...The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. James 5:16 (AMP)
Prayer has its root in the heart. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7, "...For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
The heart is what matters most to God. That is the place of communion between Him and man. It is the altar upon which the sacrifices of praise and the incense of prayers are offered.
In other words, it is not what you do or say outwardly that guarantees a release from heaven, but what goes on in your heart. In fact, what becomes of you ultimately in the kingdom is a function of what goes on in your heart.
Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. 1 Samuel 1:13
She spoke in her heart, but God heard her. Everybody may be commending you for what they see of you outwardly, but God rates you by what He sees in your heart. That means, there is no outstanding answer to prayers without first an outstanding preparation in the heart. God does not reckon with the outward appearance, neither is He moved by physical efforts; what moves Him is your heart. Therefore, your heart must be set for an encounter with Him when you pray.
Since that is the determining factor in receiving answers to prayers, the heart must be adequately prepared to ensure that the exercise does not end in futility. It is clear from Scriptures that an unprepared heart is not likely to get a response from heaven.
The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord. Proverbs 16:1
Before Elijah's mount Carmel victory, the first thing he did was to repair the broken down altar, which in the New Testament order represents the heart (1 Kgs. 18:30). If anything has tampered with God's altar in your life, then get set to repair it; because until that is done, communication in prayer cannot be established.
If you must encounter God in your prayers, you must prepare for Him (Matt. 3:3). How do you prepare for Him?
CONSECRATION
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Psalm 24:3-4
Preparing your heart in purity is the first step to establishing a viable communication link with God, because prayer can only flow when sin is absent. It takes a pure heart and pure hands to approach the presence of God. Whatever pollutes or corrupts your heart blocks your access to heaven's hotline.
Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. Isaiah 59:1-3
Sin is a barrier to prayers! God is continually angry with the wicked (Ps. 7:11). So He will not even hear him, much more answer his prayers. The Psalmist said:
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: Psalm 66:18
You can't embrace sin and expect God to embrace you. Matthew 5:8 makes us understand that only the pure in heart should expect to see God in their affairs. If God must hear you, you must first hear Him.
Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early , but they shall not find me: Proverbs 1:24-28
As long as you remain in sin, you are out of touch with God. The only prayer of a sinner that gets to God is the prayer of repentance. Every unrepented sin blocks your communication line with God. It is only after God has heard your cry of repentance that He can hear your cry of affliction, because it is only after He has saved you from your sin that He is committed to save you from your troubles.
This is why many Christians have prayed and prayed, yet they remain oppressed; their sins have made the heaven's over them like brass. Nothing gets through. They groan, shout, scream and wail, but all to no avail. Any time God is about to stretch forth His hand in their direction, their sins come to remembrance and His mercy is turned off.
Don't let the devil deceive you into thinking that no one can make it in this race of holiness. God is not a waster, if He is building mansions in heaven, then people must definitely live there. For, without holiness no man can see God (Heb. 12:14). There are righteous men on earth today, who are living triumphantly above sin; and you can join them. You will be surprised to find out that you are the only one still indulging in that terrible habit, that you think everyone else indulges in. The Bible says:
Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. Songs of Solomon 2:15
Any fox you allow to remain in your vine will constitute the greatest danger to your Christian life. That malice, stubbornness, uncontrollable anger, hidden pride and lying tongue can all be destroyed, if only you are set to let them go.
Sin is a barrier between you and God. If you don't let it go, you may go for it. But if you desperately desire a turning and you cry out to God for forgiveness, in
the name of Jesus and through the blood of the Lamb, He will forgive and restore you to dignity. He is committed to forgive when we repent (1 Jn. 1:9).
Thank God the Bible says sin has no more dominion over us (Rom. 6:14). It lost its power over you two thousand years ago, when Jesus hung on the cross and cried, "It is finished!" (Jn. 19:30).
Consecration is the foundation for prayers that command answers from heaven.
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2 Timothy 2:19
However, if you are not born again, you are a sinner and Jesus said:
...Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3
But God is willing to receive you and forgive your sins, if you call on Him to save you. Ask Jesus to cleanse you with His precious blood and make you a child of God, and you will be saved (Rom. 10:9,13).
Once you are saved, you are translated from the kingdom of the devil, where you were helpless against sin, into the kingdom of the Son of God (Jesus), where you now become a son of God and have the power to live above sin (Col. 1:13).
Prayer is a two-way communication between a Christian and his heavenly Father. So, until He becomes your heavenly Father, you have no access to Him in prayers. But salvation grants you this privilege.
