Steps to Answered Prayer

[John 14:13‭-‬14 KJV] “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it”.One of the key promises under the new covenant is receiving answers to prayers. It is one of the key promises of the New Covenant. The Lord has promised that whatsoever we ask in His name shall be done for us. The church must therefore, receive answers to whatever we ask.To walk into these promises, we must;

1. Find a secret or solitary place that is free from interference
2. Begin with worship
3. Ask for forgiveness
4. Make our requests known to God
5. Engage in spiritual warfare
6. Pray for strength to possess our answers
7. Step out and work

1. Find a secret or solitary place that is free from interference:

Prayer that gets answered must be sincere and honest and not a display of piety. The Lord teaches this truth in Matthew 6:6-8¹, that you must enter your prayer closet. In Mark 1:35², we learn that the Lord wakes up early before day break and goes to a solitary place, and there, he prays.Carry your Bible, a watch, a pen and book, and a bottle of water.

2. Begin with worship:

Hebrews 11:6³ teaches that he that comes to the Lord must know that God is real and exists. Until you acknowledge that God is real, you are not ready to receive from Him. Studying the pattern of Matthew 6:9-13⁴ and Acts 4:23-31⁵, it is clear that prayer that gets answered acknowledges the power and real existence of God.

3. Ask for forgiveness,  cleansing and teaching of His will and ways:

Atone for the sins of omission and commission. Purge yourself of contempt by acknowledging and confessing your sins. God will not do what men ought to do, but there are times when we have not done what ought to be done. This is the reason you must ask God to forgive you your sins, cleanse you from unrighteousness, and teach you the way you must go. Pray that the Lord will forgive, cleanse, teach you His will and way. There are times when the only answer we need is the knowledge of what to do.When Moses got to the red sea, Israel, wept and Moses began to pray but God said “Moses! This is not a matter of prayer; just get up and get going as I have already commanded”. Therefore there comes a time when you must be open to divine instruction.

4. Make your requests known to God:

Be anxious for nothing; just make your requests known to God and He will answer. Philippians 4:6⁶ teaches this clearly. Vocalize your prayer. A Prayer that gets answered is the one that is clear in the petition. You must state exactly what you seek from God. Let your requests be made known. Many of us do not receive answers to prayer because we do not ask. You will receive answers when you vocalize your prayer.

5. Battle any Spiritual force or personality that might try to hinder your answers:

There are times when the devil and powers of darkness contend with you. They can fight you concerning the answers to your prayer. The prince of Persia withstood Daniel’s answer for 21 days. You must always battle in the realms of the heavenlies until you win. Your answers will be delivered to you through combat.

6. Pray for the strength and power to possess the answers:

There are times when a great and effectual door is opened unto you but many adversaries are preventing you from possessing it. We must pray for power to possess the answers to our prayers. You must believe God for the strength and power to possess your answers.

7. Get up and get to work:

We defeat the overall purpose of prayer when we think prayer is a replacement for hardwork and wisdom. Prayer is to augment hardwork. There is no sense in shaking the fruits down and feeling too lazy to go gather them. Gathering is as important as shaking. So, wake up and work.This promise is ours and we must experience it. We must walk into the full manifestation of it. Jesus Christ has promised to answer every prayer request we bring to the Father.Stay blessedNoah Simpe Bediako

Referenced Scriptures

1. Matthew 6:6-8 (KJV): But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. ↩︎
2. Mark 1:35 (KJV): And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. ↩︎
3. Hebrews 11:6 (KJV): But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. ↩︎
4. Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV): After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. ↩︎
5. Acts 4:23-31 (KJV): And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. ↩︎
6. Philippians 4:6 (KJV): Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. ↩︎