Jesus, Save Me From Shallow Faith and Empty Religious Performance

 Jesus, Save Me From Shallow Faith and Empty Religious Performance 

Before we pray, let's first take a moment to listen to God's word and then we'll pray together.  It is alarming when someone claims Christ with their mouth, but their intentions, motives, and private life do not reflect His lordship. It is possible to look spiritual on the outside and still be resisting God on the inside. It is possible to be active in church and still be living for self. And it is possible to do Christian things while ignoring the very person those things are meant to lead you to. Jesus speaks directly about this. He says that not everyone who calls him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but the one who does the will of our Father in heaven. He goes even further and describes a group of people who will stand before him with confidence listing their spiritual activities saying they prophesied, drove out demons and did miracles in His name. Yet he will respond, "I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness."

That is a wake-up call. It means that powerful moments, public ministry, and religious speech are not the same as a surrendered life. So what does Jesus point to as the true evidence of knowing him? He points to obedience that comes from love, a heart that yields to God's voice. And his voice is within his Word. When you look at the Bible, you see why scripture matters so much. "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." This means God's Word reveals His nature. It reveals His heart. It reveals what he loves and what he hates. reveals what leads you into life and what destroys your soul. So when you open the Bible, and read prayerfully, you are learning the ways of God. You are learning the will of God. Many people ask, "What is God's will for my life?" And they mean, "Where should I  go? What job should I take? Who should I marry?

Those are real questions and God cares about your life deeply. But before you rush into the details, God calls you to something more foundational.  Surrender to Jesus Christ and follow him daily. God's will begins with salvation. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household." God is not looking for a person who knows religious language. Jesus Christ is looking for a heart that believes, a heart that leans on Christ for mercy, a heart that says, "Jesus, I need you." And salvation is personal.If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Notice how close this is. Mouth and heart, public and private, what you declare and what you truly believe. God cares about both.

Then as you walk with Jesus Christ, God's will continues into transformation. You cannot follow Jesus Christ and stay the same. You cannot keep drinking from the same darkness and expect your soul to stay clean. You cannot keep feeding your mind or destroys your spirit and still claim closeness with God. The renewing of your mind happens as you stay in the word, stay in prayer, and let the Holy Spirit correct you, shape you, and strengthen you. God's will also includes purity even when the world laughs at it. For this is the will of God, your sanctification that you abstain from sexual immorality. Sin always costs more than it promises. God's will includes humility because pride hardens a person. This reminds you that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. A humble believer stays teachable.

A humble believer repents quickly and does not defend sin, excuse sin, or decorate sin. God's will includes trust. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Many people want God's direction, but they still insist on holding the steering wheel. Trust means you obey even when you do not understand yet. God's will includes loyalty. You shall have no other gods before me." Idol are not only statues. An idol is anything you love more than Jesus, anything you obey more than God, anything you cannot let go of, even when it is pulling you away from him. So ask God for a faith that obeys. Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

God is calling you out of self-deception and into real life. Dear brother, dear sister, use your time wisely. Invest in what is eternal. Invest in your relationship with Jesus Christ alone. Do not wait until your heart becomes cold or sin becomes normal. Return to the Word and prayer. Return to obedience. The goal in life is to know Christ, love Christ, and live for Christ from a sincere heart. 

Now, let's take a moment to pray together. 

Dear Lord, thank you for loving me even when I have failed. And thank you for calling me back when I have wandered. Forgive me for my sins, whether they were spoken or hidden, whether they were done openly or carried quietly in my mind. Cleanse me, Lord, from anything in me that is not like you. Forgive me for the times I have lived for myself instead of living for your glory. Forgive me for the times I chased personal gain, attention,  comfort, or selfish ambition while my heart became distracted from what matters most. Forgive me for every moment I placed my desires above your will. And forgive me for the ways I justified what you were trying to correct. 

