40 DAYS OF PRAYER

The Conditions of Answered Prayer
January 17, 2021

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What are the four conditions for answered prayer?

1. You must have a FORGIVING attitude toward other people.

Mark 11:24-25 - Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. [CONDITION] 25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Matthew 6:12 - Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

2. You must be willing to SHARE the results.

Proverbs 21:13 - If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.

1 John 3:22-23 - … and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

1 John 3:17 - If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

James 4:13 - When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

3. You must BELIEVE that God will answer.

Matthew 9:29 - Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”…

Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

4. You must be living in the PRESENCE of Christ.

John 15:5-6 - “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”

Abide or Remain: meno (men’-o); a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy)

Psalm 42:1-2 - As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

John 15:7-8 - If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

What is fruit?

*Godliness: Galatians 5:22 -23 *Righteous Behavior: Philippians 1:11

*Praise: Hebrews 13:5

*Sharing Christ:

John 15:9 - “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”

* You must have an HONEST relationship with God.

John 15:7 – “If you remain in me and my words remain in you (CONDITION), ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you (PROMISE).”

Three questions:

A. Have I refused to ADMIT wrong in the past?

Psalm 66:18 - If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened …

1 John 1:8-9 - If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

B. Am I IGNORING any of God’s principles?

1 John 3:21-23 - Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, [THAT’S THE PROMISE] because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

C. Do I really want God’s WILL for my life?

1 John 5:14-15 - This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us whatever we ask we know that we have what we asked of him.