Is praying amiss the same as prayer curses?

[Natsumi Lam]

Hi Fam,

Do you believe that praying amiss is the same as prayer cursing?

~Natsumi Lam~

 

[Sabertooth]

Do you believe that praying amiss is the same as prayer cursing?

Not particularly. It is just praying with the wrong objective and/or wrong motivation.

Jesus gave conditions on how to get our prayers answered in John 15:7.

"If you abide in Me,
and My words abide in you,
you will ask what you desire,
and it shall be done for you."

 

[Emli]

Hi Fam,

Do you believe that praying amiss is the same as prayer cursing?

~Natsumi Lam~

I would say that it depends on what you're praying, how you're praying, and what you're motives actually are. Praying amiss means to not pray according to God's will, and we will not receive anything from God unless we pray according to God's will. But He won't necessarily allow anything negative to happen if we don't, it would depend on how far away our hearts are from Him. When we pray, we have to come to God and seek Him earnestly and humbly from a pure heart, pray according to His will, according to His truth, and we have to also pray in the Holy Spirit, led by God, and He will intercede for us, tell us what to pray for. We will always receive what we pray for from those prayers.

If we are instead praying in the flesh (or even in an impure spirit, which a lot of people are), to a false version of God that is not based on Scripture, and are praying with evil and selfish intentions, negative prayers over other people, coming from an impure heart, trying to forcefully get our own will done in their or our lives, we would be praying curses over them or ourselves (but the curses on others won't hurt them unless they accept them by sinning or believing a lie). Those are witchcraft prayers, and I have had to go through spiritual attacks because others prayed curses over me, so it is definitely real.

Same with the prosperity gospel and the "name it and claim it" which is based on New Age. Anyone who prays like that may be financially blessed (but not by God) but would be spiritually cursed, because they are double-minded and are trying to serve two masters.

But that won't happen if we are truly focusing on God, worshipping Him in Spirit and truth. If we're simply praying from false beliefs, because we've believed in false doctrines or misunderstood Scripture, or just simply don't know what to pray for but are trying to figure it out, but still praying in the Spirit, then I don't believe that God would allow any harm to come to us or anyone else from those prayers. He would simply correct us. He knows that it's difficult for us to know His will. I always end my prayers with "Your will be done, not mine" and let Him correct me if I'm wrong. Then He corrects me, I change my prayers, and His will is done. If we have that mindset, God won't let any curses fall on us or on anyone else through us.

 

[paul1149]

Cursing refers to the content of the prayer. In the Greek it's to "anathematize strongly". In james 4, "amiss" is an adverb, referring to how one is praying. IOW, the motives are wrong. It could be we are praying for something that seems good, but why we want it is wrong, even evil. We are told, also by James, not to curse, but to bless. We have neither competence nor authority to curse people's souls. So if we're doing that we're praying amiss, with wrong motivation. But there are many other ways to pray amiss than overtly cursing. If our heart is the Lord's, He will show us where we are wrong. He will "purify the sons of Levi".