Scripture Texts: Psalm 109:7; 80:4; 35:13; Proverbs 28:9


Prayer is a good thing and a medium of communication with God. However, wrong praying is just as sinful as not praying at all.

The psalmist writes, “How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?” (Ps. 80:4). Here God was not angry because they didn’t pray. God was angry because of the prayer they offered Him. Moreover, David says of the wicked, “Let his prayer become sin” (Ps. 109:7).

These Scriptures show that it is not all prayers the Living God is pleased with. There are some prayers that get God angry and they are the ones offered to Him in sin.

Let's consider some of these things that can make our prayers become sin.

1. Praying With One’s Back Toward God (Jeremiah 2)

These are prayers made when we have idols in our hearts. God said to the idolatrous Israelites in Jeremiah 2, “They have turned their back unto me, and not their face” (v. 27). The essence of idolatry is setting one’s gaze on something other than God. Such was the case at the foot of Sinai when Israel worshipped the golden calf. Moses’ face shone with radiance because he had looked on the glory of God on the mount. In contrast, the calf worshippers turned their backs to God. Lot’s wife, in order to look back at Sodom, had to turn her face from the Godward direction and directive. Desiring Sodom rather than God, she was turned to a pillar of salt. To pray while defying God’s commands and ignoring His standards, hoping that God will overlook disobedience, is to turn our backs to God, which makes our prayers become sin.

2. Hypocritical Prayers (Mathew 6:5; Galatians 6:12)

Our prayers can become sin if done in hypocrisy. Hypocrites loves to "show-off" while praying and most times pray in the flesh with so much unnecessary lengthy and repetitive prayers, without being Spirit-led.

3. Praying As A Substitute For Obedience

Prayer can never be substitute for obedience. In Joshua 7:10-11, we read that Joshua and the elders of Israel were moaning and complaining before God after the Israelites were defeated at Ai. They were putting on quite a show tearing their sackclothes, throwing dust in the air, and griping to God. But God appeared and said to Joshua, “Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned”. Joshua never realized that their prayer had become sin until God told him that the Israelites were defeated because Achan had partaken of the accursed (forbidden) thing. Disobedience in the camp, disobedience in the church, and disobedience in the heart hinder the blessing of God. More prayer was not the remedy on this occasion. Their great need was to get the sin out of the camp!

Today, many are wasting their breath praying while supporting religious, political, educational, and social institutions which are against the Will of God. In this dispensation, our great need is not prayer, but repentance! “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination” (Prov. 28:9). Praying instead of repenting is sin.

4. Selfish Praying (James 4:3)

Any prayer we offer to God that does not honour God’s name, advances God’s kingdom, or in accordance with God’s will becomes sin. This can also be called praying amiss. Our prayer is meant to be God-centred and Spirit-centred not self-centred. The first three elements in the Lord’s prayer concern God’s character, cause, and kingdom. Man’s concerns and needs are secondary.

5. Faithless Praying

“Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). To pray in unbelief is just as bad as not praying at all. Many of us pray to God for forgiveness for a certain sin yet unwilling in our hearts to let go of that sin while still praying. This type of prayer becomes sin for it is done with an evil heart of unbelief.

6. Praying To Oneself

“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself” (Lk.18:11). This man is not really praying to God. He is praying. . .with himself. By comparing himself to extortionists, adulterers, and the publican, this Pharisee was building a case of self-righteousness, self-image, self-talk, self-esteem, and self-image in his mind when compared to others. Contemplating on our good deeds or perfection as motive behind praying is sinful and not acceptable to God. We must come to Him with a heart of humility, for all have sinned and cut short the glory of God.

7. Praying To Men Rather Than To God

God-forsaken souls like Saul, from whom the Lord had departed (1 Sam. 28:16) could not obtain answers or direction from the Lord. Saul sought out a medium whom he asked to conjure up Samuel that he might seek counsel from the departed prophet. Asking advice from departed spirits by means of witchcraft, and praying to men instead of God made his prayers become sin. Many people now worship men of God rather than God Himself. Some even now pray in their pastor's name and ascribe their miracles to them rather than God.

