Are your prayers being answered?
Are your prayers being answered? If not, it might be in your approach.
Do you pray timidly as a lowly sinful servant pleading for a distant God to come and do something for you?
Or
Do you approach boldly and thankfully in the righteousness Jesus paid for, forgiven and purified by His blood, born again as a spirit filled son/daughter of God, committed to live a life worthy of the price Jesus paid, seeking to see things from His perspective, striving to become His love in action, taking hold of the authority He gave us as believers and members of the body of Christ, proclaiming His promises, and serving as an active agent to have His will be done on Earth as it already is in heaven.
This later approach has proven more effective for me and builds off of several key points
Key points and supporting scriptures:
God created Man perfect in His image and gave him eternal life in a paradise wih one rule.
“So God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:27)
“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”, Genesis 2:16-17)
God formed you in your mother’s womb, giving you gifts/talents/skills and a purpose.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5).
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13).
“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. “(1 Peter 4:10).
Because of Adam’s sin in the Garden, You were born a sinner into a fallen world, facing a death sentence from your sin, separated from God and his promises and plans for you.
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).
Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection created a path for you to get out of that situation. His innocent body suffered the consequences of sin so that we don’t have to. He shed His blood as an innocent lamb, a perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Following Jesus will commute your death sentence and reconnect with God the Father.
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.”(Romans 3:24)
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
“By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 13:10)
When you choose to accept Jesus as your Lord and savior, and commit to follow His ways, You are Born Again, reconnected in harmony with the father, and adopted as a son of God, righteous and Holy in His eyes.
“…that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24-25)
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.””(John 14:6)
Jesus paid the price for your sins. As you confess your sins, repent, and choose to turn from them, your sins are washed away by His blood as the innocent lamb sacrificed for all mankind. It Is a free gift of mercy so you can move forward.
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”(1 John 1:9)
As soon as you ask for Him, the Holy Spirit of the Lord comes and lives inside you to help you and guide you.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26) .
When you follow his ways, He is in you, He knows you, and you know Him. He is truly your father, You are truly a son, no longer just a friend or a servant. He is no longer distant, but close and personal.
‘”Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me'”.(Matthew 16:24)
“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”(1 Peter 2:21)
Jesus has full authority in the heavens and on the earth. He delegated power on the earth to us to execute on his behalf. As the father sent me, now I send you.
“So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you’ “(John 20:21)
We are the body of Christ, His arms and legs to execute action on this earth.
“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually”(1 Corinthians 12:27).
We are to “Put on Christ” when we get up in the morning and do our best to imitate Him; Avoid self centered fleshly pleasures; See things from His perspective; To act in positive and constructive ways as He did; to flow the Love He gives us into the lives of others. We are to to be a bright shining light in the darkness.
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”(Romans 13:14).
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”(Ephesians 5:1-2).
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14)
Fervent and effective prayer is a key ingredient, It is our prayers that bring His will into place on earth. They are not for you, they are for Him. To allow you to fulfill His purpose for you and His Kingdom.
“…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)
“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. (James 5:17-18)
Life and death are in the power of the tongue – We need to speak things into existence and realize the promised benefits.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21)
My prayer for each of us, and for this country:
Heavenly Father, I thank you for loving me and never giving up on me. Jesus, I thank you for all you did for me 2000 years ago, your sacrifice gave me a path to righteousness and reconnection with the Father. I have repented of my sins and I thank you for forgiving them as my Lord and savior. Lord, I thank you for releasing the Holy Spirit to me and helping to transform my mind. I am beginning to see more things from your perspective, I am caring about things I didn’t care about before, and I am shedding self-centered agendas in as they are revealed to me. I thank you for helping me understand the authority you gave me and your need for each of us to actively engage; as the father sent you, you send me. I use that authority here and now: I rebuke all evil spirits working to harm my-self, my family, my friends, my neighbors, my community, my state, my nation, the church, and this world. I command their agendas to be exposed, their actions to fail, and their works to be destroyed; I ask this in Jesus Holy Name, the name above all powers in this world. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. I speak the Love and Truth of Jesus to flow across this land. May each of us develop intimate personal relationships with the living God. May each of us gain eyes to see things from His perspective. May each of us develop ears to hear His word and know how to apply it in our situations. May each of us set aside our self-centered interests and find more ways to flow God’s love out to others through our actions and our lives. May each of us live lives worthy of the price Jesus paid and be a shining light in this dark world. May each of us learn to be effective as empowered spirit filled believers. May each of us be fervent and effective in prayer to bring your will into place on this earth. May the church become a more effective force for the kingdom by setting aside doctrinal differences and focusing on the core message of personal transformation through lives of love guided by truth. May our leaders, both elected and unelected, develop a fear of God sufficient to understand they will be held accountable for their actions and every word they speak; and may they find ways to overcome the corruptions and conflicts of interest in our current systems and act in the interest of the people. May the people repent of their ways and return to following God, and may He then heal this land as promised. I ask this in Jesus Name.