Discover Prayer Part II
Seek Only His Glory *

(SHARP): NAS James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Point of View: We do not receive what we ask for because our motives are wrong.
Action Step: Ask God to purify your motives.
Benefit: You will ask and receive.

Key Point 1: Our motive in prayer must be only for our Father’s glory; it is not enough just to pray for a good thing.

Subpoint 1.1: For example, you may be praying for revival in your church so that we might have more people born again, that we would be better parents, or that the world would not influence our children.  These are noble requests that are in God’s will but are selfish in motive.  The only motive that is free from selfishness is the desire to see our Heavenly Father glorified in the things we ask of Him.

Subpoint 1.2: The proper motive in asking for revival would be because: we can not endure God seeing the blood of Jesus trampled underfoot by the worldliness of the church, by the sins of our children, or by the lack of Christ-likeness of our spouse.

Subpoint 1.3: We may be praying for the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives so that we can live a victorious Christian life.  This again has the selfish motivation of something to make our life easier or more pleasurable.  The proper motive would be that God would no longer be dishonored by our low level of Christian service and poor testimony but rather be glorified by the inward beauty in our lives and the power in our service that comes by the Holy Spirit’s presence.

Key Point 2: The reason we stay on Earth after being saved is to show forth our Heavenly Father’s glory.

Subpoint 2.1: Our Heavenly Father is glorified by the revelation of His Son in our personal lives and in the church by the Holy Spirit.  The revelation of Jesus shows the world that He was God’s Son who died and now lives – resulting in their salvation.

Subpoint 2.2: Our Heavenly Father is glorified through our verbal and nonverbal (our actions) confession of Jesus’ Lordship.

Subpoint 2.3: When the world sees Jesus they see the Heavenly Father.  They then realize that He is for them and not against them; that Satan has lied to them about God.  That Jesus came to save the world and not to condemn it.  There is nothing that draws men like love.  Love draws all men of every region.  But no love draws like the love of God.

Key Point 3: The motive of Jesus’ prayers was always to glorify our Heavenly Father.

Subpoint 3.1: NAS John 17:1 These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee,

Subpoint 3.2: NAS John 17:21 that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.

Subpoint 3.3: NAS John 12:28 "Father, glorify Thy name." There came therefore a voice out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."

Point of View: We do not receive what we ask for because our motives are wrong.
Action Step: Ask God to purify your motives.
Benefit: You will bring glory to God.
SHARP: NAS John 12:32 "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."