If I am not approaching God in repentance, is there any point in praying to Him about anything? Does He listen to my prayers for others? What do I have to do to be in a state where He will listen? Or what prayers will He listen to, and what prayers will He not? Is it best to walk right away from Him until I'm ready to repent, given that He wants us to be hot or cold?
Zyph.

quote:

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The Signs of the Times, August 21, 1884,
Conditions of Prevailing Prayer

When Jesus was upon earth, he taught his disciples how to pray. He directed them to present their daily needs before God, and to cast all their care upon him. And the assurance he gave them that their petitions should be heard, is assurance also to us.

One of the first things necessary in order to have our prayers answered, is to feel our need of help from God. We may come to him just as we are, helpless, destitute, needy, and he will not send us empty away. The riches of the universe belong to God; his are all temporal and spiritual treasures. He can supply all our needs out of his abundant fullness. We receive our breath from him; every blessing in nature that we enjoy is an expression of his love. We are likewise dependent upon him for spiritual blessings, for grace and wisdom and strength to do the will of God. And he is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him than parents are to give good gifts to their children.

Our great need is itself an argument, and pleads most eloquently in our behalf. But the Lord is to be sought unto to do for us those things that we desire. Oh how shamefully has Jesus been treated! He is inviting, urging us to come to him and receive the very help we need; yet too often his invitations are slighted, his proffered aid refused.

We are sinful by nature, and so are commanded to be zealous and repent. If we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us; but the prayer of the penitent, contrite soul is always accepted. When all known wrongs are righted, we may believe that God will answer our petitions. We must do what we can on our part; but our own merit will never commend us to the favor of God. It is the worthiness of Jesus that will save us, his blood that will cleanse us......

We need to examine our hearts as a preparation for coming before God in prayer, that we may know what manner of spirit we are of. If we do not forgive those who have trespassed against us, our prayers for forgiveness will not be heard. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." When as sinners we approach the mercy-seat, we cannot express the sentiment of this petition without forgiveness in our hearts for all who have done us an injury. Upon this petition Jesus makes a comment: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses......."

There is necessity of diligence in prayer; let nothing hinder you. You will obtain the blessing you desire if you faint not. Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden him; you cannot weary him. He who numbers the hairs of your head, who notices the fall of a sparrow, is not indifferent to the wants of his people. "The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." He is affected by our sorrows, and even by our utterance of them. Take everything to him that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for him to bear; for he holds up worlds; he rules over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing is too small for him to notice that in any way disturbs our peace. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for him to read; there is no perplexity too sore for him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of his people, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere, contrite prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which he takes no immediate interest. "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds."

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In The Blessed Hope

Avalee

quote:

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Originally posted by Avalee Lohman:
If we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us; but the prayer of the penitent, contrite soul is always accepted. When all known wrongs are
righted, we may believe that God will answer our petitions.

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Avalee, thank you for your response. I thought there was an Ellen White statement about not letting repentance be a barrier to coming to Christ. I'm trying to get my head around this, because I used to believe God heard all sincere and needy prayer, and that we couldn't repent UNLESS we approached Him. For several weeks, I've had serious doubts, and I think that over the years since I stopped attending church, I've been deceiving myself that my prayers have been answered. Does anyone have relevant scripture, or anything which may qualify this? I feel like my past faith was delusion. If it was, I need to know, and understand the correct process so that I know what to do if I ever really repent.
Zyph

[This message has been edited by zyph (edited May 26, 2001).]

(I just closed the quote! )

[This message has been edited by Mrs Sarah Moss (edited May 27, 2001).]

quote:

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The Faith I Live By
Page 129
Chapter Title: Conversion And The New Life

If you take even one step toward Him in repentance, He will hasten to enfold you in His arms of infinite love. His ear is open to the cry of the contrite soul. The very first reaching out of the heart after God is known to Him. Never a prayer is offered, however faltering, never a tear is shed, however secret, never a sincere desire after God is cherished, however feeble, but the Spirit of God goes forth to meet it. Even before the prayer is uttered or the yearning of the heart made known, grace from Christ goes forth to meet the grace that is working upon the human soul.

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In The Blessed Hope

Avalee

quote:

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Steps to Christ
Page 35
Chapter Title: Repentance

Many accept an intellectual religion, a form of godliness, when the heart is not cleansed. Let it be your prayer, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10. Deal truly with your own soul. Be as earnest, as persistent, as you would be if your mortal life were at stake. This is a matter to be settled between God and your own soul, settled for eternity. A supposed hope, and nothing more, will prove your ruin.
Study God's word prayerfully. That word presents before you, in the law of God and the life of Christ, the great principles of holiness, without which "no man shall see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14. It convinces of sin; it plainly reveals the way of salvation. Give heed to it as the voice of God speaking to your soul.

