Selfish prayers are often prayers made out of our own desires, just as one of the writers of the New Testament bible, James put it – to spend on our own passion – James 4:3. The one devastating ugly effect of Selfish prayer is that God is out of it no matter how far and hard we spent on praying.

To avoid such prayers, below I carefully listed out and discuss on things to focus on.

 

1) Give more time on the study of the word of God

Perhaps, praying to God involves a much of carefulness. It’s not just a spiritual act you bounce in and do the way you desire and when only you feel like.

The Bible tells of a wonderful man Daniel, God used profusely in his time to do many wonders. We’re meant to understand that he prays three (3) times every day, that is to say whether he feels like praying or not, tired or not, occupied by activities or not, he never allow any of  these excuses encroach on his prayer time. Daniel prays because it is the rightful thing to do and not because he wants to.

However, God has a will for prayers and can only count our prayers worthy to be answered when we pray in accordance to his will.

Perhaps, it’s only when we don’t consider his will that we often end up raising selfish request and petitions to God.

However to avoid always praying selfishly, one wonderful way is to have a good knowledge of the word of God, the bible. Read and study the word, mediate on it day and night, just as Joshua urged the Israelites (see Joshua 1: and do well to apply all that is in it as well for it births amazing divine blessing, (see Rev 22:7).

However, the word of God is his will; that is to say in another way that it is in the word of God that you find his will.

So then when you delight in knowing all that the word of God has for you, you can never be off in your request as to many others who ignorantly fall victims of.

1 John 5:14, “the confidence we have in him is that whenever we pray according to his will; he hears us”

 

2) pray often in the spirit

I have met many Christian who never believe in tongues and some others who have the gift but always feel awkward to use it.

What then is this praying in the spirit all about to start with? Simply as Apostle Paul put it, to pray in the spirit  is to pray without your understanding and that is to pray in tongues (see 1 Corinth 14:14).

When you pray in the spirit only God in heaven hears and understand your petition and such kind of prayer can never be off or selfish. For the Bible tell us, the Spirit searches all things even the deep things of God.

According to Romans 8:26, the Bible tells us, “In the same way the spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groaning which can’t be uttered”

At the confession of Christ Jesus as your Lord and believe in him, death and resurrection. You received God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit who is also a seal that you are God’s and of our inheritance of God’s eternal glory. (See John 8:14, Eph 1:13-14)

Nevertheless the spirit of God in you has and knows the mind of God. So when he intercedes for you as you pray in the Spirit, he intercedes just as it is the will of God and in such case, there’s every tendency that you will receive answers to your prayers/requests.

However, make more of your prayers in the spirit.

 

3) Know your needs from your wants –

I came to understand that there’s a grave difference between wants and needs. The two qualities look-alike or seemly confusing at times in regarding their differentiation.

Perhaps, here is just a good simplified difference between the two: A need is something one must have in other to thrive why a Want is a choice, which in it absence one can still thrive and live wonderfully.

However, God wants to meet our needs – being those important things one hardly can do without such as shelter, food, clothing, good jobs, financial breakthroughs, etc and not  just what we wants – that is our desires. You see our desires spring from the heart, which the Bible tells us is very deceitful and full of evil thoughts.

No wonder the word of God reveals to us, “we ask and do not receive because we ask wrongly, to spend it on our own passion” – James 4:3.

I strongly believe that the above bible reading is enough to tell us that whenever our requests do concur with those things that will help our relationship with God and not impedes – God is out to hear us.  God delights in meaningful requests or asking. Nevertheless, this calls for much carefulness in the kind of request we present before him – and that is avoiding silly or self-centered requests while praying (see James 4:3).

 

4) Stay focused while praying –

Yea, staying focused is of most importantly when making your prayers. The reason is simply this; prayer is not a natural Christian stuff or practice. Prayer operates in the supernatural world and only with a focused mind (having known full well we are of the natural) can feature into it (the supernatural).

Perhaps, an unfocused mind will always put off silly thought and thus end you praying amiss or selfishly.

In conclusion, to strictly avoid the danger of falling a prey to selfish prayers, try as much as you can to stay focused and concentrate on God, his love and word than things around you, probably your desires.

Click the link below to continue reading http://www.faithinspirationblog.com/2017/11/21/best-pray-receive-answer-god/

Preach on, brother.
As much as it can be tempting to pray these kinds of prayer, it most times as you have rightly said, is irrelevant.

Thanks jare.
Jude 20....