ARE YOU PRAYING ABOUT IT, OR THINKING ABOUT IT.

ARE YOU PRAYING ABOUT IT, OR THINKING ABOUT IT?

It’s easy to fall into the rut of talking about God instead of talking with God. To start the day without spending time in the Word is like saying, "It's okay, Lord, I've got this one. I'll let You know if I need help."

Too often, I’ve been guilty of equating thinking about something with praying about it. To tell someone, “You are heavy on my heart,” could mean nothing more than letting them know you are worried. Worry is the opposite of prayer. In fact, many times it is a sin. It is turning inward instead of turning to the Lord.

“God talk” is not talking to God. Using God talk by sprinkling “God words” over a conversation is no more than sprinkling salt and pepper over a bland soup. It could be a religiously acceptable way of taking God’s name in vain.(That’s a hard one to swallow). “God words” are not the same as God’s Word. It could be a religious pretense. And there are times I’ve been guilty of it.

It is useless to tell someone who is hurting, “I’ll be thinking about you.” We have an opportunity to ask an Omnipotent God to intervene in the affairs of men, and we are just “thinking about them?” I know there are many times when I think I am praying, when all I am doing is walking around depressed. I do need to acknowledge that it can be praying if you are truly “abiding” and asking the Holy Spirit to utter words you don’t have the ability to articulate. But if you are just weighed down, that’s a signal you haven’t gone to God at all.

I’m primarily saying this to me. I want to really pray and really listen to God. I also want to be able to share thoughts from God rather than just share my own thoughts about God. I want to ask God to reveal His will from His Word to me before I presume to speak on His behalf. It is the difference between walking in the flesh and walking in the Spirit.

How careful we need to be.