Ignite Your Faith: Break Free from Self-Centered Prayers

I understand why God wants you to be saturated and mediated. not distracted and self medicated

BARS lol.

This revelation that hit me this morning is something crazy.

This revelation hit me this morning, and it’s wild. We’ve been praying wrong. Nothing more, nothing less. We’ve been taught to think of God as someone who serves us, who responds to our needs, who makes us the center. Somewhere along the line, we started to believe that God is here to bow down to us, like He’s some kind of team that serves as long as we “play nice.” But that’s not what prayer is about. That’s not what it’s for. Ignite your faith, by uncover why we pray.

The Problem: Misunderstanding God’s Purpose and Our Role in Prayer

I caught a sermon by Phillip Anthony Mitchell, and he pointed out that the way we pray, how we frame it, how we see ourselves in relation to God, is often completely wrong. We come to God with this mindset that we are the purpose, the center, the main focus. It’s subtle, but it’s there. And it’s dead wrong.

God didn’t make us so He could revolve around us; He made us to draw closer to Him. God is constant, unchanging, and eternal. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He doesn’t shift for us. We’re the ones meant to align with Him, not ask Him to align with us.

Yet so often, our prayers revolve around our immediate needs, our plans, our issues. And we ignore the needs of the Kingdom. We’re so wrapped up in what we think we need that we lose sight of the bigger picture, the real purpose.

To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain

Paul says, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). That’s a truth bomb. To live is for Christ; it’s not for us. And to die — yes, physically, we get eternal life, but also to die to ourselves, to our own desires and self-centeredness. “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25). We have to let go of the idea that we know what’s best, that we know what’s good because, frankly, we don’t.

Our idea of “good” is warped. Humanity has been messing this up since forever. We thought lead pipes were a good idea — until they poisoned us. We thought the earth was the center of the universe — until we found out it wasn’t. People thought multiple wives were good — until rape, incest, depression, and disease tore families apart. Don’t believe me? Look at David’s family: a sister violated (2 Samuel 13), a brother killed by another brother, one sibling out to destroy the other. Or look at Abraham and the abuse Sarah inflicted on Hagar (Genesis 16:6). Or Joseph, whose brothers plotted to kill him because of favoritism born from different wives (Genesis 37:4-11). Even now, we’re wrong all the time. And that’s just in accidentally getting things wrong. Imagine when people give up on good — or worse, start twisting “good” for their own gains. It’s destructive, deadly.

We Aren’t Good — But Godly Is the Goal

Without God as the foundation, we can’t understand true goodness. We can’t be good without a godly foundation. “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). Every law, every moral code, if it doesn’t ultimately point to God, it’s weak, it’s flawed. The truth is we lack perspective, we lack the vision of the Almighty God. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord (Isaiah 55:8). We don’t have the tools to judge correctly on our own. It’s like being blind and trying to navigate the world. We’re stuck in a corn maze, while God is above it all, seeing every path to freedom. We see things “kind of,” but we’re always at risk of crashing into something dangerous.

This is why submission to God is crucial. When we align ourselves with God, when we seek Him fully, then we’re positioned to actually see what’s truly good. “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). We become able to recognize what’s godly over what’s merely good.

The Core of True Prayer: Recognizing God’s Supremacy

And here’s what’s really crazy—this is what makes the difference between prayers that are heard and prayers that aren’t. So often, we pray with ourselves at the center. We want things for ourselves or for others, without ever considering how it serves the Kingdom. It’s selfish, it’s limited, and God sees right through it.

Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” That’s exactly it. We lack understanding of what prayer is meant to be, of the role prayer plays. Prayer isn’t about what we can get from God; it’s about staying in constant communication with Him, keeping the Spirit alive in us. It’s about God, not about us. And most of us don’t pray this way — then we wonder why our prayers feel empty, why they don’t reach God.

Praying Without Ceasing: The Necessity of Constant Communion

God says, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Why? Well there are multiple reasons why. One of them is He knows there are times when we get in our own way. We’re human; our nature is to get selfish, to drift. But if we’re constantly praying, if we’ve built a real prayer life, it raises the chance that God’s Spirit in us will conquer our selfish nature.

Too many people pray only once, or only when they need something or to perform.They don’t pray deeply; they don’t respect His name; they don’t prioritize others or His Kingdom. they don’t;’ pray undistracted. They aren’t praying 1 on 1 with Him. And because of this, so many prayers are just empty words.They’re not heard.

Lemme be very clear.

Our relationships with each other mirror our relationship with God, like Pastor Mitchell said. Sometimes, we have to teach our partners how we want to be spoken to. We tell our kids, “You don’t tell me; you ask me.” Well, we are God’s children, and even at the age of 90, we don’t hold a candle to Abraham, Noah, or Moses, who lived hundreds of years, and even they didn’t touch the wisdom of God who is beyond time itself. We are toddlers in God’s eyes, walking and talking but not yet ready for Kingdom-level work. Earth is our spiritual school, and when we graduate, we reach Heaven.

Prayer is God telling His toddlers (us) here’s how you talk to me.

