Prayer is just one piece of having a healthy faith journey.  Another piece of the puzzle is learning the heart of God.  Our prayer time will always be an extension of our heart.

One of the reasons our prayer life can be ineffective is not having the right heart.

James 4:3…When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (NIV)

When we pray with selfish and self-centered motives God is not inclined to answer our prayers.  He is not concerned about being our personal genie in a bottle.  God has a perspective that includes all of humanity and he sees things that we will never see.  And he sees people in a way that is motivated with pure love.

If we want to do away with wrong motives then we need to learn the heart of God.  The more we learn his heart the more we will pray with love for our fellow man and be motivated with pure motives.

If you want to improve your prayer life then you need to begin the discover process by reading your bible, attending church more often, and engaging in meaningful conversations with others that share a faith in God.

Written by Larry Westfall.  Copyright © Finding Wonder 2013.