Victory in Prayer
Many Christians struggle with feeling like their prayers go unanswered. We pray the same requests repeatedly, wondering why God seems silent. While persistence in prayer is important, God also wants to give us answers. The key is learning how to pray correctly - because the person who can pray correctly can do anything, since prayer can accomplish anything God can do.
The Problem of Unoffered Prayer
Why Don't We Have What We Need?
James 4:1-2 reveals a startling truth: "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this? That your passions are at war within you. You desire and do not have, so you murder, you covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask."
The primary issue isn't that God doesn't want to bless us - it's that we're too proud and self-sufficient to ask. We try to accomplish everything in our own strength instead of turning to our Heavenly Father.
The American Problem with Self-Sufficiency
In America, we're taught to be self-reliant. But this cultural value can become a spiritual hindrance. God will not move in your life until you pray as a Christian. Prayer is our direct line of communication with our Father, just as children naturally go to their earthly parents when they need something.
Prayer Links Us to God's Resources
Prayer connects us to God's love, mercy, riches, and grace. When we struggle and strive in our own strength, crying "I'm doing all I can," we miss the point. Our struggles often come up short because we haven't linked our lives to God through prayer. God doesn't intend for Christians to constantly struggle. If we've won the victory through Christ, why do we live like we've lost?
Not Praying is Actually Sin
First Samuel 12:23 states: "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you."
When we cease praying, we sin against God. Since we're commanded to "pray without ceasing," stopping our prayers breaks God's commandment.
Prayer Could Prevent Sin
Jesus told his disciples in Mark 14:38: "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Many sins in our lives could be prevented through prayer. When we fail to pray, we leave ourselves vulnerable to temptation.
The Problem of Unacceptable Prayer
When God Closes His Ears
Not all prayers are acceptable to God. James 4:3-4 explains: "You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions, you adulterous people. Do you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
Sometimes our prayers disappear as soon as they leave our lips because they're offered for wrong reasons and motivations.
Prayers That Glorify Self Instead of God
When our prayers focus on glorifying ourselves rather than God, He won't accept them. God is a jealous God who demands exclusive worship. Why would He listen to prayers that glorify us instead of Him?
For example, instead of praying "Lord, I want this specific outcome," we should pray "Lord, let your will be done." The difference in motivation makes all the difference in God's response.
Spiritual Adultery Through Worldliness
When we become Christians, we become part of the bride of Christ. We should be pure and devoted only to our spiritual husband, Jesus Christ. But the world acts as a competing suitor, trying to lure us away from our devotion to Christ.
Jesus said clearly: "No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other" (Matthew 6:24). We cannot serve both the world and Christ simultaneously.
When we try to pray while serving the world, those prayers are simply not accepted. We even sometimes pray for things that enable us to commit spiritual adultery - asking God for resources or opportunities that will draw us further from Him.
The First Principle of Undeniable Prayer
Be Sensitive to the Holy Spirit
James 4:5 tells us: "Or do you suppose it is no purpose that the scripture says he yearns jealously over the Spirit that he has made to dwell in us?"
The Holy Spirit dwelling within us has strong desires for our lives and is jealous for the cause of Christ in our hearts. Everything we know about Jesus Christ comes through the Holy Spirit's revelation. The Spirit yearns jealously for our hearts to be devoted entirely to Christ.
Total Devotion is Required
If we're going to have victory in prayer, we must be totally devoted to Christ. The greatest commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).
If we're loving God with all our heart, there's no room left for the world. When our prayers lack victory, it's often because we're not loving God with our whole hearts.
From Prominent to Preeminent
God doesn't want to be merely prominent in our lives - He wants to be preeminent. There's a significant difference. Prominence means God is important to us. Preeminence means God is supreme above all else. The Holy Spirit will let us know when something is out of alignment in our relationship with God. If we're sensitive to His leading, He'll reveal when our hearts aren't fully devoted to Christ.
Life Application
This week, examine your prayer life honestly.
Are you trying to accomplish things in your own strength instead of asking God for help?
Are your prayers focused on glorifying God or getting what you want?
Challenge yourself to pray about everything - every decision, every need, every desire. Before you act, ask God what His will is in each situation. Stop trying to be self-sufficient and start depending on your Heavenly Father like a child depends on their earthly parent.
Ask yourself these questions:
• Am I praying about every decision I make, or am I trying to handle things on my own?
• Are my prayers focused on God's glory or my own desires?
• Is there anything in my life that's competing with my devotion to Christ?
• Am I sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading, or am I ignoring His promptings?
Remember, God wants to bless you tremendously, but He can't pour out those blessings if you're too proud to ask or if you're asking for the wrong reasons. Victory in prayer comes when we align our hearts completely with God's will and approach Him with the right motivations.