Praying Effectively

"Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him." I John 3:21-22

I wanted to share what my pastor taught on during our prayer night this week.  Can disobedience hinder our prayers? 

Think of this, if your child comes to you and asks for a special favor such as having a friend over or going out for ice cream or whatever it is they like to do, are you likely to grant the favor if they have been disobedient all day?  Chances are you will tell them no.  But if your child comes to you and asks a favor after being respectful and obedient then you will probably say yes or at least consider it.   

The same goes for God.  When we, His children, ask something of Him even though we have been disobedient, He is more likely to not answer.  Maybe we are asking God to give us a raise at work, yet we are not paying our tithe and we spend our money foolishly.  Perhaps we are asking God to restore our marriage, yet we are being rude and disrespectful to our spouse.  Maybe we are asking God to bless our lives but every time He tells us to witness to the neighbor, we ignore Him.  

Disobedience is not just stealing, drinking, or cheating.  Disobedience is anything that does not line up with the Word of God.

Now does this mean every time a prayer is not answered we are being disobedient?  Not necessarily.  God answers prayer three ways: yes, no, and not yet.  He sees what we do not.  So maybe we are praying about taking out a small loan to do some remodeling on the house, but God knows in four months your job is transferring you to a new state.  So not every unanswered prayer is our disobedience, but when we are not getting an answer, we need to stop and look at our lives.  We need to double check that we are walking according to God's plan.

Is there a limit placed on prayer?  Yes there is.  It is called God's will. 

"This is the confidence 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

When we are fully serving God and doing our best to walk in obedience, then our desires become His desires.  We start to want what God wants.  We deeply desire to be in His will. 

So, how can we pray effectively?  First, we need to walk in obedience and fully serve God.  Second, pray according to His will, not your own.  Prayer is effective when offered by an obedient heart.  Have a blessed weekend friends. 

Sweet Blessings~