Prayers that get answered

A cute story

I heard a cute story about a lady who bought a singing parrot at a pet store. However, she returned it the next day, explaining that the parrot didn’t sing. The pet store owner asked if the parrot had a mirror, since parrots like to look at themselves. So she bought a mirror and took the parrot back home. The next morning she was back again. The mirror hadn’t helped; the parrot still hadn’t sung or spoken a word.

The store owner then asked if she had a ladder, since parrots like to climb up and down. So she bought the parrot a ladder. The next day she brought him back again and told the owner he still wouldn’t sing.

He asked, “Well, do you have a swing in the cage? Parrots love to swing; it makes them happy. He’ll certainly start singing and speaking then.”

However, the next day the woman was back! The store owner asked, “Did the parrot sing or speak yet?” “No,” she replied. “He died last night!”

The owner said, “I’m so sorry to hear that. Did he say anything before he died?” “Yes,” the woman replied. “He said, ‘Don’t they sell any food down there at the pet store?’”

Like this parrot owner, we often ask God for things that we want, rather than what we need. Instead, most of our requests are to fulfill our fleshly desires.

Business before pleasure

In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus promises that if we take care of His business here on earth, He will take care of our wants. In verse 33 He says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” God will supply anything necessary to fulfill His mandate in our life.

In Luke 11:1-3, Jesus gives us the prototype for prayer. Yes, God does care about our wants. Yes, He encourages us to pray, but we should do so with His heart in mind. In His model prayer, Jesus states that we can ask Him for our daily needs (bread) and He will meet those needs.

Our purpose in praying is to release His will, desire and kingdom authority here on earth and in our sphere of influence. That means we are to omit any requests that just fulfill our own wants.

Answered prayer rocks!

Whenever our prayers align with God’s heart, they are answered, and answered prayer is exciting! It releases a desire to pray more. But prayer without results is boring. James 4:3 says: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

Let’s stop being selfish in prayer. Look around and see how to advance the cause of Jesus Christ in our families, workplaces, relationships and, yes, our churches!

Let’s ask for whatever it takes to see His will “on earth as it is in heaven”. He will surely supply everything we need—money, health, wisdom, joy, jobs, places to live…—when that’s our goal. Ask for what you need to fulfill God’s plan in and through your life. Then watch heaven open and release the answers to your prayers. Prayer can once again be very exciting if we ask for what we need and not what we want!…

Know what’s yours!

You can’t give away what you don’t own (or don’t know you own). I say that because Heaven is invading earth through those who know what they possess. And too many Christians are ignorant of what is theirs through Jesus.

Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Every spiritual blessing have been given to us (past tense, meaning already done). God’s grace (provision for every human need) was given to us 2,000 years ago and is available through our faith in Jesus (Romans 5:2).

You can tell when people don’t know what’s theirs by 1). the lack of faith in their prayers and 2). the lack of God’s presence in their lives.

They pray with unbelief for things God has already promised us. For example: “Lord, please give me more of your power to overcome the trials I’m facing.”

The kingdom of God (His power, authority and might) came to reside in you and me the day we declared Jesus as Lord and Savior (Luke 17:21). “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4b).

They also pray: “Lord, be with us” when God already told us in Hebrews 13:5 that He would never leave us nor forsake us. Let’s find out what’s ours in Jesus’ last will and testament (the New Testament).

The other sign of not knowing what’s yours is a powerless, ineffective Christian life because you live without the tangible, manifested power and presence of God. We have the form of godliness but lack God’s power as described in 2 Timothy 3:5. We can’t release what we don’t know we have!

Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians 4:3 and 4 that Satan tries to blind us from seeing and believing what we possess through Jesus Christ. It’s like having an uncle who leaves you a million dollars. But you can’t enjoy it or give it away if you don’t know it’s yours.

The Apostle Peter knew what he possessed. In Acts 3:1-6, he and John meet a man, crippled from birth, who every day begged at the gate called Beautiful. Peter responds to his request, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

The disciples understood that they carried Jesus’ presence and they were commissioned to give it away to anyone hungry for it.

Transformed minds will transform people who, in turn, transform cities. When you get the revelation that you possess God’s precious presence through Jesus, wherever you go you will release solutions, healing, deliverance, and breakthroughs which will change regions!

The ministry of the gospel isn’t just in words. Jesus came into this world to reveal His Father to His creation by releasing His presence to heal the sick, raise the dead and preach the gospel of the kingdom!

First John 4:17 says, “…as He is, so are we in this world.”  What you are possessed by is what you possess, and what you possess you release through your life. Do you know what you possess? To know it is to show it.

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