A Winning Combination in Prayer

[ImGodsChild]

A Winning Combination in Prayer

READ: James 1:6-8

God invites His children to pray because He is delighted to provide
for them, and He stands ready to do so. But God wants us to come in
faith and ask Him to accomplish His divine plan in our circumstance.

Different types of hindrances can block the effectiveness of our
prayers. One is not knowing God's will for our circumstances. He says
"yes" when our petition is in agreement with His purposes for our
life. Even when Scripture does not specifically address our situation
it still gives indications of God's will, as in 1 Peter 2:15 and 1
Thessalonians 4:3 and 5:18. Having low expectations that God will
answer is another obstacle. As believers, we're to ask confidently.
(Ephesians 3:12)

A third problem is doubt. Uncertainty is like a foreign intruder in
our conversation with God. It short-circuits faith and the power of
prayer. Doubt can derive from listening to the wrong voices embracing
beliefs out of line with the Word, or looking at the difficulty
instead of the Lord. If God delays His answer or responds in an
unexpected way, skepticism can sneak into our thinking. To deal with
doubt, we must learn God's ways. When we center our prayers on who He
is, faith rises and doubt decreases. Disbelief will vanish as we
discover his will and learn to shape our requests around it.

God is waiting for us to petition Him with specific prayers, free of
doubt and aligned with His will. This is a "win-win" combination,
receiving an affirmative answer from God every time.

By Dr. Charles Stanley
In Touch Ministries