Gaylord Diaz's Blog

To get answers to prayer  (1) there are things God wants us to do BEFORE we pray; (2) there are things God wants us to do WHEN we pray; and (3) there are things God wants us to do AFTER we pray.

 We’re looking at the things God wants us to do BEFORE we pray. We said IF YOU WANT GOD TO ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS YOU’VE GOT TO BE RIGHT. There are five aspects of being right. (1) Being right with God. (2) Being right with people. (3) being right yourself. And now, (4) asking for the right things.

4. ASK FOR THE RIGHT THINGS

A CARDINAL RULE OF ANSWERED PRAYER IS YOU’VE GOT TO PRAY IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOD’S WILL. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us, And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: {15} And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

IF YOU WANT ANSWERS TO PRAYER YOU MUST KNOW WHAT GOD’S WILL IS BEFORE YOU PRAY. Then once you know what God’s will is, you pray in accordance or agreement  with  His  will. 

Brethren, YOU JUST CAN’T RUSH INTO PRAYER WITHOUT FIRST TAKING THE TIME TO ASK GOD WHAT HIS WILL IS! This is where a lot of us miss it and it’s the reason why a lot of us, a lot of times, don’t get answers to prayer–it’s because we asked God for what we wanted without taking the time to find out if it’s what He wanted. ANSWERED PRAYER IS FIRST AND FOREMOST WHAT GOD WANTS. If God doesn’t want us to have whatever it is we’re asking for, then He isn’t going to answer our prayer no matter how hard or how long we pray.

So how do you find out what God’s will is? You read the Bible and pray. And wait. That’s where a lot of us miss it. We don’t wait and listen. God wants to show you His will and, if you’re listening, God will speak to you by His Spirit. Sometimes He uses other people to tell you what He wants you to do. No matter how God chooses to speak to you, He will let you know His will if you really want to know it. And do it.

The good news is the promises of God are a revelation of what God’s will is. When you read the promise of salvation, forgiveness, healing, deliverance, provision, wisdom, and all the others; God is letting you know what His will is. When you ask for these provisions of God you’re praying in accordance with His will. Thus, you can be confident that God will hear and answer your prayer.

IF YOU WANT ANSWERS TO PRAYER YOU MUST ASK FOR SOMETHING THAT GOD HAS PROMISED. YOU CAN’T ASK GOD FOR SOMETHING THAT ISN’T HIS WILL. THUS, YOU CAN’T ASK HIM FOR SOMETHING THAT HE HASN’T PROMISED. So a crucial part of getting answers to prayer is knowing in advance what you can ask God for and what you can’t.

Some things, like healing and forgiveness, are understood by every people in every generation of time. It doesn’t matter if you live in the first century or the twenty-first: you know what sickness is and you have need of healing.

But because there are so many different cultures in this world and because each new generation brings new inventions; God couldn’t be specific about everything that He was wanting to give His people. For example, He couldn’t write a  verse  of  Scripture that promised you a new car because those poor saints in the first through the nineteenth centuries just wouldn’t know what a car is. So to clear up any confusions, God decided to lump all these specific provisions in one general word, the word ALL.

Jesus promised us in Matthew 21:22, ALL things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. The furniture, computer, house, job, vacation, and all the other things you’d like to have are covered in Jesus’ all-inclusive promise.

All things, brethren, applies not only to the things you need: it also applies to the things you desire. Mark 11:24 makes this fact resoundingly clear: Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Brethren, Jesus couldn’t make it any clearer than this. And His saying it trumps whatever anyone else says to the contrary. According to Jesus,  IT’S GOD’S WILL TO GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART! Hallelujah for that! But don’t stop here. Read on cuz there’s more.

Your heart has to be right! I’ll talk about this in my next post. But if you’re righteous and walking close to God, God can trust you with the desires of your heart. THE RIGHTEOUS DESIRE RIGHT OR RIGHTEOUS THINGS. That’s why God isn’t afraid to give them what they desire. Psalms 37:4  makes this truth abundantly clear: Delight thyself  also in the Lord; [find your pleasure or happiness in God; let God be the desire of your life]  and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Coming Up On My Next Blog In This Series. Having wrong motives or reasons won’t get your prayer answered. Surf on in and let’s get things right.