| Are your prayers always answered? Or do you | | | | the Bible was when Jesus prayed it in |
| wish God might be hearing you every time you | | | | Gethsemane. He knew the will of God, but He |
| pray? | | | | didn't want to obey it. |
| Is prayer really a hit or miss way of | | | | It was a prayer of consecration: a prayer that |
| communicating with God? | | | | showed His willingness to ignore His own flesh and |
| Contrary to what many Christians believe, there | | | | do the will of God instead of his own. |
| is not one prayer in the Bible that God ignored. | | | | Jesus prayed this prayer three times that night |
| Jesus said, whatever we ask of God in His name, | | | | and so should we pray it often throughout our |
| we will receive. | | | | day when we struggle with doing the will of God |
| Then why are so many prayers seemingly left | | | | in our lives, like forgiving someone or showing love |
| unanswered? Why do most believers hope that | | | | to our enemies. |
| God will hear them instead of having the absolute | | | | 3.- Lack of knowledge about how different |
| assurance that He will? | | | | prayers are to be prayed |
| Both of these problems stem from lack of | | | | Prayers are like ball games. They are all played |
| knowledge. | | | | with balls, but they have different rules. Just as |
| 1.- Lack of knowledge about who God is | | | | you cannot play soccer with baseball rules, you |
| If God is a person you fear because you think | | | | cannot pray a prayer of faith with the guidelines |
| He'll whack you on the head every time you do | | | | of a prayer of consecration. |
| something wrong, you will not have the | | | | The prayer of faith must be preceded by Bible |
| confidence of asking Him in faith. | | | | study. You have to be convinced that what you |
| And faithless prayers are not answered, it is only | | | | are asking for is really God's will and firmly believe |
| by faith that we can please God and believe that | | | | it. |
| He is the rewarder of those who seek Him | | | | Once you are sure it is God's will for you to have |
| diligently. | | | | what you ask, then you go before Him and ask, |
| 2.- Lack of knowledge about His specific will for | | | | but only once (and please don't pray "but may |
| each of our lives | | | | Your will be done," like in the prayer of |
| Prayers should always be done with the certainty | | | | consecration, you already know God's will). |
| of His will for our lives. | | | | After that you just thank Him every time the |
| One of the most abused prayers is the "but may | | | | issue comes up. You have already made your |
| Your will be done" prayer. Some people pray that | | | | petition and now you know with all your heart |
| phrase ignorantly in any prayer they ever utter. | | | | that He will answer! |
| The only time that phrase was ever prayed in | | | | |