Prayer is supposed to be something beautiful. But it often doesn't seem that way, does it? It often doesn't seem to bring us closer to God. Can it be that we have been approaching god in the wrong way? He intends prayer as a gracious gift, yet we abuse it as a work. Prayerlessness is an evidence of pride, but that doesn't mean that proud people don't pray. Pride is relentless in our hearts, it just keeps getting up again no matter how hard we knock it down. Sin creates a debt we can't pay. Yet through prayer, we humbly come to God for forgiveness. The freedom we have through this means is overwhelming! Yet inside of this framework, Jesus instructs His people to ask for forgiveness. This is because God is not only a judge, but also a father. Failing to confess says something about us. We have lost a sense of need for Jesus. The bigger you see your sin, the bigger the glory of the cross in your heart. Our tendency is to make the cross small and our need as small. We should repent of this. Watson says that confession of sin makes Christ precious to the soul. We forget this easily. Ask yourself, "Why do I need Christ? If we have no real answer to this question, we have deceived ourselves. The stopping point in a decline into spiritual coldness is to deal with interpersonal relationships. Are you holding onto other people's offenses? Repent in humility of the pride that drives conflict between people. See how pride slips in slowly, hitting sensitivity toward sin grows cold. We become very hard on other people. If you don't feel you need God, no wonder you fail to sense Him in prayer.
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