Does God Answer Prayer?
A common question I hear is, “Does God answer prayer?” Here are the facts: God wants to hear from you, and He wants to know your concerns. God is not a magician. A magician makes things appear as though they are not, a deceiver. You have a God that is a God of truth! God is real, straightforward, and there is no instability in Him. The fear of the Lord, which refers to respect, not submission, is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. – Proverbs 9:10 (NIV) The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. – Proverbs 4:7 (NIV) God Always Keeps His Promises God answers prayers in his timing. That answer may be a Yes!, No! or Wait! It might not be when you want him to answer, and the answers might not be what you want to hear, but He is ALWAYS on time! God knows what’s best for you and always answers your prayers. There are a couple of things that can keep Him from giving you what you ask for: #1. Sin, which is acting outside of the will of God. #2. When you’re asking for something that goes against the will of God. Remember God knows what’s best for you, but because sin separates you from Him you must turn to his Son, Jesus Christ, who paid the price…the ultimate price for your sins. When you do, then the roadblock is removed and God hears all of your prayers! Isn’t that great? Are you ready for a real relationship with Jesus? This relationship with Jesus is the direct prayer line and will bring you to great joy and immeasurable peace. When all else has failed, don’t you think it’s time to give Jesus a try? A real try! God loves you and has a plan for success FOR YOU! The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. – John 10:10 (NIV) But understand this, man is sinful and separated from God. We have all done, said, or thought bad things, which the Bible calls sin. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23 (NIV) There Is Good News God sent his son to die for your sins! God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8 (NIV) Christ died for you, but it did not end there. He was buried and raised on the third day. Now, take thought to this next key scripture giving understanding as to why you pray in the name of Jesus. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. – John 14:6 Salvation can’t be bought, earned or bargained for. We are saved only by God’s grace when we have faith in his Son Jesus Christ. All you have to do is believe you are a sinner, believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, and ask for forgiveness. Then, turn away from your sins, which is called repentance. Jesus Christ loves you and knows you. What matters to him is the attitude of your heart, your honesty. God answers your prayer through you receiving the gift of salvation. An Important Prayer Try praying this most important prayer and see what happens: I pray in the name of Jesus as I confess I am a sinner. I ask for forgiveness. I believe with my whole heart, mind , and everything within me, that Jesus is your only son. I believe that he died for my sins. I believe you, Oh God, raised him to life again! I want to trust you Jesus as my savior and follow you as Lord of my Life from this moment foward. Lord in the name of Jesus, be shepherd of my life and help me as I learn of you and do your will. It is in your son Jesus’ name I pray…Amen Read What Is Prayer? Part 1… Read What Is Prayer? Part 2…
Prayer – What Is It? Part 2
Prayer is talking to God, your Father, as though he is standing, sitting or laying next to you. It’s simply telling your Father all about it. He wants to know your concerns and he wants you to grow closer to him. Prayer is given to all as a gift from God. Praying is not complicated, it just requires you to be honest with God and with yourself. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! John 15:7 (NLT) Remember what was said in What is Prayer Part 1 about God’s timing…God answers your prayer sometimes no…sometimes yes…and sometimes wait. Pray in the will of God. You do not have to yell when you’re praying because He is very close to you. In fact, God knows your thoughts even before you speak them, yes! Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. 1Chronicles 28:9 (NLT) The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18 (NLT) Be truthful when you talk to your Father in prayer. Being truthful brings freedom to you in every area of your life. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 (NLT) You may ask the question, “What will the truth set me free from?” The truth will indeed set you free from being held captive in your life. Things That Can Hold You Captive Unforgiveness – In all 4 gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) Jesus states how important it is to forgive others to ensure God’s forgiveness. When Jesus cried out from the cross He prayed that God might forgive his attackers. Instead be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 (NLT) 2. Rebellion – One of the clearest demonstrations in the Bible of rebellion and it’s consequences can be found in 1 Samuel 15. King Saul, chosen by God to lead Israel, got too big for his britches. He thought he knew better than God and disobeyed God’s direct instructions. 3. Strife – This means jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, control, and disorder. An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin. Proverbs 29:22 (NLT) 4. Envy – Don’t envy evil people or desire their company. For their hearts plot violence, and their words always stir up trouble. Provers 24:1-2 (NLT) What You Need To Know: The Lord wants you to know: He is Lord of your life. You can trust him with the dearest things in your life. He keeps all of his promises. He will never leave you. If there’s a need in your life He will bear it, but only if you give it to Him in prayer. You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. Mathew 22:37 (NLT) Read What Is Prayer? Part 1…
Prayer – What Is It? Part 1
We all need to know about prayer! God gave the gift of prayer to us so we can stay in touch with him. Many people desire to pray but do not know how. They may even feel like they are unworthy to pray because of certain things they have done in their lives that causes them to feel as though God will not forgive them. Scripture says this about forgiveness: If we confess our sins, he is just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar. 1 John 9-10 Prayer is like talking to your best friend on the phone. It’s very easy to talk to someone when you know they love you. Yes, Jesus loves you even more than you can imagine! The Bible tells us: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 Prayer is the way we communicate with God. It’s a time for you to talk to God as your friend. A time to tell Him what’s in your heart, what you’re thinking, feeling and struggling with. The Bible encourages us in our daily walk with Christ and helps us to experience the power of prayer. We read our Bible and talk to the Lord in that process, with that in mind! We learn how to pray, we learn why we should pray, and also learn God’s purpose for our life. If you desire or would like to experience life change, life growth, and life purpose, then open up the gift of communication. You do not need a cell phone for this call. This is a direct wireless line to have a little talk to our Lord through prayer. Learn more About Prayer Note: This is the first in a series of blogs on Prayer. Read Part 2.