Be Careful What You Pray

The following is chapter 28 ('Be Careful What You Pray') from Pastor Jack Hyles' awesome book titled, 'Exploring Prayer With Jack Hyles'...

Dr. Jack Hyles (1926-2001)

This chapter could be called, "Safety in Prayer," "Safeguards in Prayer," or "Don't Pray the Wrong Thing."

In a previous chapter we dealt with the great heart of God and how God wants and loves to answer our prayers. Now because He does have such a tremendous desire, we must be very careful for what we pray. We have such promises in the Bible as, Ask what ye will." This places a great responsibility on the Christian to be careful got what He prays. With a God Who loves us so much and Who in many ways almost places a carte blanche before us if we walk close to Him and abide in Him, we must take special care for those things that are best for us and for God's work.

There is an interesting story in Numbers 22, Balaam had been invited to do an unwise thing; that is, to leave the will of God and go to Moab. Balaam, being the faithful preacher that he was, went to God and asked God what he should do. God very plainly said, "Thou shalt not go with them." (Numbers 22:12) Balaam returned to the princes of Balak and said in verse 13, "The Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you." Now that should have settled it, but Balaam was not careful in his prayer, for Balak became more insistent than ever. Balak sent more princes with more authority than the others, and again sought for Balaam's willingness to come to Moab. Balaam was again very emphatic when in verse 18 he said, "I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more," but he made a tragic mistake! In verse 19 he said, "Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more." The Lord didn't have to say anything more to Balaam! He had already told Balaam what to do, but Balaam did not build a safeguard around his prayers. He came back again, and for some reason known only to the great heart of God, God told Balaam this time to go ahead!

Why did God change His mind? Was He allowing Balaam to go ahead just to show him the consequences of doubting God's commandment? Was He trying to teach Balaam to be careful in the future? Did God acquiesce because He was weary? Was it that God wanted Balaam to have what he wanted? I don't know, but I do know that Balaam went to Moab and that an entire race was corrupted because of it! Tragedy came to thousands and thousands of lives because Balaam was not safe in his praying.

This same type of thing is found concerning divorce. God never wants any couple to divorce for any reason, but He does give a permission for divorce in the case of fornication. God is saying, "I want one thing, but I will permit another. I would prefer you not to divorce ever for any reason, but because your hearts are hard, I will allow you to do it for just one reason."

These safeguards in prayer that we will mention in this chapter are needful because God does tell us to ask WHAT WE WANT. Mark 11:24, "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." John 15:7, "If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." Psalm 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Philippians 4:6, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." John 14:14, "If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it." All of these promises and others remind us that with such a blank check, we must be careful, very careful!

Of course, in prayer, as in salvation, we can come to God only through Jesus. Hebrews 4:14-16, "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." Hence, all prayer goes through Jesus, or to use a figure of speech, passes across His desk before it goes to the Father. Of course, all prayer is heard by Him because He is sitting on the right hand of the Father all the time.

There are several different attitudes that Jesus could have concerning our prayers as they come through Him to the Father. He may approve them; He may endorse them; He may recommend them; He may even plead for them. Hence, you can see that He could show different degrees of enthusiasm. There are many Scriptures in the Bible that teach us that the Father seeks counsel from the Son. Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." The word "counsellor" here deals mainly with the relationship that the Father has with the Son. Jesus is the wonderful counsellor. Especially is this true in His relationship with the Father. He counsels with His father; so as Jesus counsels with the Father, He may approve our prayer requests. He may be even more enthusiastic than that—He may endorse a prayer request; or He may go farther than that—He may recommend it; or He may even go so far as to plead for it. I wonder how many earthly parents love their children so much that they give them too much in response to the child's request. When one stops to realize how much God loves us, it is no wonder that we should be careful when we come to Him in prayer.

There are, thank God, some safeguards that we should remember concerning prayer.

1. Pray according to Bible principles. The Christian should know his Bible and know it well. This will lead him to pray according to the principles set down in the Word of God. This gives a great security, safety and safeguard to our praying.

2. Pray in the will of God. I John 5:14,15, "And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." Notice how Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26:38,39, "Then saith He unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with Me. And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt." He told the Father His will, but then He prayed for the Father's will to be done. It is commonly believed that Jesus was talking about the cup of death, the cup of suffering or the cup of becoming accursed for sin. No, no, no! Jesus wasn't asking the Father to keep Him from dying; He knew He was going to die! He came to die! His death was called "the glory that was set before Him." He set His face like a flint toward Jerusalem. He wanted to die for us. He gladly laid down His life for us.

When He was praying, "let this cup pass from Me," He was afraid that He was going to die then; that is, there in the garden of Gethsemane. He knew that it was not the plan of God for Him to die there. He knew that He was supposed to go to Calvary on the day of the Passover and become our Passover and in so doing, pay the penalty for our sins. He was saying, "Father, let the cup of death pass from Me now." Let Me wait for the cross. That is why I came." Then He says, "Nevertheless, not My will but Thine be done." He said, "Father, You know best. I want it to be done according to Thy will." Added light is thrown upon this in Hebrews 5:7, " Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared." A real safeguard in prayer is always to pray in the will of God.

3. Live a spiritual life. Psalm 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." John 15:7, "If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." Psalm 1:1-3, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." If we walk in the Spirit and live a spiritual-filled life, we will then pray in the Spirit. How dangerous it is for a Christian to get in the flesh, as perhaps Balaam did when he came the second time and sought for God's permission to go to Moab!

4. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you make your list of requests that you are to take to the Father. Romans 8:26,27, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." As is mentioned in another chapter of this book, the intercession that the Apostle speaks about in Romans 8:26 is the Holy Spirit making intercession TO the one praying. In other words, the Holy Spirit tells us what to pray. Ah, here is a blessed safeguard! Ask the Holy Spirit to help you make your prayer list. With His help and His leadership there is great safety, and we can avoid making foolish requests. In verse 27 the intercession means intercession WITH us. Once the Holy Spirit has made intercession to us in telling us what to pray for, He then goes to the Father with us and makes intercession with us before the Father. Actually the Holy Spirit becomes our prayer partner as we present our petitions to the Father. This is a great way to prevent making a prayer that is a foolish one and risking God allowing us to do something that is not His first choice, such as in the case of Balaam.