Each time the children of Israel sought an encounter with God, they always made a sin offering (Lev. 9:3-4). In the New Testament order, the sin offering represents the renewing of your covenant position with God through
consecration. That is, presenting your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Him, which is your reasonable service (Rom. 12:1).
With that in place, you can't miss Him. Every blessing in Scriptures is reserved for the righteous and that includes the blessing of answered prayers.
The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29
Be Offence-free
As you prepare your heart to approach God in prayer, one of the things you must guard against is offences. So many are offended in God and all they do in prayer is nothing but complain. When you are offended in God, you turn Him against yourself; and if God is against you, who will save you? If you despise Him, who will lift you?
Many are stranded because of offences. When they stand in prayer, they justify themselves against God. They say, "Lord, I've paid my tithe, I have done everything that You commanded. Only You haven't done your part." In other words, they count themselves faithful and God otherwise. But the Bible says, "Let God be true and all men be liars."
Anything that moves you to murmur against God is moving you against your destiny. You can't expect Him to answer your prayers when your heart is full of complaints and offences against Him. Have you not heard, "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker"? (Isa. 45:9.)
If He withdraws His breath from you for one second, you will be dead. I often say, "If you have lost anything, God is the reason you didn't lose everything." May be the enemy's intention was to take your life, but God stepped in and you only lost your car. But here you are, offended and complaining against Him in prayer. If He withdraws His hand from your life, can you imagine what will become of you? Romans 8:28 says:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
So, set your heart right before Him. Count Him faithful in all things. Refuse to complain, but rather let God know that you have no alternative beside Him, and that you are ready to hang on till your answer comes from Him.
Stop threatening to backslide if He doesn't answer your prayer on time. No one will lose but you.
He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? Job 9:4
You have been stranded enough, now give your destiny motion by clearing off every offence from your heart, to establish a thoroughfare to heaven in prayers.
Everything that moves you to question the integrity of God, or His love for you must be destroyed, so that the altar of your heart can be prepared for the fire from heaven. Paul said:
And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. Acts 24:16
That is the way to maintain a good communication line with God.
Forgive
A heart full of love, both towards God and your fellow man, is a fundamental requirement, if your prayer must get through to the throne room of heaven
Forgiveness is an expression of love. When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, one of the things He told them to say was, "And forgive us our sins; for we
also forgive every one that is indebted to us." That is to say, "Lord, forgive us, just the way we forgive others. Don't forgive us what we don't forgive others."
If we document other people's sins against us, then the Lord will document ours also; if we desire their hurt, He will desire our hurt also. So, when you don't forgive those who have offended you, your sins also remain unforgiven. Until your sins are forgiven, you don't have a prayer access to God.
The Psalmist said in Psalm 130:3:
If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
Many have been crying in all manner of prayers, fastings and vigils, yet God hasn't heard them, because they are holding back the sins of others in their hearts. You probably have told your neighbour, "It is over, I have forgiven you." But it is not over yet in your heart. And because the Bible says in Psalm 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me", your prayers go unheard.
It is spiritual foolishness to live with unforgiveness; the cost is too high. It is one of the traps of the devil to make you lose favour with God. Jesus told a parable in Matthew 18:23-35:
Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
When God forgives you your sins but later sees the way you are tormenting somebody who has offended you, He will bring your records out again and deal with you. Forgiveness brings you into eternal friendship with Jesus which gives you access to heaven's hotline.
Until you free that man or woman, God will not hear your cry of affliction. That man might have really cheated you, and that woman insulted you terribly, but let him go! Let her go! Until the love foundation is in place, effectual prayer is impossible.
Watch any man who walks in hatred, malice and unforgiveness, his life keeps drying up. And because he has no access to God's favour, he is a cheap prey of the devil. Your expression of love for your fellowmen is the authentic proof of
your salvation. The Bible says, "Whosoever claims to love God, and hates his brother, is a liar" (1 John 4:20 paraphrased).
You may pray as long as you like, remain on your knees all the days of your life and fast for as many days as possible, if you have imprisoned somebody in your heart through unforgiveness, you will never have a breakthrough, because the Scriptures cannot be broken.
Love is your vital link with God, and the foundation stones of the altar of your heart. There is a future in forgiveness. Let love flow from your heart to everyone and you will see God step into the affairs of your life.
Examine yourself, to see if there is anywhere your altar has been broken down, and plead the mercy of God for restoration. Rededicate your life to God and be determined never to be found doing what displeases Him. That long-awaited answer to your prayers will be delivered to you now, in Jesus' name!
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