man, and others looked upon him in the same light; but he felt his need, and with his burden of guilt and shame he came before God, asking for His mercy. His heart was open for the Spirit of God to do its gracious work and set him free from the power of sin.
  • 15. The Pharisees boastful, self-righteous prayer showed that his heart was closed against the influence of the Holy Spirit. Because of his distance from God, he had no sense of his own defilement, in contrast with the perfection of the divine holiness. He felt no need, and he received nothing.
  • 16. There are conditions to the fulfillment of Gods promises, and prayer can never take the place of duty. If ye love Me, Christ says, Keep My commandments. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. John 14:15, 21.
  • 17. The prayer of form and the prayer of faith. The repetition of set, customary phrases when the heart feels no need of God, is formal prayer. The prayer that comes from an earnest heart, when the simple wants of the soul are expressed just as we would ask an earthly friend for a favor, expecting that it would be grantedthis is the prayer of faith.
  • 18. Communion with God imparts to the soul an intimate knowledge of His will. But many who profess the faith know not what true conversion is. They have no experience in communion with the Father through Jesus Christ, and have never felt the power of divine grace to sanctify the heart.
  • 19. Praying and sinning, sinning and praying, their lives are full of malice, deceit, envy, jealousy, and self- love. The prayers of this class are an abomination to God. True prayer engages the energies of the soul and affects the life. He who thus pours out his wants before God feels the emptiness of everything else under heaven.