What should one avoid asking God for during prayer when seeking help or guidance in life?

God knows what you want to ask before you ask it, so there’s no avoiding anything. God knows what you want and why., so replace “avoid asking” with “avoid wanting.”

• It’s not good to want sinful things and fleshly pleasures because those things pull people away from God. Those things are self-serving.
• It’s good to want spiritual things: guidance, wisdom, knowledge, patience, humility, discernment, etc. It’s ok to ask for something material, but only if it’s motivated by serving God and others.

Matthew 6:7–15 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need,and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Proverbs 30:7–9 “O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.”