ARE YOU MAKING NOISE?

Matthew 6:5-8

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.

But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.

Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!

Are you praying or merely making loud noise?

Listen to what Christ said: "... people of other religion . . ." Religion is not new, various religions existed before Christ was revealed, as a philosopher said: "religion is the opium of the people". To conquer a people, give them a religion, thus, they can be controlled by the fear the laws that religion creates, be it Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism or whatever religion you call it.

God has no religion, Christ did not come to form a religion, He brought Salvation.

John 14:6

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Not a way, an option. No! Peter explained it to the Jews:

Acts 2:36

“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

Acts 4:11-12

For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, 

‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

If you have not gotten this right, you will go round in circles defending one religion or the other and in the end having no salvation.

Religion is man-made, Salvation is God-made!

So back to the noise!

Are you praying or merely making noise?

Look at the prophets of Baal:

1 Kings 18:26-29

So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.

About noontime Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!”

So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out.

They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response.

We understand that we all have varying backgrounds, traditions and customs, when serving the Lord we bring these beliefs into play most times unconsciously then we feel that a type of music/sound, a type of shouting/screaming a position or stance is what is needed to get God's attention. Some of these ways may have been inherited from a paganism origin or practice of one type of religion or the other. However hear this again:

Romans 12:1-2

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Some would now ask, how do we do it? How do we pray?

Before I give the simple answer, let me ask?

So you go in front of your earthly father or king and begin to scream at him, making a scene or disturbing people, would you not be sent our for being a nuisance?

Every corner now is being invaded with large speakers, screaming meaningful and meaningless chants causing noise pollution  everywhere. No one is bringing them to caution. When the authorities step in it will be erroneously called persecution.

Listen:

1 Corinthians 14:40

But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.

How do we pray - Listen to Jesus:

Matthew 6:9-15

Pray like this: 

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

May your Kingdom come soon. 

May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.

But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Did Jesus say that this are the exact words we must say? No.

He said pray like this, that is, use the right format, there must be reverence for Your Heavenly Father, more than your earthly father or king. Come on!

See there is one important key that if you do not get, you have missed all about the prayer. Listen:

Matthew 6:8

Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!

It is your heart!

Your prayer must align with your thoughts, you canNOT be praying for one thing and believing another/ the contrary.

That is where the problem lies.

You must pray your heart, because as Christ said, your prayer is speaking out what you have believed in your heart.

Mark 11:24 

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].

The second thing Christ pointed out was forgiveness, you canNOT hold a grudge and expect answers to prayers. Most of those all about fall and die, fire this and fire that may just be calm if only they forgive. Selah

Know when you are praying in contrast to when you are casting out a demon, they are not the same!

Enough of the unnecessary noise!

I wonder how people say they are going to church/fellowship and what they have is one man or woman shouting on them from a microphone connected to high volume speakers, what is it, do you want to have high blood pressure, is it a war, what exactly is wrong with people, what sheer ignorance!

Let your heart be aligned, that is faith and how does it come:

Romans 10:17 (kjv)

So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

When the word is taught in truth and properly, faith comes easily and then prayer flows from the heart and the request are in accord.

James 4:3 (kjv)

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts.

We must pray aright, we must study the word aright, we must worship aright, we must fellowship aright.

Some reasons people shout and make unnecessary noise is because of fear and ignorance.

Understand this next verse:

James 3:16-18

For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.

And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

Enough of the noise, let us have substance.

Listen, the prayer is not the noise, the prayer provokes the noise from others for they will what the Lord is doing in you and marvel.

Psalms 40:3b

many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.

May the Lord grant us more understanding.

He calls us blessed.

Love

@the watcher