5. Pray from the will of God. Oh yes, pray in the will of God, but always pray from the will of God. Always be in His will. When we are praying from His perfect will or, if we have forfeited His perfect will, from His permissive or acceptable or improvised will, we are adding another ticket to the fence of protection against an unwise request.

6. Remember how the prayer worked out in the past. Stop to think if it was best before. Use the past as a pattern for the future.

Because we have a God Who loves us so much, Who delights in answering our prayers and Who has given us so many amazing promises, we must be careful what we pray.

PREVIOUS | NEXT | TABLE OF CONTENTS

Exploring Prayer With Jack Hyles

1st Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray without ceasing."

Exploring Prayer With Jack Hyles

The following in chapter 22 from Pastor Jack Hyles helpful 1982 book titled: “Exploring Prayer With Jack Hyles.”

Dr. Jack Hyles (1926-2001)

Notice the words, "Rejoice evermore," of I Thessalonians 5:16 are yoked with the words, "Pray without ceasing." God is saying, the more praying, the more rejoicing! The less praying, the less rejoicing! Then note the statement in the next verse, "In every thing gives thanks." Ah, how sweet! When joy and prayer are married, their firstborn child is gratitude.

Now what does it mean, "Pray without ceasing"? Does it mean we are to be speaking words constantly? Of course not! Does it mean that the Christian should stay on his knees every moment of every day? This is impossible. Does it mean that there is a certain place where we must go and stay in order to pray? No, it does not. There are several things meant by our Lord when He says we are to pray without ceasing.

1. There is no time when the Christian should not pray. There is not one unholy second in a minute. There is no one unholy minute of the day. There is not one unholy day of the week. There is not one unholy week of the year. There is not one unholy year of our lives. From January 1 through December 31, all days are red-letter days. Every day is a sabbath day and every moment is a sacred moment. There is not time when a Christian should not pray.

How wonderful are the early morning hours when the Christian steals away alone with his God and prays with a choir of birds, the humming of the cricket, the amen of a rooster, a chandelier made of the rising sun, a congregation of trees, a chancel made of a cluster of daffodils! Ah, how wonderful are the early morning hours for prayer! When a Christian neglects the early morning prayer watch, he is robbing himself not only of a mighty power but of blessed fellowship.

How sacred are the closing hours of the day when God's rheostat has slowly dimmed the chandelier, and the peaceful tranquility of the sunset and the evening darkness make God seem even nearer and dearer!

How powerful then is the midnight hour as the servant of God wrestles, pleading with God for power, for provision, for blessing!

How strengthening then is the noontime when the Christian may attach his cable to God's booster for help during the day's toil!

2. There is no place where the Christian should not pray. Every place is holy ground. Every bush is a burning bush. Every hill is an alter. Every valley is a sanctuary. You can come to the mercyseat from where you are. As someone has said, "It is only a knee away."

Kings hold their levees on appointed days. The Kings of kings holds a constant levee. Those under King Ahasuerus were slain who approached him when he was not holding out his scepter. The King of kings is always holding out His scepter. The dead of night is not too late; the morning's break is not too early; at eventide He is not too weary. The kitchen sink can be an alter, the work bench can be a chancel, the school room can be a sanctuary, the sofa can be a mourner's bench, even the rest room can be a prayer closet!

3. The Christian should be in conversation with God all the time. There are several ways this can be done. For example, I have on my desk in my office a piece of wood about three feet long on which are burned the words, "Pray for power." In every Bible that I own I have the words, "Pray for power." On my office door are the words, "pray for power." Inside my briefcase are the words, "Pray for power." At the mirror where I shave at home are the words, "pray for power." The mirror in my washroom at church has written on it the words, "pray for power." Hundreds of times a day I pray for the power of God. This perhaps is at least a part of what God meant when He admonished us to pray without ceasing.

The Christian should be constantly sending out little darts of prayer. When the cares of this life, the daily work and toil of life make us unable to load the furnace, we can send little sparks rising in the form of words, thoughts and even looks to our Heavenly father.

For years I spent many hours a month with Dr. John R. Rice. For over 22 years I shared pulpits and platforms across America with him. Over 2200 times he and I have preached on the same program. I have stayed with him in motel rooms, eaten with him in restaurants, prayed with him in classrooms. Many times when nothing was being said I would see his lips moving. I would hear a mumble just above a whisper. What was he doing? He was praying! He was sending up brief messages. I can remember that when we would be driving to the service at night I would overhear him saying just above a whisper, "Lord, help me. Lord, give me power. Lord, bless the service, help us."

The Christian's magnetized needle should always be pointing north toward his God. Years ago the marvelous Christian and great preacher Evangelist Lester Roloff preacher for me on a Wednesday night. The next night he was to preach in Canton, Ohio, and I was to preach in Akron, Ohio. He suggested that I fly with him in his private plane to the Akron-Canton airport. I agree to do so. What a wonderful time of fellowship we had until suddenly Brother Roloff looked at me and through pale lips said, "Brother Jack, we are lost! The compass is broken! We are over Lake Erie and we don't have much gasoline left! Unless this compass is repaired quickly, we may have to crash land in the lake! Both of us were, to say the least, apprehensive. I nervously reached up on the dash of the airplane and took the can of pecans down and ate a few. When I removed the pecan can, the compass went back to perfect operation. One little can of pecans at the wrong place had gotten us off course. When the child of God has something between him and his God and between him and his prayer life, he will soon be off course.

I am alone very much. Fifty weeks a year, I fly on Monday from O'Hare Field in Chicago to some place in America where I preach on Monday night and Tuesday. I fly over 200,000 miles a year. I spend hundreds of hours a year in motel rooms. I try to keep in constant contact with Heaven. I often sing those beautiful words, "Oh, what peace we often forfeit; oh, what needless pain we bear; all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer." There is no burden so great that God doesn't want to help us bear it. There is no burden so small but that God wants to help us solve it. There is no problem so great but that God wants to help us solve it. There is no problems so small that does not attract the attention of our God, and He wants to help us find a solution. There is no question so hard but that God can answer it. There is no question so simple but that God wants to help us find the answer. God is interested in your shopping; talk to Him about it. God is interested in your work; talk to Him about it. God is interested in your school; talk to Him about it. God is interested in your housekeeping; talk to Him about it. There is no area of life that should be kept from God, and we should be in constant touch with Heaven presenting our petitions and finding grace to help in time of need.

