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Answered Prayer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like physical exercise practicing spiritual disciplines requires preparation and consistency. All too often we approach prayer and fasting thinking that if we put forth a tiny effort it obligates God to yield big results. Then when we don’t get instant results we get upset at God and conclude prayer and fasting doesn’t work!

Prayer that gets results requires more effort than an occasional run around the prayer room! Effective praying is done in cooperation with God to draw us closer to Him. It is not just asking for our wish list to be filled. God loves it when we pray because He loves to meet our needs.

 

The Bible is clear, there are conditions to answered prayer. Before we petition God for the things we need we must make sure that we have met these five conditions for answered prayer. I present them in the form of a question and suggest your group and you as an individual would do well to prayerfully consider them.

 

1. Do you have an honest relationship with Jesus? Have you received Him as your personal Savior and Lord and confessed all known sin in your life? (Admit, Believe, Commit)

 

2. Do you have a forgiving attitude towards others or are you holding a grudge against someone? Maybe you feel you have a right to be bitter but is it worth not having your prayers answered?

 

3. Are you willing to share the results of your prayers? Are you praying with the wrong motives so you can spend things on your pleasures instead?

 

4. Are you praying in faith? Do you believe that God will answer your prayers, or do you only hope that He might?

 

5. Are you praying in Jesus’ name or is Jesus' name just a magic tag you add to your praying? If the other four conditions are not in place, tagging onto our prayer the name of Jesus won’t make any difference.

 

 

 

Series: Meet Me on the Mountain – part 7
Answered Prayer
James 4:3

 

Conditions of Answered Prayer:

 

1. You Must Have an HONEST RELATIONSHIP with God.

 

A. The Vine and Branch Illustration - John 15:1-8

Jesus is the vine - The Father is the gardener - We are the branches

 

Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted. Ephesians 4:30 (MSG)

 

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. Isaiah 59:1 – 2 NIV

 

B. Confess Your Sins

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8 NIV

 

To confess sins is to agree with what God says about our sin and to stop doing what He doesn’t want us to do.

 

2. You Must Have a FORGIVING ATTITUDE Towards Others.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Mark 11:24 – 25 NIV

 

Resentment happens when we’ve been hurt and choose to hold on to a bitter attitude towards them.

 

Watch out that no bitterness takes root among you for as it springs up among you it causes deep trouble, hurting many in their spiritual lives. Hebrews 12:15 LB

 

3. You Must Be WILLING TO SHARE the Results of Your Prayer.

Selfishness HINDERS pray while Generosity HELPS them.

 

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13 NIV

 

You choose if you want to be a CONTAINER or a CHANNEL of God’s blessings.

 

4. You Must BELIEVE that God Will Answer Your Prayer.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. John 15:7 NIV

 

5. You Must Pray in JESUS’ NAME

I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14:13-14 NIV

 

Imagine you have blank checks with Jesus’ signature on them. He invites you to write your request in the space where the amount is to go.