| PRAYED ABOUT IT NOW CHANGE......AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT |
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James 4:17 'Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then
not do it.' NLT
Some of the most frequently used phrases of Christians today are, "Let
me pray about it" or "I'm praying about it!" We like to sometimes use
prayer as an out for our habits and frequent mistakes because we can say
we are praying about it or working on it without producing any results.
Sure, we are to pray without ceasing. But what are you gonna do after
you have prayed? I'm talking about when you keep doing the same,
destructive things over and over and you keep saying that you are
praying about it, yet you keep doing it! Prayer is good, but you also
have to stop doing it! You can't keep praying about something you need
to quit doing and then keep doing it. You have to change. Your actions
will get the same results every time if you don't change. Prayer is not
an out, but it is a means to an end. "Prayer changes things!" That was a
phrase I grew up hearing. But we should say, "Prayer changes things if
you let it!" You have to turn away from what you are doing and the
constant mistakes you keep making and give yourself to God for real. Not
just in prayer, but in deed! God will honor your effort and things will
get easier as you go. But things will never change if you don't change
them. That's the beauty of being a believer, created in God's likeness.
We have the power to change, create, and destroy, just like God! So, if
you are expecting different results, then you must first change the way
you are living. God will do the rest.
To know what you should do, and not do it is a sin, according to the
word.
It didn't say that as long as you pray about it, it is okay. No, it says
that it is a sin. That means that you don't just need prayer about it,
you need to repent about it! And true repentance means turning from it.
You can pray all day, everyday, and yet, if you keep doing the wrong
thing, you are sinning! Let's get past this stage fellow believers. This
is the stage that wrecks our ministries, our homes, and our children.
Behavioral issues, habits, emotional problems, etc. are the doorways for
the enemy to enter into us and our environments, and this is how he gets
power over us. But God wants us to make changes in our lives that will
stick. It's good to pray and read the word of God, but you also have to
live it. We have to practice what the word says and live what we confess
in our prayers. If you want to see a change, make a change. If you are
tired of the way things are going, change them! You have the power to do
it, but you must stop looking for prayer to be the out, or the excuse,
and you must make changes. Once you do that, your prayers will gain
power and you will be at peace with yourself and God.
3:11 let him turn away from evil and do right; let him seek peace and pursue it. |
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