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Is God answering our prayers?
Message
#17 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series
If God is not answering our prayers, perhaps we should take a close look at the way we are living. There are many promises in the Bible regarding answered prayer, but only a few are as open-ended as this one found in 1 John 3: "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." [1 John 3:21-22] The conditions to receiving whatever we ask in prayer are clear--if our hearts do not condemn us, if we obey His commands, if we do what pleases Him. God won’t give just anyone whatever he asks in prayer; that privilege is reserved for His obedient children. As with all Scripture, this prayer promise must be considered in the context of the passage in which it is found. In 1 John, we read that the Lord has given us all we need to meet His conditions, including spiritual intimacy with His Holy Spirit Who lives in us to teach us all things [1 John 2:27] and helps us do what is right [1 John 2:29]. If our hearts condemn us because we choose to be disobedient and live lives that do not please the Lord, we give up the privilege of receiving whatever we ask in prayer according to His perfect love. It’s a big price to pay.
Pray with me now--Lord, help us to obey Your commands, and to live lives that please You in Your strength and for Your glory, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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