Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you ~ Matthew 7:7.
Introduction:
Human needs are diverse and multifaceted, yet God is the supplier of them all. He is our Veritable Source, He is always there for us, and His rich heavenly supplies are also ever readily available. But, they remain in abeyance pending our express demands for them.
Your demand is your order for the heavenly resources you expect. And, this order is what we commonly refer to as ‘prayer’ in Bible parlance.
Prayer is the soul’s earnest search for light, life and help from God. It is the quintessential staff by which the Christian man walks with God, and a tool we use to unburden our hearts before Him (Matthew 7:7-11).
Through prayer, we communicate with God to entreat His grace and to seek His judgement. Whether spoken or unspoken, prayer is a statement of our needs to God. Indeed, he who kneels the most, stands the best of all.
Prayers have always made the difference in how God acts in the world. The apostles prayed in a house and the building shook (Acts 4:31). They prayed again, and God answered with an earthquake to open prison doors (Acts 16:25-26).
Of a truth, in the mystery of prayer, God has entrusted us with such a force that can move the heavens, and bring His incredible power down to earth, to remake our world (Psalms 2:8).
Securing Answers to Your Prayers
Unquestionably so, we serve a God that answers prayers (Psalms 65:2). Jesus Christ called us to ask anything in His name, with a promise that we shall receive joyous answers. However, there are certain Biblical conditions we should never ignore for our prayers to merit answers, or else we pray amiss (James 4:3).
The first condition is the factor of our obedience to God’s commandments and statutes: “whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight" (1 John 3:22). We must dutifully seek out the divine commands and do our utmost best to obey them (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Pleasing God ought to be our loving response to our loving God. It should go beyond routine fulfillment of the laws to actually seeking to make God happy.
From basic laws of ownership, every man is under obligation to please God because we were created originally for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11). Pleasing God is an appeal to the conscience of anyone who is in his right mind (Romans 2:14-15).
Furthermore, if we expect God to supply our needs from His Storehouses in glory, we must be very specific in our desire, and make definite demands for it from the Lord. Prophet Isaiah instructed: “… produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob” (Isaiah 41:19-21).
The most meaningful prayer comes from a specific heart that wholly trusts in the Almighty God. Ambiguous prayers can only attract ambiguous supplies, but when you are specific in your desire and you say it, you naturally gain more power in prayer.
Moreover, talking directly to a difficult situation is what guarantees expected results, not just talking about it. Jesus Christ spoke specifically to the fig tree and he got the desired result (Matthew 21:18-22). Elias spoke to rain and it obeyed him (James 5:13-18). Joshua also spoke directly to the sun and the moon, and they both stopped their movements for Joshua’s tasks to be accomplished (Joshua 10:12-14).
Authoritative faith is also required to secure answers, any day, to our prayers in unmistakable terms (Matthew 21:22). It takes faith to validate our prayers, and to activate our speedy supply.
Definite prayers of faith for anything covered by the letters of supernatural provisions — healings, guidance, fulfillment of mission, wisdom, arrival of God’s kingdom, security, abiding presence, anointing of the Holy Spirit, attention pulling results in ministry, financial supply, grace to make it to heaven, etc. — will always attract a definite supply from the Bank of Jesus Christ in the realm of glory.
There is nothing that we need that God cannot supply, if we only believe and make demands for it. When we make prayers of faith, we release God’s angels to convey suitable supplies from the Source to the desired destinations.
Positive actions of faith can never be divorced from the manifestations of the supply of our need. On the contrary, brazen unbelief, negative thoughts, wrong confessions and such other carnal propensities are tantamount to rude insults on the Wisdom of God. Please be careful of such dispositions that can easily hinder answers to your prayers.
Faith is very instrumental in the results you attract in prayers (Hebrews 11:10). It is a heavenly virtue to fully embrace (Habakkuk 2:4).
The woman with bloody flux palaver was saved from longer days of agony and embarrassment because she knew the place of faith demands (Mark 5:25-34). She intentionally drew virtue from Christ through faith, and she was marvelously helped.
Bible faith includes belief but goes beyond it. It is an act of giving one’s trust to Jesus Christ, and substantiating our hope in God to form the evidence for invisible things (Hebrews 11:1).
Faith is an unqualified confidence in the integrity of God and His Word, without which no one can ever enjoy the real blessings of the covenant, no matter how hard he struggles (Romans 4:18).
When our faith is actively helped, and valid demands are made upon the spiritual substance through prayers in the Name of Jesus, genuine supply will manifest. Hence, Jesus Christ repeatedly said to people at moments of divine intervention, ‘thy faith hath made thee whole’ (Matthew 9:22; Mark 10:52).
Yes, your faith is very essential to the manifestations you encounter. Please deploy every Bible means — giving, speaking in tongues, regular appearance in God’s presence, studying the Word, loyal service, consistent love for God, worshipping and praising God, faith declarations, etc., — to intensify it, expand its reach and extend its horizon.
In conclusion, it is important to add that you must keep asking God until you get the answer you desire. Remember that Jesus said you must ask until your joy is full (John 16:24). And, flowing from this, the spirit of prayer is inevitable for the Christian that will nurture a meaningful prayer walk with God (Zechariah 12:10).
The spirit of supplication will stimulate you to pray without ceasing, and help you to enjoy a dynamic spiritual life as of old, when believers prayed passionately and turned things around in their generations.
Brethren, all things are ready, and they are yours. The fullness of the earth beckons, and their lines are fallen unto you in pleasant places. Demand your lots from the Storehouses of God’s treasure, and you will be very glad with what you will see, in Jesus Name. Amen. Happy Sunday!
- Bishop Taiwo Akinola,
Rhema Christian Church,
Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
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