One Sunday night I was leaving my study to walk down the alley behind the church on my way to the evening service. As I left the office, I had a funny taste in my mouth. I said, "Dear Lord, some peppermint sure would taste good right now." As I was walking through the door, one of our fine deacons walked up, reached in his pocket and took out a little piece of peppermint candy and said, "Pastor, would you like to have a piece of candy before you preach?" My heart leaped with joy. I said, "Thank You, Lord." Sometimes the sweetest answers to prayer are the smallest ones when God is mindful of our little needs in the commonplace events of our life.

One day I didn't have time to go out for lunch, but I was so hungry! I said, "Lord, I sure would like something to eat." Within a few seconds I heard someone knocking at the door of my study. I went to the door. Someone had left a cheese quarter-pounder and some French fries outside my door. I smiled and said, "Thank You, Lord," and enjoyed my lunch.

God wants us to abide in Him. He wants us to abide in prayer. He wants us to walk in prayer. Mrs. Billy Sunday ("Ma" Sunday) was a dear friend of mine during her latter years. Though I never met her husband, I got to know Ma very well. On several occasions she would tell me some things about her husband. One day she talked to me about his prayer life. She told me how she and her husband would be walking down the street, and Billy Sunday would talk to her awhile and then to God awhile, to her awhile and then to God awhile. She said it was often difficult for her to know to which one he was talking. He had learned to pray without ceasing!

Feeling Ignored By God Is A Very Normal Experience

Luke 18:1-8, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”

In the popular 2005 movie, The Island, the following script is heard...

McCord: (makes a reference to God)
Lincoln Six-Echo: Who is God?
McCord: You know when you really want something, you close your eyes and wish for it really hard? God is the guy that ignores you.

I sincerely believe that 100% of viewers can relate to that statement if they are honest. I am 59 years old and if all I had to go on was my prayer life, I would become an atheist. But when I read the inspired King James Bible, I say to myself: “There's no way that men could have written this amazing Book; and if they could have written it, they wouldn't have.” Moreover, the inspired Holy Bible was penned by approximately 40 different men, most of whom never met or knew each other, spoke different languages, coming from various different social backgrounds and education, and spanning a time period of at least 1,500 years. This remarkable manner in which the Holy Bible was given to humanity proves its divine origin.

Furthermore, when I observe and consider the universe, and the uncanny intelligent design in all of creation, I know that there is a God, and He is a good and faithful Creator.

In our text passage of Scripture, Jesus teaches a very important truth that God the Father intentionally ignores us when we pray, “though he bear long with them,” even though we “cry day and night unto him” (Luke 18:7). Our importunity in prayer pleases God, because it requires a greater faith to keep petitioning God when he is not answering.

I admit that this bothers me. It bothers me that God ignores me, testing my faith by not answering my prayers how and when I want Him to. What saith the Scripture? Romans 9:20, “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?” Who am I (or you) to question how God does things? I choose to trust Him, blindly if need be, trusting the great heart of God when I cannot see the omnipotent hand of God at work.

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's Standards Of Morality Haven't Changed, We Have

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 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 pastor's worldly ungodly wives wear pants. SHAME on them all!!! Dear reader, modesty matters to the righteous LORD.

A century ago you couldn't have found a woman in the United States wearing a pair of pants in public. God hasn't changed, we have. And if you think it is okay for women to wear pants merely because our cultural standards have changed, you are a fool. Morality never changes! If homosexuality was a punishable crime in all 50 states in 1962, then it should still be in 2026. Homosexuality is an abomination to God. That means it is something that disgusts God!

If booze was outlawed during in The Prohibition Era (1919-1931), then it should still be illegal today. I'm tired of hearing wicked people claim that The Prohibition Era failed as proof of why booze should be legal. No Sir! It is tragic that drunk drivers continually receive light prison sentences, if any punishment at all. Even in the worst cases where someone is murdered by a drunk driver, the criminal rarely receives more than a few years in prison. God's holy standards of right and wrong never change!

It is not a mere coincidence that along with the legalization of abortion, homosexuality, adultery, divorce, public nudity, corporate theft and everything else wicked, that we are seeing female pastors and women wearing pants today. It is wickedness! I am not just old fashioned, I am right! In just 100 years the United States has deteriorated beyond recognition!

Not The Power Of Prayer; But The Power Of God

I don't like when people talk about the "power of prayer." I hate when I hear heathens talking about prayer as a "great therapy." If that's all prayer means to you, get right with God! When you pray, you are talking to your omnipotent Creator. Do you have any idea how great God is?

Did you know that our solar system's sun is 93 million miles away from the earth? And yet, the nearest galaxy Andromeda is 2.5 million light year away! If you can try to wrap your brain around this statistic, 2.5 million light years is approximately 14.7 quintillion miles!!! Wow! And that's just the distance to the nearest galaxy. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has so far discovered 2 TRILLION galaxies!!! That is our brilliant Creator! Psalms 145:3, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.”

If the distance from the earth to the sun were one inch, the distance to the Andromeda galaxy would be over 4 miles away!

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 a 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.”

God Is Not Impressed With Spectacular Prayers

Matthew 6:7, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”

I recently heard a ministerial student pray for me. I didn't laugh but wanted to. He prayed something like this...

Dear Father of spectacular lights and all created beings, great God of the cosmos and all personalities in the universe, I pray with all superlatives and depth of richness from my soul. Please bestow your grandeur blessings upon this struggling servant of yours. We pray for the beneficial magnificent of thine orderly blessings.

Something like that. I cannot even repeat his formal speech, but he lost me after the first sentence. I thanked the younger fella for praying for me because he did it from a sincere heart. But I felt compelled to write this article to teach others that when you pray, just be yourself. It is annoying to me when people pray using big words, and in my humble opinion are being hypocritically sanctimonious in nature, laying it on thick with the religious lingo. There is just something sweet about hearing a simple common man pray. You can keep all that bigger than life, Hollywood style, theological deeper life, stuff-shirt type pompous prayers. That doesn't impress me at all, and I think I can confidently say neither does it impress God.

