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SEVEN STEPS TO ANSWERED PRAYER
* Using Your Faith
Step #1 Be Specific and Stand on God’s Promises
Step number one to receiving answered prayer is:
- Decide what you want from God and
- Find the scripture or scriptures that definitely promise you these things.
** Know what you want God to do for you and ask for it. Many words don’t impress God. Clarity and faith do. If your prayer is indefinite, how will you know when God has answered it? Be specific in your requests.
** Faith begins where the will of God is known. You can not believe beyond your knowledge. So, what you know is of primary importance in your prayer life.
We also know that the Word of God is the will of God. When your prayer agrees with and affirms what God says in His word, you have grounds for your faith to stand upon. You can be confident that you are on good praying ground. (I John 5:14, 15)
Once you’ve found scriptures that promise you what you desire from God, get those scriptures firmly fixed in your heart, not just your head. Meditate in God’s word until they are a part of your inner consciousness. (Joshua 1:8)
Do step one first! Don’t try to jump ahead for fast results. You’ll probably fall flat on your face and then you’ll blame God and go around spreading ignorance by saying that prayer doesn’t work for everybody.
Step #2 You must ask God for what you want
Step number two to receiving answered prayer is
- Ask God for the things you want and b.) believe that you receive them.
** Some people say that Jesus said, “God knows that we have need of all these things.” (Matthew 6:32) So, there is no need in asking. Just wait for God to get it to you. If it’s for you, you will get it. And if it isn’t, you won’t.
I sure hope you aren’t that misinformed. Yes, God knows what we need, but prayer is an act of humility. Jesus told us to ask, that our joy may be full (John 16:23, 24). Again, He told us to ask and we would receive. Every one who asks, receives (Matthew 7:7, 8). Don’t forget. ASK!
** The next part of step two is to release your faith by believing you receive what you are asking for when you pray. Actually take hold of your answer that you found in the scriptures as an act of faith at the time you pray.
Most people want to believe after they possess it. Why do that? You don’t need to believe it then, you have it. No, you have to believe you receive it before you have it.
It goes like this. When do you believe you receive it? Before you have it. When do you have it? After you believe you receive it.
Step #3 Be Positive in Your Thinking
Step number three to receiving answered prayer is let every thought and desire affirm that you have what you asked for.
In order to receive answers to your prayers, you must eradicate every image, suggestion, vision, dream, impression, feeling, and all thoughts that do not contribute to your faith and that do not affirm that you have what you have asked God for.
This step involves spiritual warfare. You use the scriptures that you found in step 1 as weapons against the doubts and negative thoughts the devil will try to put in your mind, usually through other people or dead church traditions that are not supported by God’s Word (I Peter 5:8, James 4:7).
This is where the continuous operation of your faith comes into the picture. You must uproot or remove contrary thoughts. Satan works in the sense realm and attacks the mind with fiery darts of doubt to produce doubt and unbelief in your mind. Resist him!
When doubts come, and the devil will see to it that they will, stop where you are and speak to that mountain and say, “Doubt! I resist you in the name of Jesus. I refuse to doubt. Leave me, now, in the name of Jesus!” Do this as often as needed to hold your ground. Faith works in the unseen (intangible) spirit realm to produce change in the seen (tangible) natural world.
Step #4 Guard your mind
Step number four to receiving answered prayer is guard against every evil thought that comes into your mind to try to make you doubt God’s Word.
It is crucial that you take these steps in order. Each step is the foundation for the next. This may take several days or weeks. Well, don’t get in a hurry, unless of course it is an emergency. Most prayer requests can wait for you to build a firm foundation for your faith.
Thoughts are governed by observation, association, and teaching. That’s why you should stay away from people, places, movies, songs, people, and some churches that do not affirm that you have received by faith what you asked for in prayer.
This step is closely related to step three. You have to resist and pull down every thought and imagination that exalts itself against the true knowledge of God and God’s word. Take every thought captive and screen it as if it might contain terrorists weapons of mass destruction!
Finally, control your thoughts by intentionally thinking on the scriptures you found in step number one. Think on the positive things that affirm and strengthen your faith (Philippians 4:8)!
Step #5 Meditate on God’s Promises
Step number five to receiving answered prayer is meditate constantly on the promises upon which you based the answer to your prayer.
Give your attention to the scriptures that promise you what you’ve asked from God (Proverbs 4:20-22). Take the time to do it faithfully. Say them to yourself out loud. Think about them and discuss them with other people. See yourself with the answer. When you see yourself with the answer, nothing and no one can rob you of it!
Step #6 Continually thank God for the answer
Step number six to receiving answered prayer is in your every waking moment, think on the greatness of God and His goodness, and count your blessings. Lift your heart to God continually in increasing praise and gratitude for what He has done and for what He is doing for you now.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us not to worry about our life, about what we shall eat, drink; nor about our body or what we shall wear (Matthew 6:25-33). Our heavenly Father is our source for all these things. So, don’t worry. Well, that makes it a sin to worry. Jesus pointedly told us not to do it!
The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us to mix thanksgiving with our prayers. Giving of thanks to God is an expression of our faith for His answering our prayer (Philippians 4:7). Once we pray the prayer of faith and believe we receive what we’ve asked, we should not ask for it again. To ask for the same thing five times in the same way is pray in unbelief four of the five times. We should give thanks to God for the answer, continually, after praying the first time.
Step #7 Make every prayer a statement of faith
Step number seven to receiving answered prayer is make every prayer, relative to what you’ve asked, a statement of faith instead of a statement of unbelief.
It is thinking faith thoughts and speaking faith words that leads the heart out of defeat into victory.
Unbelief and doubt will undo your prayers. Begin making faith confessions as part of your prayer life. A confession is a statement of agreement with God on a subject. For example, Psalm 23 is one of the favorites of many people. Instead of saying, “The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want,” you can make a faith confession by saying, “ The Lord is my Shepherd. I do not lack any good thing. I do not lack healing. I do not lack faith. I do not lack power. I do not lack good Christian friends of like precious faith. I do not lack finances. I have everything I need!”
That is a faith statement. You may not have these things, but Jesus said that when you pray, believe you receive them and you shall have them! So, convert your prayers into a statement of faith!
Scriptures - 7 Steps to Answered Prayer
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