There are certain
requirements we must fulfill
before God will listen to our
prayers.
1. We Must Belong to God.
“There is one God and one mediator
between God and man, the man Christ
Jesus” (1Timothy 2:5). Because Jesus is
the mediator between us and God, we
must give Him our total allegiance.
Before I yielded the control of my life to
Jesus Christ, I would pray, but I was
never sure if God was listening or would
answer. After I asked Him to be the Lord
of my life, I had confidence that God was
hearing and answering my prayers.
2. We Must Pray to God the Father in the
Name of His Son Jesus Christ.
Only the name of Jesus Christ gives us
credibility with the Father — not our
education, our wealth or poverty, our
church, our background or our position —
only Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “If you ask
anything in my name, I will do it” (John
14:14).
Sometimes I use my husband’s name, or
my church, or my work to gain credibility
with people I meet. But only Jesus’ name
gives us credibility with the Father.
3. We Must have a Clean Heart.
Psalm 66:18 says, “If I had known of any
sin in my heart, the Lord would not have
listened to me.”
It is very important to keep a clean heart
before God. Someone said, “I ‘fess them
as I does them, I don’t bunch them.”
Don’t wait until you go to church or a
crisis arises in your life to confess your
sins to God. As soon as you become
aware of an attitude or action that is
displeasing to God, admit that it is wrong
and thank God for His forgiveness. 1
John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our
sins, God is faithful to forgive us and
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
4. We Must have a Forgiving Spirit.
In Mark 11:25, Jesus says, “Whenever
you stand praying, forgive, if you have
anything against anyone, so that your
Father also who is in heaven my forgive
your transgressions.”
Jesus makes it very clear that we can’t
carry anger, hatred, or bitterness in our
hearts toward anyone if we expect God
to forgive us and/or hear our prayers.
5. We must Pray in Faith.
Jesus said in Matthew 21:22, “And
everything you shall ask in prayer,
believing, you shall receive.”
The very fact that you are asking God for
your needs demonstrates your faith.
The answers come every time, but not
always in the way we expect. There are
times when God answers prayer as soon
as we pray. Other times we have to wait
for them to be answered. Sometimes is
answer is “No”, like all good parents, He
gives us what is good for us, but not
what is harmful to us, but He always
listens and answers.
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