Today we continue our series entitled, “The Benefits of Prayer and Fasting,” with an emphasis on “The Power of Prayer.” I introduced the passage to you yesterday and I told you we would take a closer look at it today. Let’s do it! The Bible says:
(1 Jn 5:13-15 AMPC)
I write this to you who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) the name of the Son of God [in the peculiar services and blessings conferred by Him on men], so that you may know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have life, yes, eternal life. And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.
(1 Jn 5:13-15 ERV)
I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now. We can come to God with no doubts. This means that when we ask God for things (and those things agree with what God wants for us), God cares about what we say. He listens to us every time we ask him. So we know that he gives us whatever we ask from him.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Prayers aligned with purpose get answered.
a) The Bible gives us the assurance that when we pray in accordance with God’s will—which is also our purpose—the Father hears our prayers. So we must do all we can to align ourselves with God’s purpose and to then pray in accordance with it. When we pray this way, we can pray with complete confidence; not confidence in us, but confidence in HIM!
b) Prayer is not about attempting to convince God to perform your will. Prayer is about submitting to and agreeing with God’s will for your life. It is about God’s will being done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
c) Powerful things happen when you align yourself with what God has assigned you to do in the earth. And when you pray in alignment with your assignment, God hears your prayers.
d) Everything you need to fulfill your purpose is already stored up. God prepared for you before you arrived and He then works with you to prepare you for what He prepared. And when you pray in accordance with God’s will, you get to tap into those things that are already prepared for you. However, if you pray for things that were birthed in your heart, and not God’s, then you are asking for things God did not prepare for you to have.
e) Some people say, “I’m not entirely sure what I am supposed to pray for.” The answer is found in your purpose! Everything required to complete your purpose is available to you in prayer.
2. When you pray in accordance with God’s will, you can have confidence that God hears your prayers.
a) Faith is all about confidence. The higher your confidence, the stronger your faith. That’s why it is so important to search the scriptures concerning your situation BEFORE you pray. If you find out what God already said about our situation, and if the Bible is clear on the topic, then you already know God’s will as you go into prayer. John tells us that when we ask for anything in accordance with His will, we can have full confidence in knowing that He has heard our request.
b) If you want to be sure that God will bend His ear towards your request and that your request is valid, make sure it lines up with the Word of God.
3. When you pray in accordance with God’s will, you can have confidence that you have what you petitioned.
a) John said, “And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.” After having approached the Father in prayer, with fearless confidence, completely convinced that what you are asking for is in alignment with His will, John teaches us that we can walk away from prayer with full confidence that we HAVE (present tense) what we prayed about for.
b) Hope says, “I will have it some day.” Faith says, “I have it right now! It has just not manifested itself in the earth yet.” Faith believes it receives at the moment it prays.
c) When Jesus spoke death over a fig tree, He walked away from the tree believing it was dead from that moment. Now, nothing had happened in the natural yet, but in Jesus’ heart He had already received what He declared. 24 hours later the disciples saw the tree dead and they were amazed, but Jesus was not moved because He considered the tree dead the moment He spoke it (see Mark 11:12-26). Anyone can thank God after something happens and they see it with their own eyes, but the Father expects us to pray, fully believing, and to then walk away from our prayer having already received our petition by faith.
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation for me. You are teaching me to pray and the more I learn, the more I build up my confidence in You. I feed my faith by searching Your Word concerning whatever situation I face. I then formulate prayers in accordance with Your Word. I come to You, in faith, praying prayers that are aligned with Your will, because they are aligned with Your Word. Praying this way, I know You hear me and I walk away believing I have already received what I prayed for. I believe I receive when I pray. I receive the manifestation in my heart well before I see the manifestation in my hands. This is the life of faith and this is how I live! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
