The Pharisee Who Prayed With Himself

Luke 18:10-11, “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.”

If you're reading your prayer off a piece of paper or a teleprompter, you're not praying! Our prayer time should be a secret and private time, not a public show. What saith the Scripture?

Matthew 6:6, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”

We are commanded to pray in secret, and to give alms to the poor in secret. God does not reward us when we make a public boast of our good works to be seen of men. At Pensacola Christian College (PCC) they fall all over themselves like Hollywood with self glorification and self praise for their long marriages, good works and self righteousness, for which they already have their reward. Proverbs 20:6, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” PCC are not faithful, they have perverted the Gospel.

So, is there a time for public prayer? Sure there is, but most prayer should be done in private. You ought to be talking to God when you pray. Reciting some words to give a performance is not biblical prayer. The Bible says the Pharisee in Luke 18:10-11 prayed with himself.

I cringe every time I see a White House prayer breakfast, where prayers are pre-written and read from off a piece of paper. That is as phony as Pensacola Christian College! God rewards humble obedience, not sinful worldly pride and arrogance. God rewards those who sincerely serve Him from the heart because they love Him and people.

God doesn't reward religious hypocrites who merely go through the motions of playing church, like the shameful Family Baptist Church in Pensacola where people are expendable and individuals don't matter. Their wicked dingleberry pastors kicked me and my wife out of church in June of 2025, over their disapproval of my preaching on social media against women wearing pants; both of their worldly ungodly wives wear pants. SHAME on them all!!! Dear reader, modesty matters to the righteous LORD.

I would rather be unknown by man but known by God, than vise versa. God even knows the exact ever-changing number of hairs upon our head. Matthew 10:30-31, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” God sees your labors, time spent serving and praying, and efforts for Him. Trust the Lord that He sees and will reward all your efforts spent for the cause of Jesus Christ. 1st Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” I love that PROMISE from the good Lord. Our labors for Christ are never done in vain.

To be honest, I dread praying in public, because when we pray in public we are self-conscious that others are listening and it affects how we pray. We are careful what we say in public, versus praying intimately to God in private and feeling completely at home.

It doesn't matter how you pray dear friend. Pastor Tony Hutson said that his father Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) used to lay prostrate on the floor praying in his bedroom at home. Now, that is great, but I have never prayed that way. I have never laid prostrated on the floor praying. One big reason is because I have suffered from radiculopathy and stenosis in my cervical spine since 2004. I got severely rear-ended by a church bus in 1992 that permanently misaligned my neck.

It is possible to pray with yourself and not to God at all. The heathen world does it all the time. Luke 18:10-11, “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.”

I detest the popular prayer books of the demonic Roman Catholic church. From the cradle to the casket, Roman Catholicism has  religious package for your family, but it leads to ruin and the second death in Hell forever. Salvation is not found in any religion; but rather, through faith in the person and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ! God is not impressed with religion. The Lord is impressed with our humility to obey His inspired written Word, not with our superficial show of living the Christian life for others to see.

1st Samuel 15:22, “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”