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Subject: Prayer
Replies: 27 Views: 818
iilmadme 13.04.09 - 10:19pm
Is there anything that shud be considered wrong,immoral or blasphemous for us to ask of God? At wat point do we have to just let go? *
iilmadme 14.04.09 - 12:58am
I see ppl telling eachother to pray for things a lot in forum,but common sense tells me that we dont necessarily get wat we ask for..Noone wud ever die if that were the case..Vulnerable n kind hearted ppl ask for prayers for loved ones,i even did this myself once..But ppl do die.N when they do how will this impact upon any faith the bereaved may have had if they believed their prayers wud be answered? *
iilmadme 14.04.09 - 01:03am
Also,is it likely that we cud simply ask God for a gift that we wudnt be able to handle properly? I dont believe he wud do that to us..If we were scared we wud also recieve guidance,surely *
iilmadme 14.04.09 - 01:18am
Sumone told me that if i have faith i shud not be afraid to ask for proof,n i do often recieve wat i interpret as gentle nudges back on the right track.But i dont feel it's ok to ask for party tricks or for wat i cant have *
iilmadme 14.04.09 - 01:22am
And im not looking for proof but guidance *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 03:59am
This is an excellent question! What an important subject. You know, one of the reasons the world is the way it is, is because people dont pray enough. *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 05:14am
Lets address each point you raised one by one:
Q1. Is there anything wrong, immoral or blasphemous to ask God for?
A. The only things which may be blasphemous to pray for are the obvious ones, like praying against the Holy Spirit or against born again Christians, who are God's children and have His Spirit in them.
As far as there being anything wrong or immoral to pray for is concerned, there are 2 guidelines I can give you:
1. Dont ask for something which is contrary to or against God's Word (the Bible). For example, Jesus told us in the Bible to love our enemies and pray for our enemies. So praying for your biology lecturer to get a bad case of piles is probably not a good idea 
.
2. Ask yourself, is what you are asking for to glorify God, or glorify yourself? *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 05:22am
We should sometimes be careful what we are asking for. God tells us in His Word that He will give us the desires of our hearts. If the desire of your heart is to be rich and powerful, He may grant it to you; but you then run the risk of becoming prideful and boastful because of your riches and power, and it could cost you your salvation. *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 05:28am
But thats all I can think of really. Never be afraid to ask God for anything out of the sincerity of your heart. God hears all prayers and answers every one of them. Even if the answer is sometimes no, its still an answer. But I can tell you with all conviction that if you pray for understanding, wisdom, discernment, faith, patience, or ask God for guidance on any issue or question, especially about Him, He will definitely answer you. And He will bless you abundantly for seeking Him. *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 03:50pm
Q2. Common sense tells me we don't always get what we ask for.
A. This is so true. Its also true that some people may have lost their faith because of the death of a loved one, and they felt let down by God. Some even begin to doubt God's existence in such times.
The truth is that God says in His Word that He hears every prayer. God does NOT say that He will give us everything we ask for.
This really calls for faith and total trust in God. It is so easy for us to forget that God is in control, and God allows things to happen for a reason. And yes, bad things will happen in our lives, and God does allow us to experience these bad times in order to build character and strength and faith.
You may think thats a harsh reality, but remember, we are not living in heaven yet! We live in a fallen world, and bad things will happen. *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 04:01pm
Look at this passage from Romans 5:1-8. Its one of my favourite passages of scripture:
1. By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God.
2. Christ has also introduced us to God's undeserved kindness on which we take our stand. So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God.
3. But that's not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure.
4. And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope
5. that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.
6. Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful.
7. No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person.
8. But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful. *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 04:03pm
That was quoted from the Contemporary English Translation. What an awesome scripture! *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 04:10pm
Q3. Is it likely that we could simply ask God for a gift that we wouldnt be able to handle properly?
You could ask God for any gift you wanted, no problem. But God will not put too much on you that you could not handle.
In fact, when we are born again and we receive the Holy Spirit, God gives us free gifts of the Holy Spirit which He Himself chooses for us, and that gift is always associated with the plan that God has for each of our lives. It is a gift which we were destined to receive, and it is associated with a particular ministry that God has ordained for us. *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 04:19pm
Have a look at Romans 12:4-8:
4. A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use.
5. That's how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.
6. God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have.
7. If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach.
8. If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully. *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 04:29pm
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 goes into more detail about the specific gifts that are bestowed upon born again Christians:
4. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they all come from the same Spirit.