8. Praying Out Of Duty Alone

This is prayer made to fulfil all righteousness as a Christian. Christians ought to pray in faith and Spirit to get results or answers from God but many often “say” their prayers and do not expect anything as a result. Having fulfilled their duty they are not disappointed when nothing happens. Prayers of this sort are little more than religious exercises, rituals, and routines which take up time while producing a pious sense of having done one’s duty, and can become sinful prayers.

9. Pretentious Praying

Jesus said of the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites, “Ye devour widow’s houses, and for a pretense make long prayer” (Mt. 23:14). The contradiction between the Pharisees’ deeds and sanctimonious prayers was astounding. In order to cover their deceitful works they prayed lengthy prayers. They hoped their outward religiosity would disguise their wicked actions.


10. Asking God For Assistance While Shying Away From Responsibility

Many ask God to do for them what He has plainly told you to do for themselves. God initiates every good thing in our lives, but it is our duty to cooperate with His Spirit in “working out” our salvation. Jesus said, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say” (Lk. 6:46). To appeal to God for help while neglecting the clear-cut mandates of Christ is sheer folly. God has given us the privilege, as well as the duty, of implementing the spiritual disciplines. To utter words in prayer while never exercising one’s will to do one’s duty to God becomes a sin.

11. Praying From An Impure Heart

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Ps. 66:18). Looking favorably toward sin bars God from hearing prayer. God views our hearts before He listens to our words. “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). This is why confession of sin is mandatory. In order to contact God our sins must be put under the blood of Christ. Sin separates from God (Isa. 59:1-2). Only the Blood can cleanse from sin. To seek to approach the Creator with an unclean heart makes our prayers sinful.

12. Praying To Another "god" rather than the "Living God"

Our conception of God must come directly from the Word of God and not from philosophy, culture or spiritual apostasy. We must pray having the Almighty I Am in our heart so that our prayers do not become sin.

Brethren, the right form of praying is Spirit-born, Spirit-guided, and Spirit-empowered. The Spirit helps our infirmities when it comes to prayer and makes intercession for us (Rom. 8:26). Sinful praying is praying on a human level. Man apart from God will naturally pray corrupt prayers because man has a corrupt nature. But prayer that is acceptable to God is only possible in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let this truth grip your heart and cause you to cry out, “Lord, teach me to pray!”

Prayerlessness is sin and calls for deep repentance. Wrong praying calls for repentance just as loudly as not praying at all. Do not doubt it, praying amiss is sinful. Praying aright is a mighty force. May God enable us to recover the lost art of Spiritual Praying.

If you would like to give your life to Christ say this:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You today, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light, in Your name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

Ref: https://christlifemin.org/

The best form of Prayer compiled from the Bible

1. Jesus: Going a little farther, he (Jesus) fell with his face to the ground and prayed Matthew 26:39

2. Abram: "And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying...," - Old Testament (Genesis 17:3)

3. Abraham:"Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?" - Old Testament (Genesis 17:17)

4. Moses: "And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped." - Old Testament (Exodus 34:

5. Moses & Aaron:“And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.” - Old Testament (Numbers 20:6)

6. Moses & Aaron:"And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?" - Old Testament (Numbers 16:20-22)

7. Ezra and his People: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with [their] faces to the ground. - Old Testament (Nehemiah 8:6)

8. Joshua: "And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?" - Old Testament (Tanakh) (Joshua 5:14)

9. A Prophet: "And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?" - Old Testament (Ezekiel 9:

10 Jehoshaphat: "And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD." - Old Testament (2 Chronicles 20:18)

11. A Prophet:"And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?" - Old Testament (Ezekiel 11:13)


Prostration is the best position to communicate with Allah and a true Muslim would prostrate over 34 times daily in Prayer!