Lord Jesus,  I ask you to have mercy on me. Keep me from becoming a person who calls you Lord with my mouth while resisting you with my life. I tremble at the thought of standing before you one day and realizing I knew about you, but I did not truly know you. Save me from a shallow faith. Save me from a religious routine that has no surrender in it. Let my relationship with you be personal and alive. Teach me to walk with you daily and in every season. I ask you to remove the desire in me to impress people. Deliver me from caring too much about exterior appearances. And neglect the inner man. I do not want to be focused on whether I look holy in front of others while my heart stays unchanged.

I want to be focused on your Word, your Will, and your Presence. Let my love for you grow deeper than my love for approval from men or women. Let my obedience become more important to me than my reputation. Lord, when I say the name of Jesus Christ, let it come from genuine relationships. When I praise you, let it rise from gratitude, not from performance. When I worship you, let it come from a deep place within my heart where l am aware that you are truly here. Teach me to worship with honesty. If l am tired, let me be honest with you. If I am weak, let me admit it. If I have sinned, let me confess it. Strip away all false pretenses and self-righteousness so that my worship becomes clean and true. Your Word reminds me that you desire your worshippers who worship you in spirit and in truth. So make my heart truthful before you Lord. Give me a soft conscience.

Let me feel conviction quickly, not after I have gone far. Let me repent quickly, not after damage has been done. Help me not to defend sin, excuse it, or hide it. Give me courage to bring everything into your light because your light heals what darkness tries to keep bound. Father, I pray that there would be substance in my life as a believer. Let my faith have weight and sincerity. Let it show in how I speak, how I think, how I treat people, and how I respond when l am tested. Plant me deeply in your Word, Lord, so that my life becomes a living testimony. Give me boldness to speak the gospel of Jesus Christ with conviction whenever I am given the opportunity and grace to share your love with anyone. Help me to live in obedience to your ways and to turn away from the ways of the flesh. 

The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. Help me take this seriously, Lord. The world offers pleasure that fades. It offers applause that disappears. It offers cravings that never satisfy.  Teach me to see through the temporary shine of sin. Teach me to desire what lasts. Keep my heart away from shameful pursuits and ungodly paths. When temptation comes, give me strength to say no.  When my flesh pulls me, remind me that you have something better. Lord Jesus, set my mind on heavenly things. Teach me to think higher. Teach me to want what you want. You call me to seek the things above and to set my mind on things above.  So renew my thoughts, correct my cravings, redirect my focus. Let my private mind become a place where your truth is welcomed and where your presence is honoured.

Father, your Word says for this is the will of God, that by doing good, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men, as free, yet not using liberty as a cover for evil, but as bondervants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King. Lord, help me live that out. Let my life be honourable before you. Make me be a person of integrity. Help me to be faithful when no one is watching. You have given me a conscience and you have given me the ability to choose. Grant me your divine consciousness to think with you, Lord. So l ask you, Father, do not let me take my freedom and use it to walk into darkness. Help me choose what is right and pure. Help me choose what strengthens my spirit instead of what weakens it. Let me be free from sin and to serve you with joy. 

Father, I need you. I cannot live this life by my own strength. Work in me from the inside. Change what I love and hate. shape my desires. You work in me to will and to act according to your good purpose.  So do that work in me, Lord. When I feel weak, strengthen me. When I feel confused, guide me. When I feel tired, renew me.  Teach me to walk by faith and not by fear. Teach me to fear You in a clean way that keeps my heart humble and careful. Teach me to obey with love.  And when I fall, lift me quickly. When I stray, pull me back quickly. Create in me a clean heart. I praise you, Lord. You deserve all the glory and honor. In Jesus Christ'y name l pray. Amen. 

Reader, if this prayer has touched your heart, please say amen as a sign of faith. I pray that every blessing in this prayer is now upon you in the name of Jesus Christ. And if you need a special prayer, feel free to let us know. We would be honored to pray for you. May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.