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How to Get Your Prayers Answered

How to Get Your Prayers Answered

The secret to getting prayers answered is to meet the conditions set out by God.

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit (John 15:7, 8 NKJV).

When we abide in Jesus, our hearts are surrendered to Him; our minds hunger for truth and actively assimilate His Word into our hearts; our attitudes, desires, motives, and longings are changed from selfishness to love; and we desire to glorify God. Then, with hearts that live to give glory to God, to uplift Jesus, to advance His kingdom, our prayers are gladly received and God answers them with the wisdom of His infinite foreknowing self. His answers will meet our true need and His greater purposes, and we, who live in abiding trust, rejoice in the varied ways and timing of God’s response.

But there are many prayers that God does not pay attention to—prayers that God does not “listen” to or answer.

The selfish prayer: God does not answer the selfish prayer because such prayer, no matter how religiously it may be phrased, means: “Give me what I want so I can continue to rebel against you, injure my soul, waste resources, and harm others.”

The pretender prayer: A prayer from a person who doesn’t actually believe in God but prays to manipulate others who do believe. “He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV).

The proud prayer: A prayer people make to be seen; to advance themselves as more righteous, more holy, better than others; to be recognized as a religious leader and gain power over others; or to put others down. It was the prayer of the Pharisee recorded in Luke: “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess” (18:11, 12 NKJV).

The rejector-of-truth prayer: A prayer said by those who may even be praying for the right thing but do so while they knowingly deny truth and choose what they know is wrong. This would be a person who prays for better lung function while continuing to smoke, or a person who prays for a happy and healthy marriage while they commit adultery.

The whiny, complaining, negative prayer: The kind of prayer made with no interest in resolution, no desire to work things out, no desire to mature themselves, to heal, to change the destructive feelings, no openness to hear God speak, but simply to lodge a complaint and justify their role as victim and how life is not fair to them.

The proforma prayer: The prayer done by rote, by ritual, by form without any thought or active engagement of the heart in pursuit of a connection with God. Man looks on the outward appearance (other humans can observe the act of performing a prayer), but God looks upon the heart and knows when the person is not praying but merely reciting a ritual.

The Heard Prayer

While there are many prayers that God does not pay attention to, God smiles upon and longs to hear prayers from honest hearts, from people who believe in Him and genuinely desire to connect with Him, to know His will, hear His voice, abide in His presence, be transformed by His love, be strengthened by His power to carry out His will, those who have surrendered self and long to give glory to Him by growing daily in truth, to become mature Christians who manifest His character, and have the ability to live the principles of God, to apply the methods of God in how they govern themselves and treat others.

God will answer all such prayers!

I encourage you to pray—daily and often—but make prayer a conversation with God; talk to Him like you would talk with a friend, which means you must know Him, have faith in Him, and come to understand Him. And make your most intimate prayers private, seeking solitary places to commune with heaven, places without distractions, where you can abide in the quiet and hear the still small voice of God responding (1 Kings 19:12). When you know Him, you will understand His methods, His design laws, and will be more sensitive to His answers, for just as you would with a true friend, you will realize that He will not give certain responses because they are out of character for Him.

And when you encounter moments that seem to be silence, remember that God is your friend and ask yourself what would you do or think if your human friend responded with silence. Wouldn’t you reflect and think, “What did I just ask? Do I already know the truth, the right course, the best action, but want something different and my friend is giving me time to reconsider?” Then when silence seems to be God’s response, apply that wisdom and ask: “Is this a problem that I already know the answer to, that God has previously led me to solve? Do I need to solve this one on my own because God has given me the wisdom, principles, and methods already and now I need to apply them so I can mature and grow rather than seeking Him to tell me every answer?” If so, then ask God for the confirmation to proceed and apply His methods to the situation, actively remembering the vital truths applicable to your situation, thinking through your choices, and keeping your heart open to His leading while you move forward with a thankful heart, also remembering that Jesus has promised never to leave us or forsake us and that we can receive His power as long as our hearts are actively seeking to glorify Him.

Finally, if you are praying for strength to do God’s will, you must remember that we do not receive the strength for the task until we choose to apply the truth and engage in the mission. The smoker doesn’t get the strength to quit until they choose to quit; the runner doesn’t get the endurance to finish the race until they are running the race; the waters do not part until our feet get wet. (See Joshua 3:13.)

The next time you pray, remember Jesus’ promise:

And I will do whatever you ask—that is in harmony with my character, methods, and principles—so that the Son may bring honor and glory to the Father by revealing the healing and life-giving power of his methods. You may ask me for anything in harmony with my character and methods, and I will do it (John 14:13, 14 REM).