As you see the enormity of sin, as you see yourself as you really are, do not give up to despair. It was sinners that Christ came to save. We have not to reconcile God to us, but--O wondrous love!--God in Christ is "reconciling the world unto Himself." 2 Corinthians 5:19. He is wooing by His tender love the hearts of His erring children. No earthly parent could be as patient with the faults and mistakes of his children, as is God with those He seeks to save. No one could plead more tenderly with the transgressor. No human lips ever poured out more tender entreaties to the wanderer than does He. All His promises, His warnings, are but the breathing of unutterable love.

When Satan comes to tell you that you are a
great sinner, look up to your Redeemer and talk of His merits. That which will help you is to look to His light. Acknowledge your sin, but tell the enemy that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" and that you may be saved by His matchless love. 1 Timothy 1:15. Jesus asked Simon a question in regard to two debtors. One owed his lord a small sum, and the other owed him a very large sum; but he forgave them both, and Christ asked Simon which debtor would love his lord most. Simon answered, "He to whom he forgave most." Luke 7:43. We have been great sinners, but Christ died that we might be forgiven. The merits of His sacrifice are sufficient to present to the Father in our behalf. Those to whom He has forgiven most will love Him most, and will stand nearest to His throne to praise Him for His great love and infinite sacrifice. It is when we most fully comprehend the love of God that we best realize the sinfulness of sin. When we see the length of the chain that was let down for us, when we understand something of the infinite sacrifice that Christ has made in our behalf, the heart is melted with tenderness and contrition.

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I don't believe there is ever a time we cannot come to God in true repentance. God knows our hearts even more than we do so we might as well not try to fool him because we can not...I went through a time long ago where I could not pray, as I felt God would not hear my prayer. Then I read the verse Create within me a clean heart..and I made that my prayer to God as I could not do it....nothing happened for a long time...I wanted to continue doing what I was doing...but Praise God He did not give up on me....I am not saying I have arrived...of course not...but I know that God loves me and is working with me....but I am working with Him too now....we have a part to play...asking God to create within me a new heart helped alot..I asked Him to create a desire in my heart to repent of the things I knew I should not be doing. Guess What? It works...when I do it....

In The Blessed Hope

Avalee

Zyph,
Jesus told a story about a shepherd who owned 100 sheep. He discovered one was missing. He went out to find and recover it personally. It cost Him.

The value placed on the one sheep was assigned by the value of the price of the cost to the owner. When He heard the sheep faintly crying out in the distance, was He less kind or more kind than the good samaretin ? Would He ignore the faintest cry ? Sometimes the heart cries out while the mouth is still trying to drown it out, but Jesus hears both the heart & the mouth.

Jesus said it best.

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Jesus will use your prayers coupled with His own to find a way to bring you back to right terms with Him.

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Edward F Sutton

Amen Ed! "Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" When we are seeking Christ, we are welcomed with open arms, and He meets us where we are at. Jesus does not expect perfection from us, He only gives us His perfection, and that is a growth process.

Zyph, do not give up your searching. If there are things holding you back, if there are things you can't quite let go of, or grasp, give them to Jesus, He understands your heart. "Seek, and it shall be opened unto you". When I took my legal assistant training, we were taught that there is a world of difference between the words "shall" and "will". Using the word "shall" means that it MUST be done, the word "will" does not have the same impact, at least not in a legal sense. As you seek, He will open to you and reveal to you what is necessary for your heart to be reconciled to His. Do not walk away. Your heart may only be warm, but it is heating up. My prayers are with you.

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Sarah Moss
*Prayer Changes Things!*

I just wanted to thank you all for your responses. I felt too emotional about them to reply previously. I know God is using people on this site to reach my heart. I guess that's why I hang about. Ed, every time I read your post, I'm deeply moved.
As to the issue of prayer, which is a real worry for me, I think it still means that only prayers of the penitent are heard. But I have always talked with God in my mind, and I think that even if He doesn't hear most of my prayers, I can't NOT pray. I hope He's hearing my heart prayer, as Ed said, in spite of the surface stuff.
Avalee, I've adopted your prayer, and it gives me hope.
Sarah, you make me feel like I'm welcome to -and should - stay.
Kindest regards,
Zyph.

If there is any prayer that God does hear, they are the prayers that come from the heart.

__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

Jesus heard the heart cry of the two demoniacs while with their mouths all they could bo is what demons wanted them to scream out. Their behaviour was not "nice" either, but their hearts were crying for freedom. Jesus heard them before He ever finished praying on the mountain top where He fed the 5000, before He walked across the sea of Galilee, before He through His Father's presence & power stilled the demon built storm, before He got in the boat, before He walked on shore, and while the desciples were running away scared to death, He was answering two agonized helpless men who had so screwed up their lives the demons got um and held them - TILL MERCY SAID NO !!!! and power said go & their captors fled as mercy set them free, ignoring their oposition and getting to the heart of the problem.