AntiChristian:
The best form of Prayer compiled from the Bible

1. Jesus: Going a little farther, he (Jesus) fell with his face to the ground and prayed Matthew 26:39

2. Abram: "And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying...," - Old Testament (Genesis 17:3)

3. Abraham:"Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?" - Old Testament (Genesis 17:17)

4. Moses: "And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped." - Old Testament (Exodus 34:

5. Moses & Aaron:“And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.” - Old Testament (Numbers 20:6)

6. Moses & Aaron:"And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?" - Old Testament (Numbers 16:20-22)

7. Ezra and his People: And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with [their] faces to the ground. - Old Testament (Nehemiah 8:6)

8. Joshua: "And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?" - Old Testament (Tanakh) (Joshua 5:14)

9. A Prophet: "And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?" - Old Testament (Ezekiel 9:

10 Jehoshaphat: "And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD." - Old Testament (2 Chronicles 20:18)

11. A Prophet:"And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?" - Old Testament (Ezekiel 11:13)


Prostration is the best position to communicate with Allah and a true Muslim would prostrate over 34 times daily in Prayer!

All is acceptable. Posture does not determine if prayer is heard

topshore:
Scripture Texts: Psalm 109:7; 80:4; 35:13; Proverbs 28:9


Prayer is a good thing and a medium of communication with God. However, wrong praying is just as sinful as not praying at all.

The psalmist writes, “How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?” (Ps. 80:4). Here God was not angry because they didn’t pray. God was angry because of the prayer they offered Him. Moreover, David says of the wicked, “Let his prayer become sin” (Ps. 109:7).

These Scriptures show that it is not all prayers the Living God is pleased with. There are some prayers that get God angry and they are the ones offered to Him in sin.

Let's consider some of these things that can make our prayers become sin.

1. Praying With One’s Back Toward God (Jeremiah 2)

These are prayers made when we have idols in our hearts. God said to the idolatrous Israelites in Jeremiah 2, “They have turned their back unto me, and not their face” (v. 27). The essence of idolatry is setting one’s gaze on something other than God. Such was the case at the foot of Sinai when Israel worshipped the golden calf. Moses’ face shone with radiance because he had looked on the glory of God on the mount. In contrast, the calf worshippers turned their backs to God. Lot’s wife, in order to look back at Sodom, had to turn her face from the Godward direction and directive. Desiring Sodom rather than God, she was turned to a pillar of salt. To pray while defying God’s commands and ignoring His standards, hoping that God will overlook disobedience, is to turn our backs to God, which makes our prayers become sin.

2. Hypocritical Prayers (Mathew 6:5; Galatians 6:12)

Our prayers can become sin if done in hypocrisy. Hypocrites loves to "show-off" while praying and most times pray in the flesh with so much unnecessary lengthy and repetitive prayers, without being Spirit-led.

3. Praying As A Substitute For Obedience

Prayer can never be substitute for obedience. In Joshua 7:10-11, we read that Joshua and the elders of Israel were moaning and complaining before God after the Israelites were defeated at Ai. They were putting on quite a show tearing their sackclothes, throwing dust in the air, and griping to God. But God appeared and said to Joshua, “Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned”. Joshua never realized that their prayer had become sin until God told him that the Israelites were defeated because Achan had partaken of the accursed (forbidden) thing. Disobedience in the camp, disobedience in the church, and disobedience in the heart hinder the blessing of God. More prayer was not the remedy on this occasion. Their great need was to get the sin out of the camp!

Today, many are wasting their breath praying while supporting religious, political, educational, and social institutions which are against the Will of God. In this dispensation, our great need is not prayer, but repentance! “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination” (Prov. 28:9). Praying instead of repenting is sin.

4. Selfish Praying (James 4:3)

Any prayer we offer to God that does not honour God’s name, advances God’s kingdom, or in accordance with God’s will becomes sin. This can also be called praying amiss. Our prayer is meant to be God-centred and Spirit-centred not self-centred. The first three elements in the Lord’s prayer concern God’s character, cause, and kingdom. Man’s concerns and needs are secondary.

5. Faithless Praying

“Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). To pray in unbelief is just as bad as not praying at all. Many of us pray to God for forgiveness for a certain sin yet unwilling in our hearts to let go of that sin while still praying. This type of prayer becomes sin for it is done with an evil heart of unbelief.