5. There are different ways to serve the same Lord,
6. and we can each do different things. Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.
7. The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.
8. Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit.
9. To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick
10. or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God's Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean.(note: this is what we call speaking in tongues)
11. But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us. *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 04:44pm
Q4. Someone told me that if I have faith i should not be afraid to ask for proof.
Well I have to be honest, I don't think you received sound advice from that person. The issue that we are dealing with here is faith, and it seems to me that maybe the person does not properly understand what faith is, or perhaps he did not accurately put forward what he/she was trying to say.
Hebrews 11:1 gives us the best description of what faith is:
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (KJV)
In essence, faith is believing in what cannot be seen. We cannot see God with our eyes, but we believe with faith that He is real. *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 04:51pm
Of course, we do have plenty of evidence to support God's existence from a scientific point of view (not to mention the fact that over 2000 prophecies contained in the Bible have been fulfilled to the letter) But I think that what you said was so wise and true - and that is that what we can and should ask for is guidance rather than proof.
You see, God will reveal Himself to you if you come to Him in faith, and call upon His name. He wants you to ask for His guidance. And He WILL answer you. There is not a single person in history that has sincerely called on God and not been saved! *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 04:55pm
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 05:05pm
In closing, I just want to tell all of you that prayer is a conversation with God. It costs nothing, and yet it can open up so many things for you.
There is no formula for praying; no specific things you are required to say, or manner in which you ought to speak. Its just you and God. One to One. And don't feel afraid to speak to God because you feel you are ''not ready'' or not worthy or anything like that.
Don't ever underestimate the power of prayer. Prayer has opened up so many doors in my life. You wouldn't believe what God has done for me in my life, and all I did was ask. And it even comes down to simple things, like asking God to take control of your day. You know what? I often go to God in prayer in the morning when I know I have a particularly stressful day in store, and I tell God that I am laying my day in His hands and trust in Him to take control. God has never let me down! In fact, my day always turns out to be a great one! *
n1ck 14.04.09 - 05:08pm
I know this has been a lengthy reply, but I really felt it was such a good question and it is really an important subject for everybody to understand.
iilmadme, thank you for an awesome topic! 
I hope I have been able to provide the answers you were looking for. Please feel free to ask if anything is unclear. 
*
iilmadme 14.04.09 - 06:17pm
That's brilliant,nick.Thankyou so much i'll brb when i have properly digested wat u have written..But regarding Q.4,i do feel that it's my own failure to understand wat my bud had tried to explain n my paraphrasing was very clumsy.If they read this maybe they'll see why i was confused n explain further :) *
iilmadme 15.04.09 - 12:16pm
I believe in the power of prayer..I've found this reassuring,nick.My own shaky beginnings of faith only came about as a direct result of a personal loss.I had found myself screaming at the sky in my dreams 'why me??'..The feelings of being let down that u mentioned were wat made me know in my heart i had believed all along..N acceptance feels like a gift,i have hurt agen since then n it has helped me thru.I dont feel especially at risk of losing faith myself for that reason,but i have questioned whether trying to avoid life's hurts is a rejection for me personally..But recently i have felt that maybe it's time to open myself a little further.That was just the beginning *
papidad 10.05.09 - 02:33pm
I became a Christian after reading Isaiah 1:18, where God was callin d children of Israel to reason. I hd Qs w/out As... *
papidad 10.05.09 - 02:39pm
Christians were liars n my life a hoples mess. I reasond wit God n he made me whole n cleansed my sin/s... He won! *
papidad 10.05.09 - 02:44pm
Wen faced wit cir tances I wrestle like Jacob n reason wit Him... thro conversation 
. I may never understand *
papidad 10.05.09 - 02:48pm
Rsons Y God answered my rsonin His way bt I know I leave d situation enjoyin d rship. Cz I knw His prfect plsin will. *
papidad 10.05.09 - 02:51pm
I am not tryin to mk a doctrine out of this bt I hv found it help me in persistin in prayer. N expectin God to answer. *
rozely 10.05.09 - 02:57pm
Plz God help me, i need You now more than eva.. Guide me take my hand and lead me to change my life, im so sorry 4 the things i have said today.. I was so angry.. 4give me.. For i have sind agains You.. I know that You have a plan for me and im just a small human.. Im not going to ask why me? Im gone leave it in Your hands Father.. Amen *
