“Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1).
What if God really answered your prayers? Close your eyes right now and imagine what that would look like. Many of us don’t pray because we don’t know how or we don’t think God will answer. But not only does God want to answer your prayers, He has given you tips on how to get answers to your prayers. Think of it like your favorite recipe: 2 parts sugar, 1 part flour, etc. The great news is that you have all the ingredients for answered prayer in your heart. Jesus repeatedly taught that what God cares about is the genuineness of your heart, not religious rituals or words. Listen to this story He told to prove it:
Two Very Different Men: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
This month, let’s practice cooking with God’s recipe for answered prayer. Just like the tax collector, God isn’t waiting for you to be perfect to answer your prayers; He just wants you to be humble and honest. This is His promise to us: “Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). George from Facebook said, “I battled for several years to stop taking alcohol to no avail, but at the end of this year, I prayed and fasted and the urge for addiction has vanished.” God wants to answer your requests, just like He did for George!
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