SECRETS OF EFFECTIVE PRAYER......And receiving answers!

PRAYING EFFECTIVELY

Introduction

Prayer is a fundamental aspect of the life of a Christian. Prayer follows the study of the word of God, and the word makes prayer effective.  Through the Word, we know the will of God and how to pray for it.  

A Christian who prays regularly and his prayers are answered will be a happy Christian.  Jesus says “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John16:24).  When your prayers are answered, your joy will overflow into praises.

Prayer is the daily tablet of victors in the kingdom of God.  It is God's arrangement for his children to be blessed.  Apart from what the Lord has decided to give us, every other blessing we receive from God is through prayer.  If a Christian refuses to pray, he will not receive anything from God.

This is why the Lord Himself charged us to pray in Luke 11:9, And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

In Jeremiah 33:3, the Lord says - Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.  These two scriptures among many others establish our covenant right to pray and to receive answers from God.    

Happy Christians

Christians should have some assurance when it comes to prayer. As healing is the bread of children, so it is with answered prayers, we are entitled to it.  If we are entitled to answered prayers, we should, therefore, seek to have our prayers answered.  You cannot afford to have a plastic experience in this matter.  

Your prayers should be answered each time, so you can build your trust and confidence in the Lord.  The purpose of prayer is to receive answers, so we should pray according to His will and pray earnestly, with faith in our heart and pray until the answer comes.  It is therefore imperative that Christians should learn how to pray effectively and not pray amiss.

When our prayers are answered, our joy and confidence in the Lord grow.  Answered prayer is one of the priviledge of a Christian, and whenever the prayer of a child of God is not answered, there is a problem with either the request or the person saying the prayer.  But, when we pray right, God hears and answers us.

Justification for Prayer 

The scriptures are the legal ground for the prayer we offer.  The five scriptures attacked below are some of the justifications for prayer: 

Scriptural references:

Philippians 4:6 

John 15:7 

Mark 11:24 

Luke 11:9                                         

1 Thessalonians 5:17 

Whoever is praying to God should know that the Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfils the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.  The Lord is near to all who call to Him in truth.  More especially, He answers the cry of those that fear Him - Psalms 145.  

This truth should inspire confidence in you as it is written: This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.  The Lord is ready and willing to answer all our prayers, according to our faith.  

If you believe and pray to God concerning anything, He would answer you, that your joy may be full.  He says "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land".

Rules for Prayer

1. Ask what you want - And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

2. Don't ask Amiss -  Apostle James gave us clues why some prayers are not answered.  He says You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss James 4:3.  It means we should learn to ask according to His will, we should not ask frivolously.  Asking amiss could mean asking what we do not need at the moment, it could mean asking wantonly for what we do not need.  God will supply our needs and give us what we need at a point in time.

Asking amiss also means to ask God for what we know we cannot manage, you don't even have a bike, no car or house, and you are asking God for a private jet.  You are praying amiss, and God knows your request is not within your means, either to handle or to maintain, so He will not grant such a request.

3. Address your sin - You should know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. W walk in obedience to the Word of God and forsake evil sin and evil ways so that when you pray, we can be sure the Lord has heard us.  If He does not hear our prayer due to our sin, such prayers would not be answered.  

Notice that because of sin, we are drawn away from God.  The heart should be thoroughly excised of sin and filthiness.  Because if there is sin in the heart, then iniquity is still abiding, and that will hinder prayers.  Proverbs 28:13 says that He who covereth his transgression shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and foresaketh them shall obtain mercy.

4. You must ask in faith: 

Faith is a necessary condition that must be fulfilled for us to receive from the Lord.  We must believe that God will answer, and He is capable of meeting all our requests.  Faith is believing that you have already received what you are asking for, so whoever is praying must believe, and if he believes, he receives.  In Mark 11:12-24. the Lord used the incident of the fig tree to make the matter of faith clear.

He cursed the fig tree and it withered from the root.  The disciples were astonished and the Lord answered them, saying "Have faith in God. Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart,  but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass, he shall have it. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

5. Don't be anxious - There is yet another rule for prayer, which says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  The moment you become anxious while praying or after praying, it means you don't have faith that God will answer the prayer.

You should trust in the Lord and His promises. He says in John If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

6. Keep praying -  keep praying and keep asking what you want because it is written, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. You know the reason why you should pray boldly to the Lord, it is because He has already promised to answer you when you call to Him.  He says "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known".

  

Requirements for Answered Prayer

Be Humble - “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Be compassionate - If you turn away your ears from the cry of the poor, from hearing the word of God, even your prayer is an abomination unto the Lord.

Forgive - And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Pray always - Remember that a Christian ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterwards, he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’

Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. When the answer is delayed, continue to pray till it appears.

Pray for the Nation and its leaders - The Lord says "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land"  This is a promise to heal the land when we pray to God.

With that scripture, Apostle Paul, therefore, urges that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God. 

CONCLUSION

I don't know the challenges you are passing through.  Know for sure that you are a victor already.  remember you were bought with a price..... 1 cor 6:20

If there is a man to pray, the God of heaven will answer, but you must ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.

You have the Word of faith in your mouth to resist the devil  - For it is written, you shall decree a thing and it shall be established unto you, and the light of the Lord shall shine on your path. So, if you want to see changes, call upon the Lord for help and speak the word of faith and it shall be established,  then the light of the Lord (The Change) you expect will appear.  

FIRE...