What could make a person's prayers unacceptable to GOD?

Question

Matt.6:5,7
Prov.28:9
Mic.3:4
Jas.4:3
ANSWER USING THESE SCRIPTURES

Answer 1

Using Matthew 6, the point is that praying in public is more for show than true prayer. Don't use faith to try and make yourself look religious.

Basically, the point is if you want your prayer heard, you have to be sincere and probably not self-serving, like praying to win the lottery or some other totally selfish reason. Also need to remember that sometimes He says no. We may not know why He says no, we may never know, but He does.

Answer 2

Doesn't matter, since none of them are ever answered, anyway, but here you go:

Matt. 6:5-7 eliminates every telepreacher's prayers as acceptable. If you are watching Jimmy Swaggart, and he says to put your hand on the screen if you want to be healed--don't bother, his prayers aren't even being heard. Go into your closet and pray, like Jesus said to do.

Prov. 28:9 is referring to the Mosaic laws that are listed in Exodus and Leviticus, all 613 of them. Remember, the entire OT was written by Jews, for the Jewish nation, religion, and culture. Over and over, Yahweh told them to adhere to the laws lest they be smote with a mighty smite--this is what that verse means.

Mic.3:4 Micah is one of the "minor prophets," and this verse is in the middle of a prophecy about Israel--yet again--falling away from God and being punished, so that God will not even answer their prayers. Ho-hum, what else is new? This doesn't apply to Christians, since it was aimed specifically at the Jewish nation and their prophets, who led people astray.

James 4:3 This was part of a letter from James (no last name) to the "twelve tribes scattered abroad." I assume he means the Jews, although why he would be writing to them--and how he expected his letter to reach all of them if they were "scattered abroad"--I don't know. At any rate, he claims they never get what they want through prayer because they're not asking for the right things, but he never specifies what those things were, so we can't really know exactly why their prayers remained unanswered.

In any case, James' declaration does not agree with what Jesus said about prayer:

Matthew 21:21 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Jesus gave no limitations on what you could ask for, or under what conditions, he simply said that WHATEVER you ask for in prayer, you WILL receive. So why doesn't that happen? Christians pray for all manner of things and they don't receive them, even completely unselfish things such as for their child to be healed of cancer. So, rather than make the logical assumption that Jesus lied when he said that one could receive ANYTHING through prayer, they latch onto the verse in James as a "reason" for why prayers are not answered. Every unanswered prayer is explained away with "It wasn't God's will," or, "I was asking for something selfishly," or "I didn't believe enough." JEsus said you only need the faith of a mustard seed in order for miracles to happen, and if you don't have even that much, then why be a Christian at all? Well, faith or no faith, your prayer still won't be answered, so I guess the point is moot.

Answer 3

Without referring to scriptures, if a prayer does not come from the heart with a full belief that it is being heard, it probably is not heard.

Answer 4

I think if you pray in front of other people for "show", then yes I believe that is unacceptable to God. In Matthew 6:5,7, God tells us to pray in private.

Answer 5

If you already know the scriptures, then what the hell are you asking us for?