 

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Thank you and may God continue to bless you as you share with others the intricacies of how we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made”. I must share that you have opened a whole new world to me, and I have found tremendous healing through what you have shared in two of your books, “Could It Be This Simple?” and “The God Shaped Brain.” I praise God for what you shared, what I have learned, and how I have grown and healed! My prayer is that My Precious Jesus will be seen by others in the way I live, act, talk, etc. and they may be encouraged to know He is truly a GREAT God of LOVE, desiring that no one should perish! God Bless you in your continued endeavors to present Him as He really is!

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I’ve been very blessed by “The God Shaped Brain” and this ministry, through video and podcast, over the last few years. It’s truly opened up my eyes more to the truth about God and the importance of that truth in the present world. The message is so inviting, freeing and enlightening and MORE people need to know about it. I believe it is the last message that can truly, not only prepare a people for salvation and translation, but vindicate the character of God.

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I have been blessed by your ministry. I have experienced personally, and deeply resonate with, the God of love and the beautiful picture of God’s character that you present. I have seen your seminar series on YouTube, read ‘The Journal of the Watcher’ book, used your mobile app, and also listen/study the bible study lesson with you each week. I concur with many of the thoughts and perspectives that you share. I understand your conclusions on natural laws vs imposed law and the legal/penal substitution (incorrect diagnosis). This makes perfect sense to me.

Bless you for all you do.

Melissa L.

 

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We really appreciate your views on the judgment and they make good sense considering our free choice.

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We listen to your bible studies lessons in our class in Montana. You actually were the main reason I decided to get a laptop, so I can go to your site and listen, read, learn, and print the class notes. I am so grateful to learn the correct view of God and his character. Now, to just have others have an interest in knowing, so I can share it with them. Good thoughts your way.

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Just watched watched lesson 10 in the 1st quarter 2021 bible study classs on Isaiah. I want to thank you for your intellectual spirituality; it’s not an oxymoron! From the point of view of a teacher I also enjoy seeing how much personal pleasure you clearly take in not just tasting, but feasting on God’s word – it reminds me of Jeremiah not being able to hold it in! It makes me smile that your cup is so full and overflowing that you make it to Tuesday’s lesson (on a good day). It just goes to show the richness of God’s Word.

God bless the Come and Reason Team from our church here in Great Britain.

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I just want to tell you how blessed I have been reading “The Remedy!” It has become a daily part of my devotional relationship with God. In it I have found a God of love and a God that loves me! The bible has come alive for me! It is the first time that I can say that I have felt hope fill my heart as I have read God’s word. This is good news I can share! Thank you, Dr Jennings! Thank you for your heart for others. I can’t put into words how this has set me free! It has strengthened my trust and love for God.

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I was invited over a friend’s house to see the “God and Your Brain” seminar today. I became [a christian] 36 years ago at the age of 19, but have struggled with the concept of God taking His ‘pound of flesh’ out on His Son to be appeased. Wow. Your seminar has been an incredible revelation and breath of reason and fresh air! I have your book, “The God Shaped Brain,” and it is SO eye opening. Finally, after 36 years enlightenment has come! Praise the Good Lord! What can I say, but that the Real Gospel is truly “Good News!” Thank you for your efforts in giving the Gospel a clear sound!

Paul C.,  Springfield, MA, USA

 

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Then I found Come and Reason Ministries and have come under some extreme pressure when I speak about the ministry. One time a member sent me an internet article titled “Whats wrong with Tim Jennings?” I asked her what she thought of it and she said “I don’t know, I didn’t read it.”

I have always wanted to find out for myself the truth about God, so I stayed with the Design Law construct and have been liberated to understand the big picture. Once we consider Design Law, all other Bible stories and prophecies seem to fit perfectly. It is truly beautiful to see people grasping how God operates this Universe of Love and the liberation it has provided in their lives. It blows my mind to see how consistent Design law is with what our founders believed. I hear statements like “This makes so much sense.”

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Anonymous

 

Testimony 44

We were given a gift of the DVD set, “God and Your Brain,” and we just finished watching it. The truths in this are so powerful and truly an answer to a prayer. We’re seeing hope where once we thought God wasn’t answering our prayers to be free of certain mindsets. He answered with these DVDs and we are hungry for more. Thank you!

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Thank you! I love listening to the Come And Reason Ministries Bible study classes and am using some of your notes to get the lessons together that I will be teaching. You always have such good quotes and Bible texts and pull things together to make good sense.

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Testimony 50

After coming into contact with Come And Reason Ministries, I can finally say that many of my unanswered questions have fallen into place. I discovered that my view of God’s Law was “imposed laws and rules” with “imposed punishments” and that this was the major culprit of my many unanswered questions. Thanks be to God for using you and those around you to help us who have struggled with this “infection” of thought. I have now rejected the “imposed law” concept to fully embrace “Design Law”… to look thru “Design Law,” instead of “imposed law,” is a relief.

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