I believe that, surely, it must be God’s will that I love Him more than I do, and that my faith be greater than it is.

I am taught, however, that I must have faith for my prayers to be answered. If my faith is weak; if my belief is not strong; it seems that God will not answer my prayers for greater faith or stronger belief and love of Him.

So, what can I do with my need for God-given faith if the little faith I have is not great enough for Him to grant what I ask Him for? How can I avoid the Catch 22 of having too little faith for my prayer for more faith to be answered?

I ask:

1. to ensure my Salvation and to have the “Blessed Assurance” I see in others ;

2. to know His will for me and to be made strong enough to do it;

3. to serve him (and to be rid of a desire for some form of recognition) .

If it is my motives that are impure in my prayer for increased faith and love of God, where can I get the faith I need for him to answer my prayer to rid me of those impure motives?

Re: Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. When we decide to serve Him first, this decision must be followed by action or it will be as useless as if we did not decide to do so in the first place. To honor God with your lips and not your heart is not acceptable. This worries me. If I am doing anything like what I should be doing it will be a big surprise to me. And I suspect I am not alone. I just read that most of us are in the same boat. What do you think? Your opinion will be greatly appreciated. And anxiously awaited.

I have come across many Christians who attempt to make a case against public and/or corporate prayer based on Matt. 6:6 which says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”