"...PROVE ALL THINGS; HOLD FAST TO
THAT WHICH IS GOOD..." 1TH 5:21
'CP' denotes 'Compare Passage'
THE KEY TO ANSWERED PRAYER
(CP Psa 34:15, 17-19; 91:15; 145:18-19; Pr 15:8, 29; Mt 6:5-15; 7:7-11; 18:18-19; Mk 11:22-24; Jn 9:31; 14:13-14; 16:22-26; Eph 3:20; Php 4:6-7; Jas 5:14-16; 1Pe 3:12; 1Jn 3:21-22; 5:14-15). Throughout Scripture God promises to answer the prayers of His children which begs the question: why then do the prayers of so many Christians in the professing church go unanswered? First and foremost, the reason is the Christians themselves. This is not said to condemn Christians whose prayers are not being answered, but to challenge them to look to themselves for the reason, not God. God does not capriciously stop answering prayers – He has obligated Himself only to answer the prayers of Christians who qualify for answered prayers. They meet all the conditions God has laid down in Scripture for answering prayers, activating His promises, and releasing His blessings (CP 2Chr 7:14; Psa 34:13-14, 16; 66:18; 91:1, 4-15; Pr 21:13; 28:9; Isa 1:15; 59:1-2; Zech 7:13; Mt 6:5-8, 12-15; Mk 11:25-26; Lu 18:9-14; Jn 9:31; 15:7; 1Cor 11:27-30; 2Cor 13:5; Php 4:6-7; He 11:6; Jas 1:5-8; 4:1-4; 1Pe 3:7).
It is plainly evident here that there are no unconditional promises of God in Scripture. They all have conditions attached which must be met by each Christian respectively for God to answer their prayers, activate His promises, and release His blessings over them. This may surprise many in the professing Church, and we repeat that it is not meant to condemn those Christians whose prayers are not being answered, but we cannot argue with the clear teaching of Scripture: unanswered prayer is the result of Christians giving place to sin in one form or another in their hearts. Remember, whatever is not of faith even, is sin (CP Psa 66:18; Mt 6:9-15; Mk 11:24-26; He 11:6; Jas 1:5-8; 1Pe 3:7). Sin of any description harboured in the hearts of Christians prevents God
from answering their prayers, and Christians must accept the reality of that fact. Those whose prayers are not being answered need to examine themselves and correct the situation as quickly as possible, otherwise their very salvation is in danger of being forfeited. Scriptures require Christians to practice regular, diligent self-examinations and Spiritual checkups to ensure their salvation (CP 1Cor 9:27; 11:28; 2Cor 13:5).
This author cannot impress upon Christians strongly enough the importance of having their prayers answered, God’s promises fulfilled in their lives, and His blessing appropriated - none of which can happen if they lack faith, do not forgive harbour grudges, are bitter toward their spouses, love the world, sin in anger and let the sun go down on their wrath, have idols in their life, are judgemental, wander away from the truth of God’s word, lack love for others, are self-indulgent, close their ears to the cries of the poor, forsake God, have wrong motives, pander to the lusts of the flesh, are selfish, have selfish ambitions, are lifted up with pride, sin with their tongue and allow their lips to speak guile ect, etc, the list goes on. The plain truth of Scripture is that Christians are guilty of sinning, which precludes them from answered prayer. They are solely responsible for their prayers not being answered and the onus is on them alone to correct the situation and ensure their eternal security (CP Php 2:12).
See also author’s comments in Mt 6:1-4, 6:7-8, 7:1-5, 18:23-35, 21:17-22; Lu 18:9-14; Jn 15:7, 16:23-26; 1Cor 11:20-22; 2Cor13:5; Eph 3:20; Php 4:6-7; He 11:6; Jas 1:5-8, 4:1-4; 1Pe 3:1-6, 3:7; 1Jn 3:19-22 and 5:14-15 in his book A Question and Answer Study of the New Testament and all cross-reference Scriptures and studies referred to therein.
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