I heard Pastor Jack Hyles say that he doesn't like praying in public, and I couldn't agree more. Dr. Hyles says that when we pray in the presence of others, we are carefully articulating out words to impress other people. Whereas when we pray at home alone, or in the solitude of our soul, we just talk to God as we would a friend (and that's how prayer should be).

I am against religion formalism in church. When I attended the Discovery Class for the First Baptist Church of Pensacola in 2022, one of their assistant pastors said that their church prides itself in “formal worship.” That didn't impress me one bit. In stark contrast, my hero of the Christian faith Pastor Jack Hyles wrote a whole chapter against formalism in his 1993 helpful book titled, “Enemies Of Soul Winning.” In am referring to chapter 3, “Formal Worship: An Enemy Of Soul Winning.” Nothing has killed churches today like formal worship!

At the First Baptist Church of Pensacola they do not sing the old hymns of the Christian faith that I grew up with and cherish. Instead, they sing spiritually lifeless Episcopalian type formal songs that are a sure cure for insomnia. The church is weird. They host a contemporary church service at 8:15 am, and then a formal worship service at 10:45 am. I always say that the contemporary service is too contemporary for me, and the formal service is too formal for me.

In neither church service do they sing the wonderful old hymns of the faith. They don't sing songs like: At Calvary, What A Friend We have In Jesus, I Am Resolved, At The Cross and Nothing But The Blood. Sorry, you won't find those foundational songs of the Christian faith in America at the First Baptist Church of Pensacola. Instead, you'll find 7-11 songs. That is, 7 words repeated 11 times. I dread today's lifeless neo-evangelical church music!

You'll sadly also find the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation. You'll find that nearly all the women wear their worldly pants. The preaching is lame at best, and dead. The church does a lot of charitable work for the community, but that doesn't make them good people. Please listen to Evangelist Justin Zhong preach this applicable sermon titled: 'Balaam, Son Of Bosor.' Even the Apostle Judas was given the power by Jesus to cast out demons (Matthew 11:1); and yet the Bible says Judas was a known thief (John 12:6), and had a devil in him (John 7:70). I digress.

When Evangelist John R. Rice (1895-1980) was asked to pray for the meal they were about to eat at Hyles-Anderson College, everybody expected him to pray a lengthy sanctimonious pietistic type of prayer. But the elderly godly preacher simply prayed: “Thank you dear Lord for this food we are about to eat. Amen.” I want to be that man! I don't want to impress others with my praying. I dread praying in public, I really do, and I try to avoid it at all cost. In the last church that I attended, I intentionally didn't join, knowing that only voted-in members were allowed to pray publicly. They never asked me to pray and I couldn't have been happier not being asked to pray. My life of prayer is personal between me and my faithful God.

But if you are asked to pray in public friend, please don't sound like a religious nut. I mean, you can clearly tell when someone has prepared a prayer. If you ever watch someone pray at a White House prayer breakfast, they read off a teleprompter. Nothing is said from the heart. President Donald Trump has been known to use a teleprompter during speeches, including prayer gatherings at the White House. Prayers should never be read from a script. To do so just proves that it's all a carefully plotted ruse, not sincere.

Matthew 6:7, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” I often think about this Bible verse, because it confirms that heathens can pray. As I mentioned earlier, Judas Iscariot had the power to cast out devils (Matthew 11:1). Hellbound heathens can pray, fast, tithe, fear God and give alms to the poor, as evidenced by Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. Cornelius didn't get saved until Acts 10:44. He was a good man, but lost, until he came to faith in Jesus Christ later on.

The 450 hellbound prophets of Baal during Elijah's time were all religious. The world is full of religious heathens (Matthew 15:8). Jesus confirmed that most of the world is going straight to Hell when they die (Luke 13:23-24).

When I am asked to pray publicly, I just keep it simple and try to talk to God as if no one else is there. Obviously that is not possible, and can be risky if you say something that you shouldn't say, but I always try to keep my prayer's length to a minimum. God already knows what we want and need even before we pray, so we don't need to pray lengthy prayers (Matthew 6:8).

Dr. John R. Rice was famous for teaching the truth, “Prayer is asking!” God wants us to cast all our cares upon Him (1st Peter 5:7). The Lord doesn't want us to be stressed out about anything, but to bring all of our needs and supplications (long term requests) to God in prayer (Philippians 4:6-8). God always hears our prayers, but we don't know what He will do. I agree with Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) that if we could see all that God sees, we would never question His motives again when He seems to ignore our prayers. God knows what is best!

I admit that I often feel like the meme below at the bottom of this page. It makes no sense to me oftentimes why God ignores the saints when we cry out to Him, but Jesus taught in Luke 18:1-8 that God the Father will oftentimes ignore His children to test us, because without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). A faith must be tested.

The unjust judge ignored the widow simply because he couldn't have cared less about her as a hurting human being; but in sharp contrast, God ignores us because He does care and wants our faith to grow. Unshakable faith comes from having our faith shaken! Nothing shakes a believer's faith like unanswered prayers from our heavenly Father. What did Jesus say about that? Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Just keep on praying, whether it seems God answers or not.

I have lived long enough to know, having been born again for 47 years since age 12 in 1979, that God oftentimes answers my prayers in ways which I hadn't seen until I was able to look back in hindsight decades later. The old adage is true: When you cannot see the hand of God at work, trust the great heart of God. “God” is not mentioned one time in the Old Testament book of Esther, yet we are given a privileged look into the lives of God's saints, so that we can see that everything worked out for good in the end (Romans 15:4).

The Safe Thing To Always Pray

Philippians 4:6-7, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

1st Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”

I am making Puerto Rican pasteles today while my dog Pickles watches. I made the filling yesterday and am making the Masa today. Here is the recipe. I've been ordering ready-made pasteles (regular pork flavor) from New York from the Freakin' Rican restaurant, but they're so expensive, so I am trying to see if I can make them on my own. I love pasteles! I ordered the green bananas from Amazon. Unfortunately, stores don't sell green bananas in Pensacola. I thought you might like this too.

