Proverbs 28:9 "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer shall be abomination." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/PRO.28.KJV 1 Peter 3:7 "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/1PE.3.KJV Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/HEB.11.KJV Romans 14:23b "for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/ROM.14.KJV Hebrews 10:38 "Now the just shall live by faith: But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/HEB.10.KJV Matthew 6:5 "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 15 but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/MAT.6.KJV “There are two kinds of prayer,—the prayer of form and the prayer of faith. The repetition of set, customary phrases when the heart feels no need of God, is formal prayer. “When ye pray,” says Christ, “use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” We should be extremely careful in all our prayers to speak the wants of the heart, and to say only what we mean. All the flowery words at our command are not equivalent to one holy desire. The most eloquent prayers are but vain repetitions, if they do not express the true sentiments of the heart. But the prayer that comes from an earnest heart, when the simple wants of the soul are expressed just as we would ask an earthly friend for a favor, expecting that it would be granted—this is the prayer of faith.” ST August 14, 1884, par. 8 https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p820.6204&index=0 Luke 18:10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 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. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.18.KJV1 Samuel 15:10 "Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. 12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. 13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. 14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. 17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 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. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king. 24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. 26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. 27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. 28 And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/1SA.15.KJV 1 Samuel 16:1 "And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/1SA.16.KJV 1 Samuel 28:6 "And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/1SA.28.KJV Mark 3:28 "Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:" https://www.bible.com/bible/1/MRK.3.KJV Matthew 12:31 "Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/MAT.12.KJV “Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him.” Pr 8.4 “When you rise in the morning, do you feel your helplessness and your need of strength from God? and do you humbly, heartily make known your wants to your heavenly Father? If so, angels mark your prayers, and if these prayers have not gone forth out of feigned lips, when you are in danger of unconsciously doing wrong and exerting an influence which will lead others to do wrong, your guardian angel will be by your side, prompting you to a better course, choosing your words for you, and influencing your actions. Pr 14.2 If you feel in no danger, and if you offer no prayer for help and strength to resist temptations, you will be sure to go astray; your neglect of duty will be marked in the book of God in heaven, and you will be found wanting in the trying day.” Pr 14.3 “The very first out-breathing of the soul in the morning should be for the presence of Jesus. ‘Without Me,’ He says, ‘ye can do nothing’.” Pr 23.2 https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p87.28(87.29)&index=0 “The ways in which God leads His people are generally mysterious. You have asked to know God’s way. Your supplication has been answered. God knows better than you do what is good and essential for His children. He never leads them otherwise than they would wish to be led if they were able to see as clearly as He does what they must do to establish characters that will fit them for the heavenly courts. The people whom God is leading must venture out upon His Word. They must walk forward by faith. Truths have been committed to them which they must obey. The work of God is aggressive. No one can stand in a neutral position and yet be a soldier in the Lord’s army. God has commands for His people, and if they keep in close connection with Him, they will hear His voice, and will keep in step with their Captain. They will go forward in the conflict to fight the battles of the Lord. But those who place themselves in an indifferent, non-committal position will gain no victories. We are to work by faith and not by sight, allowing God to direct the warfare.” (Emphasis supplied) 6LtMs, Ms 29, 1890, par. 4 https://text.egwwritings.org/read/14056.7187009?query=otherwise%20have%20been%20led&highlight=1#14056.7187009 The voice inside people that tells them right from wrong is the presence of the Holy Spirit. When a person "hushes" that voice it becomes quieter and quieter until one can no longer hear it. This is rejection of the Holy Spirit. When that happens a person's conscience no longer bothers them and they become lost, like king Saul.
There is a song that I once hated. I was praying for something that I knew was wrong, but I wanted it so badly. One night this song came on the radio, it said, “Sometimes I thank God, for unanswered prayers, Remember when you're talkin', to the Man upstairs, That just because He doesn't answer, doesn't mean He don't care, Some of God's greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers. Some of God's greatest gifts, are all too often unanswered... Some of God's greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers.” https://www.cordula.ws/poems/unansweredprayers.html I cried buckets, because I knew that God’s answer was, “no”. I didn’t think that I would ever praise God for not answering this prayer, but now I thank Him every day for the way that He has had His hand guiding my life.
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