I hear some debate among Christians criticizing certain prayers. One particular prayer comes to mind– The Sinner’s Prayer. Some believe the message within this prayer misguides sinners. I don’t know about you but I choose to see any prayer to God a chance for redemption. After all, Jesus knows our hearts, not man. If you’re praying sincerely for forgiveness of sins how can Jesus fault you?
They argue, nowhere in the Bible does it give us a Sinner’s Prayer to pray. I say, who cares?! There are many prayers that are put together from a broken or contrite heart that are not in the bible. The Lord is near to those or have a broken, crushed or a hurt heart. He’s not looking at the words used or where the the words derived from. He’s looking at the heart! He’s waiting for repentance. He’s waiting for you to follow Him. He wants to save you from an eternity in hell. He wants you to be redeemed and return to Heaven with Him.
So instead of poking holes in any prayer, let’s instead talk about the salvation of souls through any heartfelt prayer and also see if my thought’s about the “questionable” Sinner’s Prayer line up with your thoughts.
I hope in the end of my blog we can at least all agree not to allow any naysayers stop you from praying to God.
All prayers are eternally helpful in your life and in the lives of your loved ones.
Jesus is always waiting for us to come to Him.
We could conclude my thoughts of the importance of a redemptive prayer from His words… Revelation 3:20…Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; behold, I have stood at the door, and am knocking. These gracious words declare the long-suffering of Christ, as He waits for the conversion of sinners.
I believe this passage is a salvation invitation through praying to Jesus.
Or, what about Romans 10:9-10, 13–If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that
God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your hear that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
That scripture says a mouthful right there about speaking up and getting saved. What better way to do that than through prayer.
The Sinner’s Prayer ( to the right) seems convincing enough to me that the sinner is acknowledging Jesus is the son of God, there’s the asking of forgiveness and the sinner is also repenting of his/her ways and appears sincerely wanting to follow Jesus.
So why would we judge a person’s intentions if the words in the Sinner’s Prayer appear to reflect their heart?
It’s About the Heart…
We simply don’t know a person’s heart but certainly Jesus does.
So what am I missing? What is there so wrong about the Sinner’s Prayer or any prayer for that matter of the heart?
Hey, at least they are praying to God through the Sinner’s Prayer and not hailing to Satan.
God searches our hearts and appreciates our thanksgiving!
To everyone–Just PRAY.
Stop putting so much emphasis on a specific prayer or the exact words to use or the proper grammar to use.
Just pray from your heart, offer up your thanks to God and believe utmost that Jesus is the son of God and the way, the truth and the life.
In your sincere heart, you must without doubt, believe in Jesus Christ the son of God. You must ask for forgiveness of your sins, repent of your sinful ways and begin to follow Jesus and His ways.
While you’re praying for answers in your own life please remember to pray for world healing, reconciliation, revival and salvation for others – things this world needs, things God cares deeply about. This way we also satisfy expectations for helping other souls to be saved.
Being a servant of God and saving souls is what our journey on earth should be about.
If you’re unsure about your servanthood or God’s purpose for you-Pray About It!
It all comes down to our prayers along with our devout hearts and hungry souls seeking God.
All Prayers are Powerful
Prayers are our massive spiritual weapons against the enemy.
I prayed fervently for my son for 23 years. I fought the good fight of faith against the stronghold of the devil when he was trapped in addiction. I never prayed so much in all those years of sheer hell!
I had to grow in my kingdom knowledge and in my faith through it all. I had to face the brutal reality and accept if my son was to be healed from addiction it would have to be God’s Will.
Prayer taught me the way to truly give our requests to God is to petition the highest courts in heaven through Jesus Christ and then let go! If you don’t let go, it’s like any board game rolling dice in your hands but never releasing the dice onto the table; your prayer will stay in your hands going nowhere just like the dice.
So if there is a chance for our prayers to be answered by God we must NEVER cease praying. But, we must also be wise and bold enough to let go once we hand our children over to God.
If our prayer is in God’s Will or not we will never know until it’s God’s timing to reveal his decision.
I truly believe, without a shadow of doubt, my letting go and trusting God with His Will along with continuous prayers saved my son. I don’t want to imagine the reality if I stopped praying what the outcome may have been.
The Lord is at hand; ”Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
So NEVER stop praying!!!
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16)
No prayer is ever lost.
Every prayer is a weapon.
Every prayer is an incense of worship before God’s throne.
But, why does God answer some prayers and not others?
