February 20 2011 Five Conditions Of Answered Prayer
/Five Conditions of Answered Prayer
(John 15:7 - If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.)
Five Conditions
I. Have an honest relationship with God
(John 15-7 - If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.)
Three Evaluation Questions
1. Have I refused to admit anything, that's wrong in my life, to God?
(Psalm 66:18 - If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened)
(Isaiah 59:2 - But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.)
(Proverbs 28:13 - He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.)
(1 John 1:8-9 - If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.)
2. Am I ignoring any of God's principles in my life?
(1 John 3:21-23 - Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.)
3. Do I want God's will for my life?
(1 John 5:14-15 - This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.)
II. Have a forgiving attitude towards other people.
(Mark 11:24-25 - "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.")
(Hebrews 12:15 - See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.)
(1 Peter 3:7 - Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.)
III. Be willing to share the results
(Proverbs 21:13 - If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.)
(1 John 3:17 - If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?)
(James 4:3 - When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.)
IV. You must believe that God will answer
(James 5:5-8 - You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you. Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.)
(Mark 9:29 - He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer.")
V. Pray in Jesus' name
(John 14:13-14 - And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.)