6. Praying To Oneself

“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself” (Lk.18:11). This man is not really praying to God. He is praying. . .with himself. By comparing himself to extortionists, adulterers, and the publican, this Pharisee was building a case of self-righteousness, self-image, self-talk, self-esteem, and self-image in his mind when compared to others. Contemplating on our good deeds or perfection as motive behind praying is sinful and not acceptable to God. We must come to Him with a heart of humility, for all have sinned and cut short the glory of God.

7. Praying To Men Rather Than To God

God-forsaken souls like Saul, from whom the Lord had departed (1 Sam. 28:16) could not obtain answers or direction from the Lord. Saul sought out a medium whom he asked to conjure up Samuel that he might seek counsel from the departed prophet. Asking advice from departed spirits by means of witchcraft, and praying to men instead of God made his prayers become sin. Many people now worship men of God rather than God Himself. Some even now pray in their pastor's name and ascribe their miracles to them rather than God.

8. Praying Out Of Duty Alone

This is prayer made to fulfil all righteousness as a Christian. Christians ought to pray in faith and Spirit to get results or answers from God but many often “say” their prayers and do not expect anything as a result. Having fulfilled their duty they are not disappointed when nothing happens. Prayers of this sort are little more than religious exercises, rituals, and routines which take up time while producing a pious sense of having done one’s duty, and can become sinful prayers.

9. Pretentious Praying

Jesus said of the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites, “Ye devour widow’s houses, and for a pretense make long prayer” (Mt. 23:14). The contradiction between the Pharisees’ deeds and sanctimonious prayers was astounding. In order to cover their deceitful works they prayed lengthy prayers. They hoped their outward religiosity would disguise their wicked actions.


10. Asking God For Assistance While Shying Away From Responsibility

Many ask God to do for them what He has plainly told you to do for themselves. God initiates every good thing in our lives, but it is our duty to cooperate with His Spirit in “working out” our salvation. Jesus said, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say” (Lk. 6:46). To appeal to God for help while neglecting the clear-cut mandates of Christ is sheer folly. God has given us the privilege, as well as the duty, of implementing the spiritual disciplines. To utter words in prayer while never exercising one’s will to do one’s duty to God becomes a sin.

11. Praying From An Impure Heart

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Ps. 66:18). Looking favorably toward sin bars God from hearing prayer. God views our hearts before He listens to our words. “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). This is why confession of sin is mandatory. In order to contact God our sins must be put under the blood of Christ. Sin separates from God (Isa. 59:1-2). Only the Blood can cleanse from sin. To seek to approach the Creator with an unclean heart makes our prayers sinful.

12. Praying To Another "god" rather than the "Living God"

Our conception of God must come directly from the Word of God and not from philosophy, culture or spiritual apostasy. We must pray having the Almighty I Am in our heart so that our prayers do not become sin.

Only God has power to declare to us what is sin and what is not Sin in His Law to us, and no man has authority to add, change or remove commandments from His own Law which defines for us that which is sin and that which is not Sin.

None of what you have above constitutes Sin as far as God’s Law, Jesus Christ is concerned. However, what is instead sin is your attempt here to add your own definitions for sin to God's Law, Jesus Christ, given to us in completion over 2000 years ago.

Repent from your evil ways!

Shokoloko:

All is acceptable. Posture does not determine if prayer is heard

It does to those who do it. But maybe not to you!

Even Jesus humbled himself to worship his God.

AntiChristian:
It does to those who do it. But maybe not to you!

Even Jesus humbled himself to worship his God.

Posture may matter in your religion and with your Allah, but to the God of the Jews and that of the Christian, such things are meaningless, this since He never gave commandments in His Law to His people and followers where such is concerned.

Kobojunkie:
Posture may matter in your religion and with your Allah, but to the God of the Jews and that of the Christian, such things are meaningless, this since He never gave commandments in His Law to His people and followers where such is concerned.

Where did God mentioned himself with Christianity or Judaism in the Bible? Where does Christianity get its God?

AntiChristian:
Where did God mentioned himself with Christianity or Judaism in the Bible? Where does Christianity get its God?

I don't understand your questions?

AntiChristian:


It does to those who do it. But maybe not to you!

Even Jesus humbled himself to worship his God.

The quote below was from Jesus not me