Unanswered Prayers…
I’ve had many friends and family question why God does not answer their prayers. My best answer beneath never matches the mystery of God’s plan or purpose.
Me: I’m so sorry you are jaded from an unanswered prayer. Sometimes God answers our prayers and sometimes not; at least not right away. It’s the big mystery behind God. Keep in mind, we’re all tested in our faith at times. It’s up to us to endure those tests. Look at Job. He lost everything but he still remained in faith. In spite of everything, Job did not sin or accuse God of doing him wrong. Job is an amazing testimony of someone, who on losing everything physically, never lost his faith in God. Following Jesus doesn’t guarantee us an easy and comfortable life. But it does give us “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure“ (Hebrews 6:19). If you’ve lost someone or something dear to you, it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love you, it doesn’t mean that you’ve messed up and it doesn’t mean that He’s not working in you even now for His glory. When we hurt it can be hard to see how God is working in our lives, but even then we must trust in his faithfulness and unfailing love. God has not given up on you. He waits upon our faithfulness no matter what we lose. Please never give up on God. Trust God! Hugs and prayers! Jesus loves you! 
You may not see the result of your prayers immediately, but they are all known in Heaven, and they are being stored up for a day when God will unleash His power.
So just because you don’t receive an answer doesn’t mean it will never be answered.
If God chooses to not answer your prayer doesn’t mean He doesn’t care.
So, if you’re feeling like God does not answer your prayers because He doesn’t care about you, or your needs… that is a lie from the enemy and you need to remember what God says… then believe it and trust that His word is true.
Bad Things Happen
Because God allowed us free-will or freedom of choice. We all have the choice to make good and bad decisions that can cost us eternity or cost others grave harm. Even though you may not have done anything to deserve a difficult time doesn’t mean you chose that or that God is not a good God. But that someone made a bad decision that caused great harm by a bad choice they made.
This is why bad things do happen to good people.
It’s not God’s fault.
God sets before us two ways of life–His way and the wrong way–and gives us the freedom to choose which we will follow.
God can’t help it when children die, a parent dies, or you get robbed or someone murders your loved one.
Death is Inevitable. When it’s our time to return to heaven nothing can stop that.
God grieves as we do for our harmed loved ones.
Purposely hurting or murdering someone is on the perpetrator. That person will either repent from “their choice” of sin or be cast into hell upon their death.
The Clock is Ticking…
God hopes all would repent before losing a soul to hell but our days are numbered to do that.
Luke 12:7 “Why even the hairs on your head are all numbered.”
Psalm 57:2 says, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” This is key in understanding God’s purpose for your life. God has numbered your days and will fulfill every purpose He has for you.
Once your purpose on this earth has been fulfilled it’s time to be called home to heaven.
It’s very painful and it’s wrong when someone takes a loved one’s life but it’s not God’s fault. Terrible things happen in life we have no control over but we should never blame our Father.
God gives people a set of commandments and a Holy Spirit to guide us. If a person rejects those ways then it’s on their soul for the sins they commit.
Blame the devil for tempting the person to commit a sinful act that caused the problem.
I recommend watching this movie The Shack to help you to better understand God’s free will and how we must apply it to our lives if we are ever to live freely with forgiveness of others causing us painful circumstances.
Or, if you prefer reading a book pick up this copy of The Shack.
A bit about this story…
Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack (the father of his little girl) receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.
In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!
I guarantee….You’ll never take your eyes off the screen or you’ll never be able to put the book down!
I also guarantee your heart will be forever changed about why bad things happen, why did God allow this, and the act of forgiveness that comes with it.
God definitely hears all prayers it’s just about which prayers are in His Will.
Prayers Aren’t Judged
But Prayers are hindered when we doubt God. The Lord requires total belief and trust in His word. To question God’s word, is to call Him a liar.
It all boils down to this. We are all to pray. We are all to pray whole heartedly believing and trusting God’s Will and His purpose.
No prayer is too big or too small.
No prayers are expected to be perfectly said.
As long as you say what you mean and mean what you pray, your soul is connected to your heart. This gives you direct communication with God.
You then must wait prayerfully on His decision based on His Will and His purpose in any grieving moment.
So don’t let people discourage you from praying the Sinners Prayer or any prayer if you feel lead to pray from your heart.
God will never judge a heartfelt prayer.
So what do you think? Can we agree not to allow any naysayers stop you from praying to God?
Please let me know your thoughts beneath… I love feedback to help inspire me to write more for the Lord.