DA p-331-341 - read over & over the last paragraph.

"And souls that have been degraded into instruments of Satan are still through the power of Christ transformed into messengers of righteousness, and sent forth by the Son of God to tell what "great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee." {DA 341.2}

*************
"While they were waiting at the foot of the mountain, a father had brought to them his son, to be delivered from a dumb spirit that tormented him. Authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, had been conferred on the disciples when Jesus sent out the twelve to preach through Galilee. As they went forth strong in faith, the evil spirits had obeyed their word. Now in the name of Christ they commanded the torturing spirit to leave his victim; but the demon only mocked them by a fresh display of his power. The disciples, unable to account for their defeat, felt that they were bringing dishonor upon themselves and their Master. And in the crowd there were scribes who made the most of this opportunity to humiliate them. Pressing around the disciples, they plied them with questions, seeking to prove that they and their Master were deceivers. Here, the rabbis triumphantly declared, was an evil spirit that neither the disciples nor Christ Himself could conquer. The people were inclined to side with the scribes, and a feeling of contempt and scorn pervaded the crowd. {DA 427.2}

But suddenly the accusations ceased. Jesus and the three disciples were seen approaching, and with a quick revulsion of feeling the people turned to meet them. The night of communion with the heavenly glory had left its trace upon the Saviour and His companions. Upon their countenances was a light that awed the beholders. The scribes drew back in fear, while the people welcomed Jesus. {DA 427.3}

As if He had been a witness of all that had occurred, the Saviour came to the scene of conflict, and fixing His gaze upon the scribes inquired, "What question ye with them?" {DA 427.4}

But the voices so bold and defiant before were now silent. A hush had fallen upon the entire company. Now the afflicted father made his way through the crowd, and falling at the feet of Jesus, poured out the story of his trouble and disappointment. {DA 427.5}

"Master," he said, "I have brought unto Thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: . . . and I spake to Thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not." {DA 428.1}

Jesus looked about Him upon the awe-stricken multitude, the caviling scribes, the perplexed disciples. He read the unbelief in every heart; and in a voice filled with sorrow He exclaimed, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?" Then He bade the distressed father, "Bring thy son hither." {DA 428.2}

The boy was brought, and as the Saviour's eyes fell upon him, the evil spirit cast him to the ground in convulsions of agony. He lay wallowing and foaming, rending the air with unearthly shrieks. {DA 428.3}

Again the Prince of life and the prince of the powers of darkness had met on the field of battle,--Christ in fulfillment of His mission to "preach deliverance to the captives, . . . to set at liberty them that are bruised" (Luke 4:18), Satan seeking to hold his victim under his control. Angels of light and the hosts of evil angels, unseen, were pressing near to behold the conflict. For a moment, Jesus permitted the evil spirit to display his power, that the beholders might comprehend the deliverance about to be wrought. {DA 428.4}

The multitude looked on with bated breath, the father in an agony of hope and fear. Jesus asked, "How long is it ago since this came unto him?" The father told the story of long years of suffering, and then, as if he could endure no more, exclaimed, "If Thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us." "If Thou canst!" Even now the father questioned the power of Christ. {DA 428.5}

Jesus answers, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." There is no lack of power on the part of Christ; the healing of the son depends upon the father's faith. With a burst of tears, realizing his own weakness, the father casts himself upon Christ's mercy, with the cry, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." {DA 428.6}

Jesus turns to the suffering one, and says, "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him." There is a cry, an agonized struggle. The demon, in passing, seems about to rend the life from his victim. Then the boy lies motionless, and apparently lifeless. The multitude whisper, "He is dead." But Jesus takes him by the hand, and lifting him up, presents him, in perfect soundness of mind and body, to his father. Father and son praise the name of their Deliverer. The multitude are "amazed at the mighty power of God," while the scribes, defeated and crestfallen, turn sullenly away. {DA 428.7}

"If Thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us." How many a sin-burdened soul has echoed that prayer. And to all, the pitying Saviour's answer is, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." It is faith that connects us with heaven, and brings us strength for coping with the powers of darkness. In Christ, God has provided means for subduing every sinful trait, and resisting every temptation, however strong. But many feel that they lack faith, and therefore they remain away from Christ. Let these souls, in their helpless unworthiness, cast themselves upon the mercy of their compassionate Saviour. Look not to self, but to Christ. He who healed the sick and cast out demons when He walked among men is the same mighty Redeemer today. Faith comes by the word of God. Then grasp His promise, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. Cast yourself at His feet with the cry, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." You can never perish while you do this--never. {DA 429.1}

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Edward F Sutton

[This message has been edited by Edward F Sutton (edited May 29, 2001).]