Asking God for things

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Hi Everyone,

Lately, when I have been praying to God, I have been asking him to move my heart to be more charitable. I have been asking Him to help me change my ways. For example, if I am stubborn, I ask God how can I change.

Here is my confusion. My bible study teacher (who I think very highly of because she has helped teach me a lot about the Catholic faith) said ‘That is a protestant way of doing things, you need to change yourself’. Then she went on to use the example of the person who is fat and always eats junk and prays to be skinny. Well, of course I though that was not the way to pray. I would instead pray ‘Dear God, plays help me make healthy food choices’

So my question is, if God expects me to do everything on my own, then why bother praying at all?

As much as I have my work to do, I can’t help but God is there to help me and provide grace. After all does the bible not say ‘Ask and you shall receive’?

Just curious but what do others think about praying to God to help build one’s own character?

Thanks

CM
 
God’s grace. Your response.

St Francis prayed, “make me a channel of your peace.” He put a LOT of faith in God’s grace to begin that work in him.
 
cmscms said:
Hi Everyone,

Lately, when I have been praying to God, I have been asking him to move my heart to be more charitable. I have been asking Him to help me change my ways. For example, if I am stubborn, I ask God how can I change.

Here is my confusion. My bible study teacher (who I think very highly of because she has helped teach me a lot about the Catholic faith) said ‘That is a protestant way of doing things, you need to change yourself’. Then she went on to use the example of the person who is fat and always eats junk and prays to be skinny. Well, of course I though that was not the way to pray. I would instead pray ‘Dear God, plays help me make healthy food choices’

So my question is, if God expects me to do everything on my own, then why bother praying at all?

As much as I have my work to do, I can’t help but God is there to help me and provide grace. After all does the bible not say ‘Ask and you shall receive’?

Just curious but what do others think about praying to God to help build one’s own character?

Thanks

CM
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Your bible study teacher is way off base.
 
"We should have frequent recourse to prayer, and persevere a long time in it. God wishes to be solicited. He is not weary of hearing us. The treasure of His graces is infinite. We can do nothing more pleasing to Him than to beg incessantly that He bestow them upon us." – St. John Baptist de la Salle

Believe St. John! And if God wants you to do more yourself, God can let you know. Don’t worry! If you only take the trouble to listen, He’s quite able!! 😃
 
It works. Being everyday you see your faults and as you change you become me open and wellpure. THat is the gift I have found. Just I am lasy and don’t always sit down pray and then end my day in reflection on what has occured and how I reacted.

I think you are on the right track … it takes a long time to get to understand God and prayer. But I do think it is worth the effort.

Let me know if you have any questions about my journey.
 
THANK YOU, EasterJoy and svid2.
YOUR responses made perfect sense especially, and were in harmony with scripture and Catholic teaching.

My own priest, in an understandably disgusted reaction to the “GAWD WAWNTS YEW TA BE A MILLIONAIRE!!!” preachers on TBN, teaches that God doesn’t answer your prayers for financial help. Well, I’m sorry, but my good priest is dead wrong.
He is not malicious, but he is over-reacting.
As is the OP’s bible study teacher.

YOU MUST ask and ask and ask and ask God for help until you are blue in the face, sometimes. JESUS SAID, “Apart from ME, YOU can do NOTHING.”
He wasn’t whistling Dixie either, he meant it literally and meant every word of it.

So keep asking God. And asking and asking. And Mary and the Saints, too.
Do your part, for sure, but sometimes in some cases, there is LITERALLY NOTHING
that YOU CAN DO and MUST beg God for miraculous help. So DO it, if you have to, and don’t let anyone tell you that God doesn’t answer prayers for certain things, like financial help. True, he never promised to make us all a bunch of millionaires (sorry, all you “Seed Faith” teachers, but he just DIDN’T), but he did promise to provide all our needs if we asked Him for that help (and put in our own good day’s work, too, as long as we are of sound mind and able-bodied).
 
Jaypeeto4 said:
THANK YOU, EasterJoy and svid2.
YOUR responses made perfect sense especially, and were in harmony with scripture and Catholic teaching.

My own priest, in an understandably disgusted reaction to the “GAWD WAWNTS YEW TA BE A MILLIONAIRE!!!” preachers on TBN, teaches that God doesn’t answer your prayers for financial help. Well, I’m sorry, but my good priest is dead wrong.
He is not malicious, but he is over-reacting.
As is the OP’s bible study teacher.

YOU MUST ask and ask and ask and ask God for help until you are blue in the face, sometimes. JESUS SAID, “Apart from ME, YOU can do NOTHING.”
He wasn’t whistling Dixie either, he meant it literally and meant every word of it.

So keep asking God. And asking and asking. And Mary and the Saints, too.
Do your part, for sure, but sometimes in some cases, there is LITERALLY NOTHING
that YOU CAN DO and MUST beg God for miraculous help. So DO it, if you have to, and don’t let anyone tell you that God doesn’t answer prayers for certain things, like financial help. True, he never promised to make us all a bunch of millionaires (sorry, all you “Seed Faith” teachers, but he just DIDN’T), but he did promise to provide all our needs if we asked Him for that help (and put in our own good day’s work, too, as long as we are of sound mind and able-bodied).
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I think all of us who are parents know that listening to our children and giving them desired answer are NOT the same thing!! 😃
(In fact, some of our children know this so well that when they ask, they hope we aren’t really listening when we answer!!)
 
EasterJoy said:
[And if God wants you to do more yourself, God can let you know. Don’t worry! If you only take the trouble to listen, He’s quite able!! 😃
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Well… that is also a problem. I rarely know what He is saying to me. I have seen to many people convince themselves they heard God’s voice (when they really just were fooling themselves). I wish God would just send me an email or leave a meassage on my answering machine sometime:D

I also spoke to a priest today and he told me it is OK to have God move our heart.

CM
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cmscms said:
Well… that is also a problem. I rarely know what He is saying to me. I have seen to many people convince themselves they heard God’s voice (when they really just were fooling themselves). I wish God would just send me an email or leave a meassage on my answering machine sometime:D

I also spoke to a priest today and he told me it is OK to have God move our heart.

CM
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It rarely pleases God to speak directly, and I think He is not much partial to email or answering machines or electronic gadgets–apologies to George Burns–excepting from those he prompts to write us. It must be that the development of ears is part of the development of souls. Sometimes we mess that up, but learning to ride a bicycle is the same, and somehow people hazard the scrapes in favor of reaching the goal.

It is absolutey OK to have God move our heart. The Word was with God and the Word was God…The Word of God goes far deeper than literal speech.
 
I** think all of us who are parents know that listening to our children and giving them desired answer are NOT the same thing!! **

I’m not a parent, but I HAVE been a child, LOL.

Sometimes when we ask God for things that are NECESSARY (not luxuries like nice cars, fancy clothes, expensive wines, etc), we don’t get them.
That kind of thing terrifies me, because I don’t know how to interpret it.
Children often ask for frivolous things and luxuries. I DON’T ask God for luxuries.
 
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