Onward! We are commanded by almighty God to pray continually. That simply means throughout the day as we think about things, we should take everything to the LORD in prayer. Supplications are long term prayer requests. When a sad thought enters into our mind, perhaps over something hurtful that somebody did to hurt us in the past, cast that care upon the Lord. 1st Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

So often when I pray to the Lord, I become frustrated because God rarely seems to answer my prayers. In fact, at age 59, I cannot even point to even one case of God (no ifs, ands or buts) answering one of my prayers. When it seemed that God answered my prayers, it could just as well have been coincidence. There is nothing wrong dear reader with being honest. To me an answer to prayer needs to be a miracle, not something that could have happened anyway.

I have corresponded with my Christian believers over the 24 years of my website ministry and they have testified the same thing, that it seems like God never answers their prayers. To be very honest, if I looked at my prayer life alone, I would become an atheist. But when I behold the moon, the stars, our Milky Way galaxy and the unsearchable universe, I do not question the existence and omnipotence of our omniscient and omnisapient and faithful God.

When I hear braggadocios Christians (or rather said, professed Christians) boasting that God answers their prayers all the time, I am extremely skeptical and I simply don't believe them. Charismatics in particular really upset me, making bold bogus claims of healing (always in some remote place like deep in Mexico where no cameras were present). It sickens me to the point of wanting to barf when I hear wacky Charismatics boasting of their fake miracles, unbelievable answers to prayer and speaking in tongues nonsense.

Please don't misunderstand dear reader, I DO believe in a miracle-working all powerful caring God. I am simply saying that for whatever reason, I have not seen such miracles in my life, and I resent when religious ungodly hypocrites falsely accuse me of not being filled with the Holy Spirit, or not having enough faith.

In 2009, the scumbag pastor of Victory Chapel Church on Guam (a Charismatic hellhole of false religion) verbally attacked me in a local business parking lot. I had just come out of the House of Brutis' restaurant (no longer in business) and in front of two of his victim church members, the pastor told me that I wouldn't have needed neck surgery if I had been filled with the Holy Spirit. As the gentleman that I am, I kindly smiled and said nothing, but wanted to tell him in Jesus' name to go to Hell. Sadly, he's already headed there in his damnable heresy of Lordship Salvation.

As I mentioned, I often get discouraged when I pray. I am not saying that God has never answered my prayers. That would be presumptuous of me. I simply do not know. I am sure that the good LORD has answered many of my prayers, even before I asked for something, but He answered in ways that I did not anticipate. My mother use to wisely say that God works in mysterious ways. That is what the Bible teaches in Isaiah 55:7-9, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Don't try to figure out God, because you won't.

I thank God for His never-ending love, provisions and blessings. God has always provided for me and taken good care of this broken redeemed undeserving wretched sinner. I have absolutely no complaints to God. But when I go to pray and start to feel like it's just a big waste of my time, I always resort to a safe prayer. which is simply to ask God that His will be done. That way no matter what happens, I didn't set myself up for a disappointment. I still sometimes ask God for a specific thing, but I always add the words (as did Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego when about to be thrown into the fiery furnace), “But if not.” Daniel 3:18, “But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

By God's grace, I will continue to pray about everything for the remainder of my time on earth, because that is what God commands me to do to please Him as His redeemed child. If God answers my prayers, great; BUT IF NOT, blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” I refuse to sinfully place God on trial as the heathen world does, challenging His existence and power. Romans 1:20 warns that atheists are all WITHOUT EXCUSE, because even nature itself proves the existence of God.

I love Jesus and thank Him for dying on Calvary's cruel cross 2,000 years ago for my many sins. I am so unworthy of Christ's love and sacrifice. THANK YOU GOD!!!

By God's grace, I will continue to pray without ceasing for the spiritual needs of OTHERS, and for the Lord to work through my humble ministry labors to reach and build OTHERS for Christ. My only heart's desire all my life as a Christian has been for God to use me as a vessel to His purpose and glory. I am God's servant. Damn the torpedoes!

I suspect that a lot of my ministry blog readers feel like you're wasting your time when you pray, but I assure you on the authority of the Scripture that you are not dear friend. I don't believe that prayer makes a difference. You read right! I believe that GOD MAKES A DIFFERENCE!!! I don't believe in the power of prayer, I believe in the power of God.

Jesus acknowledged in Matthew 6:7-8 that even heathens pray, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” Big deal if you pray. Do you have faith in God?

I used to feel that since God doesn't appear to answer my prayers, perhaps it was because there was sin in my life. Who doesn't have sin in their life? I worried that maybe it was because I listened to some secular music, or watched a Hollywood movie, or didn't do something that I should have done that was right to do. That kind of thinking will make you paranoid and nuts. Dear reader, religious scrupulosity will drive you crazy if you let it!!!

I encourage you to keep on keeping on in your prayers. Never stop asking God for what you need, and for the needs of your loved ones and the people you meet. Prayer is not preparation for the greater work; Prayer is the grater work! Never stop casting your cares, burdens and hurt feelings upon the LORD. NEVER!!! By casting your cares upon the Lord, you can walk away with “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7b).

But when you are not sure what to pray, or feel frustrated as I often do, just pray that God's will be done and then completely REST in the goodness and wisdom of God. The old adage is very true: When you cannot see the HAND of God at work, trust the great HEART of God.

In closing, when it comes to why God never seems to answer my prayers, I have two consuming thoughts to help you:

1. God In Luke 18:1 Jesus said, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” And then He tells a story about The Unjust Judge. A widow appeared in court before the judge, but the Bible says he was a heathen man who couldn't have cared less about avenging the widow. But she kept bothering the judge, coming back day after day, until he finally relented to give her what she wanted. This is called IMPORTUNITY, which the Bible teaches please God. Jesus used this story as an illustration of a Christian's prayer life. Literally, Jesus is teaching that GOD WILL IGNORE US WHEN WE PRAY, not because He doesn't care, but because a faith must be tested. Hebrews 11:6 says without faith no man can please God.
2. The Bible plainly teaches in 2nd Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” When we pray and become discouraged by not seeing visible results, we are walking BY SIGHT, not by faith. This is why I stopped looking for visible results several years ago. Now I just pray and TRUST the character of my faithful God and Savior, knowing that He is all wise, all loving and all powerful; and that is exactly what God desires for us as His saints, and why He seems to ignore us in the first place. God is still on His throne dear reader, and the good Lord knows what He is doing.

