ANSWERED PRAYER – PART ONE
From The HeartPublish date: 10/20/2002
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
Let your requests be made known to God. Everything God does, He speaks out. He commands even the elements with His Word and they respond every time. He expects us to function as He functions. He designed us to function as He functions. Whatever we expect or desire, we must speak it out and pray it out to the Lord. Most people don’t have what they say, because they are to busy saying what they have! That means that whatever you speak out over your life that is what you will have. If we speak good things with our mouth, in faith, we will have good things in our life. If we speak doubt and unbelief and other bad things with our mouth, we will have bad things in our life. Sometimes we have bad things happening because we sowed those bad seeds with our mouth. Sometimes we have bad things happening because we have simply neglected to sow any good seeds with our mouth. Your life is like a garden – you have to weed the bad stuff out of it and you have to plant the good seeds in it.
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16b NKJV
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16b NIV
The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. James 5:16b AMP
When a righteous man prays a continued, earnest, heartfelt, prayer, there is a tremendous power that is released – a dynamic active power that effectively goes to work - producing the desired result. If we want our prayers to be answered, there are a few things that we must do to ensure the desired result – we must walk righteously before the Lord, we must pray sincerely and fervently - and very importantly - we must pray according to God’s will.
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. 2 Chronicles 16:9a KJV
Sometimes, when we don’t get our prayers answered according to our timetable, we think that God can’t or won’t hear us, or that maybe He is just ignoring us, but if we are washed in the blood of Jesus and submitted to God’s Word, then that is not true. The Bible says that God is constantly on the look out for righteous people – those people whose hearts are perfect toward Him – so that He can show Himself strong on their behalf. His eyes go to and fro across the earth trying to find them. Not only are we searching for God, He is searching for us! When He finds that righteous person, He shows up in their situation and He moves on their behalf.
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 1 Peter 3:12 KJV
God’s eyes see every move the righteous make and His ears are open to hear every word they pray. He protectively watches over the righteous and He waits for and pays attention to their prayers. God makes His righteous family His responsibility, but He is not obligated to those who do evil - He turns His face from them – they are on their own with no defense against the devil. This is not God’s choice, but theirs. God gives us the choice to obey and serve Him and to reap life and blessing, or the choice to serve ourselves and reap death and curses.
The desire of the righteous is only good, but the expectation of the wicked is wrath. Proverbs 11:23 NKJV
Our righteousness is not our own, it is bought with a price - the precious blood of Jesus. We cannot buy it or earn it - we must simply surrender to His will in order to receive it. When we are yielded to God and we have allowed the work of the Spirit in our lives, our desires are in line with His desires.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. Psalms 145:17-20 NIV
God fulfills the desires of the righteous – those who fear Him. God answers the prayer of the righteous man or woman, who asks according to His will.