FALL 2015 OC CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE Fall 2015 OC Christian Free magazine | Page 23

PRAYERS

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26:39). So how can we be sure that we are praying according
to God’s will?
First, we must pray according to what the Bible teaches.
God never will go against His Word, so it is foolish to
pray for anything that contradicts what He has already
revealed to us in the Bible. James 4:3 tells us, “You ask
and do not receive, because you ask amiss.” Also, praying
according to God’s will means that we must ask, believing:
“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will
receive” (Matthew 21:22).
It has been said, “when I do not have faith, I’m saying one
of two things: either God cannot answer this prayer or God will
not answer this prayer. If I say He cannot, I’m questioning His
sovereignty and His power. If I say He will not, I’m questioning
His goodness. To pray in faith means that I believe God can
and I believe God will insofar as it’s consistent with His glory,
because God is good.”
Next, praying according to God’s will means that we are
praying from a place of purity in our personal lives. If we are
praying to God from a place of sinfulness, meaning that we
are living in state of habitual sin,
then God will not hear or answer
our prayers until we deal with our
sin. The only prayer God will hear
or answer when we are in sin is a
prayer of confession, repentance, and
forgiveness. Once our sins have been
properly dealt with, ݔ