One of my favorite songs is Garth Brook's 1990 song, 'Thank God For Unanswered Prayers.' Just because God doesn't answer doesn't mean that He don't care. Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. That is why I nowadays just pray for God's will to be done, because I know enough to be dangerous in my prayer life. Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” I sure don't know what to pray for. I need the good Lord's help.

I encourage everyone to keep praying, knowing that we walk by faith and not by sight. Trust the great heart of our good and faithful God.

Thank you for reading my ministry blog. To God alone by all the credit, praise and glory.

Deliverance Through Prayer

Luke 22:40, “And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.”

As born again saints of God, we need to pray continually. 1st Thessalonians 5:17 states, “Pray without ceasing.” Obviously, this means that we can pray while working, walking, driving, et cetera. We ought to be in constant fellowship with our God as burdens, people, temptations, problems and frustrations come across our mind throughout the day. Take it all to the Lord in prayer (Philippians 4:6-8).

Prayer is from within our heart, not a recital. We ought to pray continually. Philippians 4:6, “Be careful [stressed, anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” “Supplications” are things on our prayer list (i.e., a petition) that we keep asking God for. Prayer is asking. That's what prayer is. Praise is praise. Worship is worship. But prayer is letting our requests be made known unto God (Philippians 4:6-7). Prayer is faith.

We should ask God for His help in every area of our life on a daily basis; but then there are certain matters which we will need to pray about for weeks, months or even years. Jesus taught His disciples that prayer was a means to avoid temptation. It is very interesting that Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach, but He did teach them how to pray. Prayer is not a “therapy” as liberals call it today. Prayer is expecting a miracle from a miraculous omnipotent (all-powerful) divine and faithful Creator.

We hear much talk these days on television and radio, and in books and magazines, about spiritual matters and mention of God; but they are a bunch of Modernists (an unsaved person who appears as a Christian) and liberals (unsaved scholars and “experts”) who deny the POWER OF GOD (2nd Timothy 3:5).

Do you have a prayer life? It doesn't have to be a prayer closet. Your car can become a prayer closet. Where do you meet God every day? Do you pray at all? Prayerlessness is akin to the sin of atheism, for a prayerless Christian prays no more than an unbelieving atheist. So sad!

I cringe every time I see the President of the U.S. recite a prayer off a piece of paper (which he didn't even write). All of the various President's public speeches for the past few decades have been prewritten by a specialist in propaganda and public speaking. Even the President's prayers are written for him. It's not from his heart. How can it be when his speech-writer prepared it for him? Doesn't the President have a place in his heart for God? Does his staff have to write his prayers too? Yes, evidently so! This is apostasy and a stench unto God. The President's prayer recitals are nothing more than deceitful political propaganda designed to hoodwink conservatives into believing that their President trusts in God.

Not surprising, EVERY Republican President since Roe vs. Wade has given billions-of-dollars to fund abortion. Yet, the candidates will claim they are against abortion, and the gullible religious right votes for them and thus supports their wickedness. If our nation's leaders genuinely trusted in God, they would insist on praying from their hearts, and not read from a piece of paper which someone else wrote for them.

Jesus said that prayer would keep us from temptation. There is NO secret to overcoming sin in one's personal life. We either love the Lord enough to obey Him or we don't, it's as simple as that. If we love the Lord, then we will study God's Word, and memorize passages to help us. If we love the Lord, then we will pray and walk with God in our daily life. Every believer should take time to walk with God. Have a designated place where you meet with God each day. It may be at your desk, or your coffee table, or in your car on the way to work.

Take time frequently to be alone in nature with your Creator. God gave us nature to remind us of His Godhead, goodness, and power (Psalm 19:1-3; Romans 1:20). We need to take time out, to escape the concrete jungle of the city, and get alone with God in nature. Mark 6:46 states, “And when he [Jesus] had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.” Jesus is our example. If our Lord went alone into nature to pray, then we need to find a place everyday, even if just in our backyard, where we can seek God. Most people are too busy to fellowship with their Creator, choked by the cares, riches, and pleasures of this short life here on earth (Luke 8:13). How ungrateful.

If You Do Use A Sinner's Prayer

Romans 10:12-14, “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

Let me start by saying that Romans 10:13 is NOT a part of God's simple plan of salvation, it is an add on. That is, you DON'T have to call, ask or pray to receive God's free gift of eternal life. Romans 10:14 plainly teaches that we are saved at the point of faith, when we BELIEVE. A person calls upon the Lord AFTER they have already believed on His name to be saved. The inspired Scripture is very clear about this important matter.

That being said, it is not wrong to utilize a sinner's prayer if you choose to do so. A sinner's prayer is simply the expression of one's faith, a by-product of the faith in one's soul. This is exactly what is meant in Romans 10:10, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” The first part of the verse is referred to in Romans 10:14, and the latter half in Romans 10:13. The inspired Scripture speaks plainly if we rightly divide it.

If you do choose to use a sinner's prayer, it is of the most vital importance that you ALWAYS make sure to teach lost sinners that prayer is NOT necessary to get to Heaven. That is, you don't have to call, pray or ask to be born again. The new birth has nothing to do with a radical change of one's behavior and lifestyle as Ray Comfort foolishly teaches. The new birth is a supernatural miracle of God in response to one's faith in the Good News of Jesus Christ. That is, the Gospel according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-6.

A sinner's prayer should be short and simple. Something perhaps like this...

Dear God, I believe your Word that I am a guilty sinner who deserves to be punished in Hell forever for my sins. I believe you died in my place on the cross, were buried and resurrected from the dead the third day. I receive you Jesus as my Savior. Thank you for saving me.

There is no right or wrong way to pray. And again, praying is NOT necessary to be saved, you can simply BELIEVE what God has recorded in His Word. You don't get saved by repenting or prayer, you get saved by BELIEVING that Jesus did it all for you.

That all being said, I DON'T like nor use a sinner's prayer when leading someone to Christ. The reasons why are because: 

1. A sinner's prayer is not biblically necessary to be saved.
2. A sinner's prayer may confuse someone about what they must do to be saved.
3. A sinner's prayer confused me when I got saved at age 13.

I knew at age 13 that praying didn't save me, but I also was misled to believe that prayer is the vehicle by which I put my faith in Christ. No one ever told me THE TRUTH that I could simply believe on the name of Jesus and be saved without praying at all. John 1:12-13, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Since we've never met Jesus in person, all we can do is believe on His name, and that is all that God expects from us.

