You may recall the story that Jesus shared concerning the prayer of the publican. Some bible versions refer to him as the Pharisee. Find time to read it soon in Luke 18:10-12 and we guarantee it will transform your prayer life. You will immediately come to the end of yourself and focus on God whenever you pray.
This Pharisee came to God standing. Would you say that attitude indicated some form of arrogance? I would, especially when you consider that this was the God of Heaven and of earth. This does not mean you cannot stand when you pray but his words also indicated he was full of himself. He did not realize you must come to the end of yourself when you come to God.
He started with thanks, which is commendable. But then you realize he was grateful for being better than his neighbor. He considered the other man an extortioner, unjust, or an adulterer. Do we often feel that we are better than others? This man was not grateful for his life, for God’s provision, or for health. The man was so full of himself that all he could do was to compare himself with “sinners” and brag before God
He Prayed With Himself
Only later, when he received condemnation rather than commendation, did he realize his error. He had not realized that you need to come to the end of yourself for God to take up your cause. By the time he found out, it was already too late. He had been condemned. On the contrary, the tax collector, who prayed to God with no virtue of his own, went home justified. God answered his prayers. 
There was another reason the Pharisee did not receive answers to his prayers. He was praying with himself. Imagine! He was not praying to God. How was God to answer a prayer that was not directed to Him in the first place? You might be wondering what it means to pray with yourself, particularly if your prayers are going unanswered. Let us unpack that thought.
Do you know how politicians try to impress their constituents whenever they see a TV camera and a microphone? They are not really asking for any sort of help. Praying as if you are trying to impress your listeners is what it means to pray with yourself. Not asking God for help is a sure sign that you have not come to the end of yourself.
That form of prayer shows you think you are something. You are essentially saying to God, “look at me now.” The Pharisee might have viewed himself as a prayer warrior. He was also a very religious person, doing all his pastor required of him. Look at how good he was, regularly paying his tithes and fasting twice a week.
As A Prayer Warrior, You Must Come To The End Of Yourself.
No doubt, that resonates with you but you are wondering what could possibly be wrong with being religious. The problem is that, like the Pharisee, you arrogantly come to God with your own accomplishments. You do not see the need to first come to the end of yourself. It is impossible for you to come to God just as you are.
Have you been at church programs where people preface their prayers with “By virtue”? They say, by virtue of your being here; by virtue of your offering; by virtue of this and that. They can pray that way for several hours at a time and everybody commends them as prayer warriors. If you have participated in such offensive prayers, sorry, but you will remain a prayer warrior forever.
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That is because anytime you approach God with anything other than the blood of His Son, you are fighting God. And that is a fight you cannot possibly win. So you remain a warrior or fighter and never a prayer winner. To become a prayer winner, you must come to the end of yourself. You must appreciate that you have no virtue at all with which to approach God.
Only the blood of Jesus gives you access to God and it is by virtue of Jesus that God answers prayers. Did Jesus Himself not say that God will answer our prayers if we offer them in His name? It is the same concept. Nothing in you gives you access. You simply have to come to the end of yourself.
When You Come To The End Of Yourself, The Man Of War Enters
God starts where you end. Think about it; do you waste your time helping someone who thinks they have the capacity to help themselves? Oh, I know that from long usage, you believe that the bible says ‘God helps those who help themselves’.
But I can tell you that you will not find that saying in the bible. That is because God helps you only after you come to the end of yourself. Until then, He looks on to see how well you will fare.
What’s more, the greater a prayer warrior you are, the less the Man of War takes over. I am certain you know the Lord is the man of war. As long as you enjoy fighting your own prayer battles, you keep the Lord at arm’s length. He stands afar off and looks at you as you battle in prayer.
Stop!
Today, determine to purge yourself of any virtue you imagine you possess. Make up your mind to come to the end of yourself and watch God move in. He takes over your battles for you as He did for King Jehoshaphat.
You may recall that that king knew you had to come to the end of yourself. He went to God with nothing but praises and thanksgiving. God told him to stand aside, with “the battle is not yours.” He took over the battle and routed his enemies.
Would you like God to take over your battles and defeat your enemies? Come to the end of yourself and stand aside. Let God take over. Or as the popular parlance says, let God be God.
Maranatha!