Putting Respect on God’s Name

To understand the fullness of God, we have to start by knowing who He is — His names, each revealing part of His nature, His heart, His role in our lives. “Hallowed be thy name” isn’t just words. It’s reverence for all He is, all He has been, and all He will be.

Each name is a reminder of His vastness, His power, His compassion, and His faithfulness. Here’s who He is:

Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord Will Provide) – “So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided’” (Genesis 22:14). God provides not just for our physical needs, but for everything essential to our spirit. If He hasn’t given something, maybe it’s because it would harm us or we’re not ready for it. He knows best.
Jehovah-Rapha (The Lord Who Heals) – “I am the Lord, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). God heals not only our bodies but our broken spirits, mending us and bringing restoration to every part of our lives. Through Him, we find wholeness, even when the world leaves us in pieces.
Jehovah-Nissi (The Lord Our Banner) – “Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner” (Exodus 17:15). God goes before us, leading us in His battles. When we align with Him, His victory banner covers us. He’s our strength in every struggle, reminding us that our fight is His.
Jehovah-Shalom (The Lord is Peace) – “So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord is Peace” (Judges 6:24). In chaos and fear, God is our perfect peace. This peace isn’t fleeting; it’s an unbreakable presence that sustains us through everything.
Jehovah-Rohi (The Lord My Shepherd) – “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Like a shepherd, God watches over, guides, and protects us, bringing us to places of rest and knowing our needs before we even ask.
Jehovah-Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness) – “This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior” (Jeremiah 23:6). God is our righteousness. When we can’t be good on our own, He covers us with His righteousness.
Jehovah-Shammah (The Lord is There) – “And the name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35). God’s presence is constant. He will never abandon us. He is there in every moment, every heartache, every victory. We are never truly alone.
Jehovah-Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts) – “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:7). God commands Heaven’s armies, defending His people with all authority. Nothing can defeat Him; He is our protector.
Jehovah-M’Kaddesh (The Lord Who Sanctifies) – “I am the Lord, who makes you holy” (Leviticus 20:8). God purifies us, setting us apart as His own. He breaks the chains of our flesh, transforming us to reflect His holiness.

Each of these names reminds us that “Hallowed be thy name” is not just words. It’s respect, acknowledgment, recognizing that He is God — and that we are called to honor Him for all He is before we open our mouths to ask for anything.

Gratitude: Recognizing What God Has Already Given Us

Too often, we feel unsatisfied, not because God hasn’t given us enough, but because we’re too focused on what we lack rather than all He’s already done. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). We fail to recognize the gifts right in front of us, the blessings we’re taking for granted every day. God didn’t have to give us functioning bodies, a heartbeat, or breath in our lungs. He didn’t have to give us families or people to support us.

Let’s get real — people say, “God hasn’t provided,” but do they understand what provision actually means? Imagine God hadn’t intervened to provide you with the most basic essentials of life. He could have given us to families that didn’t care for us, that might’ve caused us harm. Or you could have never been born at all, another possibility. Or you could’ve been born without eyes, without limbs, without a mind that functions or a body that’s whole. You could have been born into circumstances that destroy and hurt, circumstances we’d struggle to even survive in.

UNDERSTAND that having a functional mind, body, and a family that will feed you and not kill you is not some automatic right. It’s GOD’S PROVISION! The Bible says, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14). Do you see that? His provision is in things we don’t even see — the hidden battles, the dangers avoided, the strength He provides when we are weak.

Take a moment to humble yourself. Thank God for the things He’s already done. That is Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord who provides. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Yet here we are, so often ungrateful, asking for more and then blaming Him when things don’t go our way. And that’s just Jehovah-Jireh! Have we truly understood what God has protected us from? The battles He’s fought for us, His constant presence, His commitment never to abandon us? Have we even acknowledged that?

Another pastor, Craig Groeschel, said something that hit me hard. He pointed out that one of the most quoted and most disobeyed scriptures is Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” We lose trust because we forget all God has already done. We grow weary because we think He’s forgotten us, but He hasn’t. Pastor Groeschel shared the story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who trusted God, praised Him for what was done and what had yet to come — and in her faith, God provided. If we wrote down everything God has done for us just this week, we’d see His faithfulness, His protection, and His provision in every moment.

Simply put, God doesn’t miss. YHWH doesn’t miss. And yet, we complain way more than we give credit. We don’t even maintain the blessings He’s already given us. How often do we ask for healing, then neglect the bodies He’s already given us? How often do we ask for financial blessing, forgetting that even the job we have now was a miracle? The audacity of human beings! Yet God, in His grace, keeps giving us chance after chance.

Gratitude is a practice, a discipline, and a recognition that all things good in our lives come from Him. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). This revelation is real. I’m called to begin each prayer with honor, respect, and thankfulness. To hallow His name. To recognize that He has done more for me than I’ll ever understand. That I am not the center — He is.

Get ready for the “Put Respect on Thy Name” blog series, part of the “Fam You Not Praying Right” movement. I’ll dive into each name and the power it holds. Keep an eye on P31Faithwear.com and their socials for the series!