Praying for Yourself is Only the FIRST Step with God!

What do you ask God on a daily basis? How much of those prayers/conversations have to do with self or with others? I am guilty sometimes of only considering my walk with God and then if I run into people who need to know about Jesus’ love, good for them that I interact with them on a Spiritual level. In the Bible, there is a huge emphasis on asking things of God.

Matthew 7:7 speaks about “asking, seeking and knocking”
Matthew 21:22 directs us to ask God in prayer and then believing for an answer
Philippians 4:6 instructs us to be anxious for nothing and to make our requests known to God

When we look at those verses, we can put the priority on ourselves first without regard to others and if you think about it, that is actually the opposite of how God wants us to think.

Philippians 2:3 (Good News Translation)
Don't do anything from selfish ambition or from a cheap desire to boast, but be humble toward one another, always considering others better than yourselves.

I think this verse doesn’t just pertain to the flesh-filling things in life, but prayers that are only considerate of self and not others. Jesus trusted us with the greatest message of not just eternal salvation, but internal peace and direction in life that is unprecedented. When we only pray prayers that involve ourselves, we miss out on one of the greatest gifts we can be given as a follower of Jesus; the ability to be a transformation agent in the life of someone else.

Today, tell God what is on your heart, but be careful to listen to what is on his. God’s heart is not only for us, his children, to be cared for in every way but for every living being to have an opportunity to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Ask God for opportunities to share his love with others and live the full life that God has intended for you.
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