Oh dear friend, it is so easy to go to Heaven. My father was right that religion is the worst thing that ever happened to this world. The famous singer Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) did an interview for Playboy magazine in 1963, in which he criticized organized religion. It is sadly clear to me that Sinatra wasn't a born again Christian and very likely went to Hell in his sins in 1998, but I couldn't agree with him more about the deplorable history of religion. It was religious nuts who burned the libraries of Alexandria, Egypt. It was religious nuts who burned countless women wrongly accused of being witches.

Still today, it was religious nuts who invaded and murdered 2.3 million innocent people during the Iraqi War (2003-2011). Then, contemptable Alaskan governor Sarah Palin, said President George W. Bush's cruel assault against Iraq was “a plan from God.” By attacking Iraq, the United States broke every one of the Ten Commandments. God had NOTHING to do with what wickedness WE DID! These are religious wackos! Like Mr. Sinatra, I have a very low opinion of organized religion. But unlike Sinatra, who was spiritually blinded to discern the difference between truth and religion, I acknowledge that true Christianity has nothing to do with manmade religion. Unlike Mr. Sinatra, I do believe in a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe. I digress.

I don't recommend using a sinner's prayer, but if you do, make sure to explain that it is not mandatory to get to Heaven. If you fail to tell someone this truth, you are risky causing a lifetime of worry, fear and needless grief if they cannot remember what they prayed years later. This painful experience happened to me after I got saved at age 13. I worried needlessly and tearfully for several years afterwards, wondering if I had prayed correctly and not being able to remember hardly anything. I was a tortured soul suffering from religious scrupulosity. All of this happened because of ignorant preachers, Baptist pastors and Chick Tracts, who all failed to correctly present God's simple plan of salvation to me. I was horribly misled.

That being said, it is quite normal for a lost sinner to desire to pray at the time of salvation. It is normal for someone to express their soul's faith by asking God to save them. In fact, I did quietly ask Jesus to save me. I did it in ignorance, but naturally so. There is absolutely nothing wrong with silently calling, asking or audibly praying to be saved. God honors all such requests, but it is faith and not prayer that saves a man. Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.

I wrote this particular blog for two reasons:

1. To discourage others from using a sinner's prayer, because it can be potentially confusing which might cause years of needless painful worrying, fear and uncertainty.
2. To teach you the proper way to use a sinner's prayer if you do choose to use it.

Again, if you do use a sinner's prayer, please make sure to mention that praying is NOT necessary to get to Heaven. Prayer is NOT God's method of being saved. Faith is the mechanism (vehicle) by which we are bon again, not praying.

Also, make sure to include the three elements of THE GOSPEL; namely, Jesus' death on the cross, burial and bodily resurrection. Make sure to include the fact that we are all sinners. A person must know why they need to be saved, and what they are being saved from. We need to be saved because we are guilty sinners and there is a penalty on sin, which is Hell (Romans 3:19-20; Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8). By trusting Christ, you dear sinner will be rescued from burning in the fires of a literal Hell forever (Revelation 20:15).

God's only begotten Son, Jesus, has already paid for everyone's sins on the cross with His precious blood. This is why God the Father is freely offering eternal life to everyone. Jesus paid it all! Why would you ask God to give you something that He is already freely offering to give you? Asking God for salvation makes no sense.

In John 4:10, Jesus told the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well that if she knew with whom she was speaking, she would have asked Him for the living water. Yet, nowhere does the Bible say that any of the Samaritans asked to be saved. John 4:39-42 says they simply BELIEVED on Him to be saved. Nowhere does the inspired Holy Bible mandate calling, asking or praying to be saved. Anyone who insists that you must pray to be saved is preaching another gospel.

I Don't Waste My Time Praying For Deadbeat Pastors

James 5:16, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

I don't waste my time praying for deadbeat pastors, except that God would persecute them to pull their head out of their rear. The average pastor today has his head stuff so far up his rear that a search party couldn't find it! My only prayer for the Jeff Redlins, Marty Herrons, Brad Moffetts and Bill Adams of this world is that those pastors get their heads out of the rears.

When I pray, I spend my time praying for truth-tellers like Pastor Steven Anderson. He's not a perfect preacher, but I love the guy! Brother Anderson is a fighter! He says it like it is, which is so rare these days. If you knew what that dear man has suffered through, and his family, because of his courageous faithful stand for truth and righteousness, you'd be shocked. I am going to stand with the guy who is standing.

When I attended Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College (PCC) in 2021 for a few months, I was told by a long time 23 year staff member (he was 43 years old) that PCC leadership HATES Steven Anderson. I was disappointed to hear that, but it didn't surprise me that a wicked neo-evangelical, dead, religious college would despise a truth-telling preacher like Pastor Anderson. By the way, they hate me too at PCC. I was banned in writing on August 2, 2022 from attending their Campus Church and we've been bitter enemies since. I speak to their wicked and utter shame!!! By God's grace I will continue to expose THE CULT at PCC and their damnable heresy of Lordship Salvation!

I also don't give money to local panhandlers. As of January 2024, it is now a crime in Pensacola to give money from a car window to panhandlers. I won't break the law! Yet, panhandling is still an epidemic problem in Pensacola. You'll see panhandlers begging for money at nearly every major intersection. Me and my wife saw a guy yesterday with a big beach umbrella, sitting underneath in a beach chair, at the corner of Fairfield and W Street panhandling. It's ridiculous!

I give money to working people at local businesses. I sometimes hand $5 to window workers at Arby's, Burger King and other local restaurants. They are actually working to make a living, which I respect. I like to reward them and brighten their day. I see hundreds of local business hiring, and there is no reason why panhandlers cannot apply for a job. They just don't want to work. They are angry at the system because people simply cannot survive nowadays on $13 an hour (which is the minimum wage in Pensacola). Many of the panhandlers I see are healthy young guys in their twenties and thirties. That is ridiculous! I won't help enable them.

I read recently that 4 out of 10 people in Denver give money to panhandlers. No wonder the problem is only getting worse. You better believe that they make more money panhandling (tax free) than they do working a 9 to 5 job.

