wake up

if you’re proud, you won’t pray. If you’re proud, you won’t be thankful. You’ll seek independence from the Word of God, from the authority of God and you’ll lack in biblical prayer. You don’t pray, why? Because you think you can live without God—that’s pride. Remember this Pharisee? He prayed about himself. He really didn’t think he needed prayer. He had no real heart. If you really believe that you need God, you’ll pray with all your heart. John 15:5 says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." That’s a declaration of the state of human beings. Jesus is saying, "As I assess the infinite reality of this world, you can’t do anything without Me." Do we really believe that and know it? We absolutely need God for life and strength. If we were really humble, we’d pray like we absolutely needed to. Prayer is not just a nice thing to do. It’s the inevitable reaction of a soul that sees the spiritual realm. It’s not, "Oh, I guess I need to pray." It’s breath. It’s the inevitable reaction of a soul that sees the reality of the world, of oneself, of God. We need to pray with passion, with all our hearts. You pray the best in crisis and hardships, because you are in a state of humility. In crises we are most humble. We know we are nothing. We say, "I need you, Lord."

What should you do when you can’t pray? You must ask God to show you the reality of your soul. The state of war, reality, spiritual realm, my future, who I am, how weak I am, how fleeting this life is, how dangerous are the temptations that lie ahead—help me to see, Lord! If you see that, you’ll be able to pray. Ask the Lord to open your eyes. "Open the eyes of my heart, Lord." When I can’t pray with my heart, I need to see reality, that I’m in a state of delusion. When you’re not humble, you’re deluded. You’re in a dream-state.