How often do you pray? and do you feel you have your Spiritual House in order?

I try to pray before breakfast and lunch, but I often forget. I almost always pray before dinner, weather it's a bowl of cereal because I'm not hungry, or steak, I still pray. I sometimes pray during the day if I realized I did something wrong (sin) or need help with something. And I always pray before I go to sleep. So usually about 2-5 times a day.

If Jesus asked me tonight if I were ready to go, I would say no, because I have just recently (about a year ago) began to live in his ways. I feel that I should try to apologize to the Lord for not living in his ways for a majority of my life bybeingn charitable, teaching people his ways and practicing his ways.

So just recently I have been trying to walk on the narrow road that leads to the narrow gate, but before that I was just another one in the crow on the broad road.

According to John 3:16 and the fact that talking with the lord ensures that I am on that path ( something I do daily) I guess I would be on that narrow path, but I wouldn't say I was spiritually ready to go.

Thank you because I actually learned something from answering your question!

GOD BLESS! Jesus loves you! :)

I pray often, but I'd like to explain that the closer you are to God, the more aware you are that your spiritual life is not in order usually because repenting (after realizing we were very wrong) is the very thing that gets us forgiven and opens the door for a closer walk with the Lord. If someone says he does not pray and that his spiritual life is in order he is lying. Just like saying "I never sinned" when all of mankind has sinned. The Bible tells us that we are liars if we say we have not sinned and that Jesus will forgive us too. And, no, my spiritual life is not in the order it should be.

I John 1

8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar,and His word is not in us.

The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing and there is much evidence that Jesus was doing this too.

I Thessalonians 5

17 Pray without ceasing

Luke 18

1 You should always pray. (words of Jesus)

I feel pretty good except for one hangup. Mark 16:17 where He says that ALL WHO BELIEVE will see these miracles. THere is no other criteria given to qualify. I have even wondered if He showed us those miracles as a way to recognize each other. Any devil can rent a church building and say that he knows God. He showed us a way to recognize each other?? I am concerned because I have not spoken in tongues or healed anybody.I pray evryday and read almost everyday. I have seen an angel, seen visions while I was awake, seen prayers for my freinds answered, but....?

Hands that help are infinitely more valuable than hands that pray. An omniscient being who sees and knows everything would have no need for prayer. Why pray to God when he already knows what you are thinking, what your wants are and what your needs really are, no matter what you think your needs would actually be? You wouldn't have to show him devotion either because omniscience means he already knows how devoted you are no matter how much you try to show it. He would know what decisions you are going to make, because you can't know the future unless you know what decisions will be made. So a God who is omniscient and a God who asks for prayer is two massive contradictions. Yet the Bible says both.

For example, here are passages on Prayer:

(1 John 5:14-15, Philippians 4:6-7, James 5:16, Ephesians 6:18, Romans 8:26, 1 John 1:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, James 4:3, Matthew 6:5-8, Luke 18:9-14, Mark 11:22-25, John 14:13-14)

Here are passages about Omniscience:

(1 John 3:20, 1 Samuels 2:3, Hebrews 4:13, Isaiah 46:10, Matthew 10:29, Peter 1:18-20, Revelations 13:7-8, Revelations 17:8, Matthew 25:34, Ephesians 1:4, Jeremiah 1:4, 1 Samuels 2:3, Psalm 10:30, Proverbs 15:3, Psalm 139:7-8, Jer.16:17, Psalms 94:9 Proverbs 15:11, 1 samuels 16:7, Psalm 44:21, Psalm 139:2-3, Acts 1:24, Jer.23:24, Matthew 6:2-5)

What adds to the contradiction is this God is also omnipotent. Which means infinite in power.

(Matthew 19:26 - Matthew 28:18 - Luke 1:37 - 1 John 3:20 - Isaiah 14:24-27 - Revalation 19:6 - Isaiah 46:10 - Mark 10:27 - Luke 18:27 - Job 42:1-2 - Isaiah 55:11 - 1 Kings 8:27)

That means that this God controls everything and everything that happens is intentional by this God. Which would include any bad events that are the reason someone would be praying in the first place. Why would someone pray to the very someone who did the bad thing that is being prayed for?

Saying that God created evil so humans can "spiritually grow" is incorrect, since the bible says people will go to hell for eternity. They did not have a chance to spiritually grow:

(Daniel 12:2-3, Matthew 13:41-42, Matthew 18:8-9, Matthew 22:13, Matthew 25:41, 46, Mark 9:43-48, Luke 16:22-24, John 5:28-29, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, Revelation 14:10-11, Revelation 20:10, Revelation 20:14-15)

The "Free Will" argument doesn't make sense either because an omnipotent God would also be able to give people free will and in a way to where they are also not on fire for eternity. Omnipotence means having power over everything.

When scientific studies are done they certainly do not get results that show prayer works:

"Several studies of prayer effectiveness have yielded null results.[4] A 2001 double-blind study of the Mayo Clinic found no significant difference in the recovery rates between people who were (unbeknownst to them) assigned to a group that prayed for them and those who were not.[68] Similarly, the MANTRA study conducted by Duke University found no differences in outcome of cardiac procedures as a result of prayer.[69] In another similar study published in the American Heart Journal in 2006,[70] In another similar study published in the American Heart Journal in 2006,[69] Christian intercessory prayer when reading a scripted prayer was found to have no effect on the recovery of heart surgery patients; however, the study found patients who had knowledge of receiving prayer had slightly higher instances of complications than those who did not know if they were being prayed for or those who did not receive prayer."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer#Efficacy_of_pr...

People mistake prayer results with coincidences and placebo effects. They compartmentalize the results by counting all the hits and forgetting all the misses. Some will say if the prayer did come true thats evidence of their God but if it didn't come true, their God just didn't want that to happen for them. With that way of thinking, God can't lose. No matter the results they are going to say it was their God.

Even I get amazing coincidinces happen to me. Sometimes I'll be in a situation where I'll need something and what I needed just easily came to me out from incredible odds. I don't believe in any religion, but if I was I would say this is a miracle from my God that I believe in. When I clearly don't believe in a God, this looks like something that is universal to people who even don't believe. I could just be very lucky. While at the same time I know people who are Christian and are very unlucky. They haven't had any miracles to help and infact there are people like that who are homeless and almost starving to death. When Christians say that their miracles are proof to them that there is a God it seems they are just thinking of their situations but don't think of the unlucky Christians who believe just as much but don't get any miracles. I know Atheists who left the Christian religion because they believed in with all their heart, but didn't experience any of the so called God experiences or miracles.

Many of the people who say they had an experience, describe what they are experiencing to be different. Its Allah, Jehovah, Krishna, etc. If people study the religions they will see that they can't all be right because they each say theirs is the only true religion. Which indicates that it is somthing else.

No, but I have my house in order because I know the narrow way is the path to realization that all gods were creations of man.

I don't pray.

I don't have a spiritual house- whatever that is.

I work hard in life to be the person I want to be. That's narrow enough for me. I don't need to fit some preacher's view of bronze age morality.

I don't pray. But next time you do, mention that I want a Toyota Prado. A white one. With dark grey leather interior and sat nav. Also, I hear sacrificing a goat may help.

My house is physical not supernatural.

Nice question that has meaning for Pure Land Buddhists too Hence the Star

I never pray because god doesn't exist. And I live in an apartment. It's not "spiritual"

Praying is a waste of time. You need to put yourself to action, not by praying, but by actually doing.