I don't support President Trump's Zionist aspirations and his total disregard for the brutal murder of over 46,000 Palestinians in Gaza, nor do I support his ungodly backing of Israeli war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu (hell is moved to meet him at his coming). That being said, Mr. Trump is unquestionably the best U.S. President I've seen during my 58 years of life. I love the things that President Trump is doing to help the American people. Mr. Trump rehired and gave 4 years of backpay to all the U.S. soldiers who were fired in 2020 for refusing to take the potentially lethal COVID-19 vaccine. I say amen and amen!

President Trump yesterday announced that he will force greedy U.S. pharmaceutical companies to drastically lower their prices, so that Americans won't pay more than the lowest price charged in other countries. For example: Previously you can buy Mounjaro drug pens in Germany for $120, but in America it will cost you $1,300 a month. From now on Americans will pay $120 a month. I sure hope Mr. Trump's new policy becomes law! I love it!!!

I also heard in the news yesterday that 6 of the 9 members of the U.S. Supreme Court have limited the powers of the arrogant lower court judges who keep blocking President Trump's Executive Orders. That was awesome news!!! That was a great victory for President Trump's team! I have never prayed for a U.S. President as much as I pray for Mr. Trump. We need him! I pray for the guy whose making a difference, not for scumbag criminals like Joe Biden, who should be rotting in a prison for treason.

I give money to people who are working for a living, not the street bum who refuses to labor. I pray for the pastor who is sticking his neck out, making enemies by preaching the unpopular truth. I refuse to pray for the Slackard who couldn't care less about right doctrine, contending for the faith, or exposing the Devil's false bibles. My time is valuable to me! I won't waste it praying that the sun will rise in the east tomorrow, or that the moon won't crash into the earth. So many people are time wasters!

I do believe that God answers prayer. It is a matter of faith. I hear so many Christians tell me that God doesn't answer their prayers. I admit that I feel the same most of the time. But I refuse to stop praying to our faithful God (1st Corinthians 1:9). I refuse to stop praying to our good God (Psalms 145:9). But I pray for people and things that matter! I pray for the pastors who are preaching the truth, aggressive soulwinning and making an impact for God.

I don't pray for neo-evangelical losers who are merely playing church, running the work of Christ into the ground, just going through the motions from week to week to get paid. My only short prayer for them is that God break their stiffed necks. I'm in the ministry for the OUTCOME, not for the INCOME! I've never taken a single penny for all my labors for Christ and I never will. I do what I do by God's grace because I love Jesus, truth, people and righteousness. I am the Lord's servant.

We are living in perilous times (2nd Timothy 3:1-7). Saints today need to pray earnestly. I sure need and humbly ask for your sincere prayers, whenever you pray. You don't need to bow your head dear reader. You don't need to lay prostrate on your floor. Simple talk to the dear Lord as you would to any friend or family member, but with due reverence. I heard an uplifting sermon the other day by Pastor Jack Hyles titled, “Christ Died For God,” in which he says that God made mankind because He was lonely. I wholeheartedly agree. God wanted to be loved. God created me and you in His image, so that we also desire to be loved.

Like Brother Hyles (excerpt from the preceding sermon), I am a mean preacher, but I still want to be loved. I don't like to offend and upset people. I don't like that I keep getting kicked out of churches. But I love God first and foremost, and I must stand for truth and what is right, even if it makes me enemies. I just got kicked out of another church, this time it was the shameful Family Baptist Church in Pensacola, whose incompetent neo-evangelical pastors are wickedly doing things their own way instead of God's way. They drew first blood. I must expose them for the lying fools that they are, because they are pulling on the same rope as the Devil. My only prayer for them is that God bring down the house upon their wicked heads. TRUTH MATTERS!

Our great God sees and knows everything! Nothing escapes the sight of almighty God. The Lord sees every little bird that falls from the sky. He knows the exact number of hairs upon our head. God knows what you and I will think and do tomorrow, and a year from now, if we are still alive on earth. God sees the future that we cannot see. Please keep this important truth in mind when you pray, trusting that the Bible is true in 1st Peter 5:7 when it says that God cares about you and me. God does care! We must believe that friend, regardless of what happens, because God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

Have a good day.

Don't Ever Allow Anyone To Intimidate You Not To Pray Aloud In Public

Philippians 4:6-7, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

In 1999, when I was sent by the U.S. Postal Service for maintenance training in Norman, Oklahoma, I was horribly told by a punk security guard to go pray in my hotel room, because someone had allegedly complained that I was talking to myself. He violated my legal rights to freedom of speech and religion.

Know Your Rights To Pray In Public

I had been praying out loud as I walked outside alone, on the designated walking path in a big field, talking to the Lord. It is sad that we live in a faithless world of unbelievers. Had I known about my rights, I wouldn't have felt intimidated, and I would have continued walking and praying out loud; and then called an attorney to start a $5,000,000 lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service if their thug security guards did something to stop me from praying in public. That was the last time I ever stepped foot into the training center, because I refused to go. This is not communist North Korea! It will always bother me that I ignorantly allowed those bullies to violate my freedom of religion and speech.

In 1999, I didn't know my Bill of Rights. If my life had depended on it, at age 32, I couldn't have told you what the First Amendment was. But in 2002, I finally woke up from my American slumber—I learned about Alex Jones, the New World Order, my Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution), and I started my website ministry to PREACH THE TRUTH!!!

This coming April 2025 will be the 23rd year of my Jesus-is-Savior.com website ministry. To God be all the praise, credit and glory (John 15:5). Jesus is precious! Over the past 22 years I have encountered many enemies along the way, by God's grace I've thankfully led countless lost sinners to Jesus Christ, and I've even made a few friends. My life is the Lord's—good and bad alike—the Lord knew that I would fail Him before I was even conceived, yet He loved me and gave Himself for me on the cross (Romans 5:6-9). 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝟭𝟱:𝟭𝟬, “𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗮𝗺: 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗻; 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹: 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗜, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲.”

In the past, I have been horribly accused by foolish laymen and incompetent pastors alike of finding weakness in preachers and of being judgmental toward others; but in reality, for the past 22 years as an evangelist preacher, I have taken a biblical stand against the evildoers. 𝗣𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗺𝘀 𝟵𝟰:𝟭𝟲, “𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗼𝗲𝗿𝘀? 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆?”  I have honored God with my earnest labors, night and day, faithfully running the course for Jesus Christ. Thank you for reading my blog.