"will they not say that you are out of your mind? ??? 1 Cor 14:23

"will they not say that you are out of your mind? ??? 1 Cor 14:23

Isaiah 59:13-14  In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God...... conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.....
and for truth is fallen in the street....this can also be said of today's 'religious groups'.

So said the Prophet Jeremiah also,
Jeremiah 9:3  And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.

Any Christian who who loves God will surely consider prayer to be a most essential evidence of love for God and right relationship with God. Since there are many abuses of Prayer one may pray and still not have assurance that God hears and accepts his or her petitions.

*How blessed we are*,
Christ has not left us to struggle in this *pool of confusion* surrounding prayers.

Prayer is one of the important subject Jesus Himself taught in the scriptures both in His sayings and Actions
Matthew 6:5-15  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*.
*But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet,* *and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret;* *and thy Father which seeth in secret* *shall reward thee openly*.
*But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions,* *as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard* *for their much speaking*.
*Be not ye therefore like unto them*: *for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of*, *before ye ask him*.
*After this manner therefore pray ye*: .......read to verse15
It is for us to model that prayer not to repeat it like our daily greetings

With his life, He also showed us how important prayer is. Usually he separated himself from his disciples and went to solitary place to pray

Luke 6:12, Matt14:23 matt26:36
All these examples show how important prayer is to the life of a christian and more to that how christians are to pray.
*Our prayers must follow the Biblical pattern, nothing less and nothing more*
*Be it your own private prayer or congregational prayer, it must follow the Biblical pattern*

If prayer is a communication between we and God, and it is, then we will consider how we approach God when praying-in humility and with reverence Heb 12:28

Some religious groups have succeeded in teaching others falsely, as if one must be in a certain mood when praying :one must be emotionally and physically enthusiastic, a lot of bodily activities, jumping, stomping, clapping, shouting, moving up and down...charismatic

We see this most often on our television stations how some claim to be praying: a whole lot of noise, clapping, stomping of foot, babbling(1st Cor 14:7-19) claiming to be speaking in tongues.
Nearer to us, we hear of such uproar in our neighbourhoods where such groups do not even allow people to rest in their homes, priding themselves in what is deceitfully called"prayer warriors"

Others abominably pray through Mary and some so called priests or prophets.

And you call that prayer?
I am  not against prayer but i am against the *dramatic performance of prayer*

God doesn't answer our prayers for how charismatic one must be,
By shouting, jumping, drumming, speaking in tongues(which has ceased actually), lying on the floor etc
Such are just hypocritical ways of praying. Jesus indicated matt6:5-8

Some also think to stand against the wiles of the devil, they must engage in this vigorous bodily activities forgetting that since we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, our prayer should  also not be about clapping and making noise. Jesus never taught that.
Ephe 6:12-18
Shows us that it takes, truth, breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, shield of faith,helmet of salvation, the sword of truth..

Making noise, and shouting and clapping and moving up and down as if God could not hear is the 'baalian' way where the prophets of baal cry aloud even to the point of cutting themselves with knives and lances, chanting... 1st Kings 18:22-37

You see to get your prayers answered or to stand against the wiles of the devil, is not about how vigorous you pray. It is about faith, sincerity with God, truth,  humility, love for one another, being forgiving (Gal 5:22-23)
2nd Chron. 7:14 makes it crystal clear" if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and healed their land"

Our faith is what counts James 1:6-10
Now to those who claim to pray in tongues, it is unfortunate how you missed the point
*the definition*-what and how tongues speaking is
*the delivery*-how one get to speak in tongues
*the design*-the purpose of tongues speaking
*the duration*-the period for it existence, all keeps the facts straight that tongues speaking has ceased and is no more as we now have the complete revelation of God's word (1stCor 13:8-13)
Please stop deceiving yourselves and pray intelligibly so that even when unbelievers come into your midst, they will not say 'you are out of your mind..'1stCor14:23