God's Conditions For Answering Prayer

God’s Conditions for Answering Prayer

Too many people are frustrated, discouraged and disillusioned when they do not get their prayers answered. Here are eleven ways to help bring in the reign of God and see His will done in, through and with your life.

Hebrews 4:15-16 - "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation,... Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in good time for every need (His appropriate help and well-timed help) coming just when we need it."

Point - Today you may be praying for relief from pain, financial burden relief, restored family relationships. Most folks have some kind of burden for which they would like relief.

You may feel totally depressed like the Psalmist did in Psa. 22:2 (nlt) when He wrote, "Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief." That is pretty desperate, yet the other side of God’s rainbow is the assurance:

"The Lord is my shepherd: I have everything I need...He renews my strength...I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me...my cup overflows with blessing..."

Begin by praising God for His shepherding capacity to supply you with whatever you really need.

God’s primary conditioned for answered prayer:

Jesus said, "Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matt 6:9,10) Here are eleven ways to help bring in the reign of God and see His will done in, through and with your life.

Illustration: God told Jeremiah His phone number in Jer 33:3: "Call to me and I will answer you. I will show you great and mighty things that you do not know."

1. EMBOLDENING - The Holy Spirit emboldens us to pray with confidence, courage and certainty that God will answer our prayers. The writer of Hebrews wrote, "Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy (for our failures) and find grace to help in good time for every need (appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it most). (Heb. 4:16- Amplified) Ask God for a holy boldness to approach the Lord to things that others may be afraid to trust God for.

2. CONFESSION - The Holy Spirit shows us how to encourage people to confess their sins of omission, commission, disposition and faulty perceptions. David wrote, "If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." (Psalm 66:18) Ask the Lord to encourage people to confess ALL of their sins before the Lord.

3. PROPER MOTIVES - The Holy Spirit instructs us in what to ask for and how to pray with proper motives. James wrote, "You do have because you do not ask. You ask and yet, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives that you may spend it on your pleasures." (James 4:2,3) Ask God to help instruct you in what and why to pray regarding all facets of your ministries.

4. PERSEVERANCE - The Holy Spirit guides us in persevering through suffering in order to see ALL prayers answered in God’s time. James wrote, "You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." (James 4:11) Ask God for a persevering heart, mind and body enabling you to see the full fruition of God’s answers to prayer in relationships & tasks.

5. WALKING IN THE SPIRIT - The Holy Spirit fills us with a Christ like perspectives so we are able to avoid walking according to our own selfish impulses. Paul wrote, "Walk in the SpirIt and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh." (Gal. 5:16) Ask the Lord to help you to walk in a way that is pleasing to the Lord in all respects so that He is able to make you fruitful in every good work and prayer.

6. DESIRE AND WORKING FROM THE SPIRIT - The Holy Spirit works in and through you to do God’s work by supplying us with the desire to obey the Lord in every aspect of our personal lives and ministries. Paul wrote, "God is at work in you, energizing and creating in you the power and desire both to will and to do His good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13) Ask the Lord to create in you an abundant source of inspiration to help you accomplish His complete will.

7. STEERING AND SUPPLYING FROM THE SPIRIT - The Holy Spirit steers us to and supplies us with the best fields that are ripe for harvesting the seed we sow. Paul wrote, "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work... Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness." (2 Cor. 9:8-10) Ask the Lord to lead you to the fields, relationships and ministries that are ripest for the harvest.