God's Conditions for Prayer

Answers to prayer are not automatic. There are a few rules to follow. Here are some of the conditions I've found in the Bible.

1. Have a clean heart. The Psalmist said, "If I had cherished sin in my heart the Lord would not have listened. Psalm 66:18 So, I ask God to forgive me for any known sin at the beginning of a prayer. I ask Him to "Create in me a clean heart...and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10

2. Believe. Praying is not just offering a wish list to God. It is asking and believing God will answer. Like the man with the epileptic son, I ask God to help my unbelief. Mark 9:23.

3. Pray in Jesus' name. Jesus made His disciples a promise. "You may ask me anything in My name, and I will do it." John 14:14.

4. Ask according to God's will. This rule is linked to the previous one. "This is the assurance 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. I John 5:14, 15.

5. We must remain, or abide in Christ. John 15: 7 says, "If you remain in Me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

These are the basic rules. In coming blogs I will give you stories of my own and other people's answers when we have applied them. See you next time.