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Unlock the Mystery of Prayer

“And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.”
 1 John 5:15
1 John 5:15
 And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.

Think of a time where you had to approach someone about an important topic (maybe your spouse, friend or even boss) and consider the different approaches you could take depending on if you thought your voice would be heard or dismissed.

HEARD:

  • you have confidence in your voice and your viewpoint.
  • speak in authority

DISMISSED:

  • lack confidence in your voice
  • question yourself

Confidence in asking makes a difference in HOW we ask and WHAT we ask. No request is too small or too large for our God.

Having the confidence in knowing that we are heard allows us to claim the power God has waiting for us in prayer.

” we know that we have what we ask of him.” NIV

Let’s look at this part of the verse in some other versions.

AMP: “we [also] know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted to us] the requests which we have asked from Him.”

NLT:  “we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”

MSG: “and if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.”

Does this mean that a raise at work, new house, new car and free beach vacation we pray for is ours as long as we’re confident and bold in our request?

Most likely not. The good news is though, the things that we do ask for that are in His will, are the very things He already has waiting to give us. Being aligned with God in prayer allows us to ask for things he already plans to give us.

Prayer is less about a gift being given to us, and more about a door being unlocked for us.

“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” – Mother Teresa

Blessings and Love,

Stephanie Miller

 

Photo Credit: image created via wordswag

 

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“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
Ephesians 3:12 NIV

When I was younger, one of my best friends had connections to the music group Hansen (one of the heart throb boy bands of the 90’s).

One summer when I was visiting my friend for a week, her aunt surprised us with tickets to one of Hansen’s concerts. We were ecstatic! With squeals of girlish excitement we went to the concert, bought T-shirts and sang along to the music. About half-way through the concert my friend looked over at me and exclaimed, “Noree, I am such a fool! If had let them (Hansen) know we were coming beforehand, we could have gotten back stage passes.” (Believe it or not, this was before most people owned cell phones to let them know we were at the concert.) Needless to say, that put a bit of a damper on the rest of the concert: thinking of what might have been… but my friend and I still enjoyed it.

How many of us know in our heads we have full access to the throne of God, but forget to live it out? We have access to the King of kings and Lord of lords! The Israelites lived with a veil over their hearts, but through the blood of Jesus we who believe have had that veil torn away and now live reflecting the glory of God with His Spirit living inside us (2 Corinthians 3:13-18).

In Hebrews 10:19-22 Paul encourages believers to draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. We need to live each day taking full advantage of our access to the King of kings! His power knows no equal; His might no limit. And we have His incomparably great power living in us to live each day victoriously and for the glory of our God (Ephesians 1:18-20).

Noree Wegmeyer

 

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Free Images: http://www.freeimages.com/photo/vip-1549961