This, in my opinion, is the #1 “secret” for getting your prayers answered by God the Father. Here is the Scripture verse that completely captures this principle.

“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; so you will be My disciples.” (John 15:7)

Look very, very carefully at this verse to see what Jesus is trying to tell you. He is giving you two main pieces of revelation in which to grasp if you want to be able to get God to answer more of your specific prayers. Here are the 2 main points.

1. Establish a Personal Relationship with God

The first part of the first sentence - “If you abide in Me” - is telling you that the first thing God wants from you in order to be able to properly approach Him for prayer is a personal relationship with Him!

Jesus is using the word “abide.” What He wants from us is that we abide in Him, that we live in Him. This denotes a personal, in-depth love relationship with Him. The #1 reason God created humans was for intimate fellowship. He has this incredible love for us humans and He wants more than anything else that we approach Him and enter into this one on one personal relationship with Him.

If you really stop and think about this - what is the greatest joy that a person can have on this earth? What is the one thing that most humans long for? What is the one thing that makes you cry when you see this at the movie screens? It is the longing for a personal love relationship with a person of the opposite sex. The longing for a true soul mate. Why? Because that one person, more than any other person, is the one who can really get to know you. It is the one person who can become your best friend. It is the one person who you can tell anything and everything to.

It is the most unique of all human relationships. Some of you have found this “true love” and others have not. The ones who have this one true love in their lives know exactly what I am talking about. Those of you who do not have this true love in your life know the longing for this one special person.

This same longing that we have to meet that one true soul mate is the same longing that God has for us. Except with God, this longing for us is much more intense. The fact that He would send His one and only Son to physically die on a cross in order to get us back to Himself shows more than anything else how much He really does love us.

The best analogy that I can give you on this is the “best friend analogy.” God wants to become your best friend - over your soul mate and over any other best friends you have. He wants to be #1 in your life and will not settle for anything less. The Bible says that God the Father is a “jealous God - a consuming fire.”
Some Christians believe if they go to church once a week, sing a few songs in church and pay their tithe, that they are “in relationship” with God. God wants more than this. He wants you 7 days of the week - not just one time a week in church. He wants to be able to freely commune with you any day and anytime of the week. He wants you to talk with Him just like you would with your best friend. He wants dynamic, free flowing conversation with you on anything you want to discuss with Him, no matter how small or trivial it may seem to you. And He wants you to be open to listening to anything that He may have to say to you.

What happens to a lot of Christians is that they have not established this kind of personal relationship with God and when a crisis or emergency presents itself, it is already too late to try to get God to answer your prayer.

Notice that Jesus starts the first sentence out with the word “IF.” IF you have established a relationship with God, THEN you can approach Him with your prayer requests and THEN He will answer them.

Too many Christians attempt to “use” God. The only time they ever approach God is when they need something. God thus has no natural desire to answer any prayer request you may present before Him because you have not established any type of true personal relationship with Him.

One of the things that I feel like the Holy Spirit has conveyed to me is that if you really want to be able to get God to answer more of your prayers, you have to create a desire in Him to want to answer your prayer. And the #1 way that you create a desire in God for Him to want to answer any prayer request you may have is to establish a good personal one on one love relationship with Him.

The Parent-Child Analogy

The analogy the Holy Spirit gave me to understand all of this was the “Parent-Child Analogy.” Imagine you have 2 small children. The one boy really loves you. He has established a true love relationship with you. He wants to “hang out” with you.

He comes and tells you everything that happened to him today. He tells you all the “little things” that may have gone right or wrong during the day. He values your opinion.

When he gets older and more mature, all of sudden he wants to hear about your problems. He wants to know more about you, your past, why you do what you do, why you think the way that you do, etc. This child is truly abiding in you, truly living in you.
You feel like you and him are “one in spirit.” As a result of this relationship, you can read each other minds and thoughts. As you grow older, the relationship deepens and keeps getting better and better.

Then you have the other child. He could care less about you and your personality. The only time he will ever approach you is when he needs something. He will even go as far as to “act” like he cares about you, but once he gets what he wants from you, he is back to ignoring you until the next time he needs something.
As he grows older, you grow farther and farther apart. When he is finally able to leave home on his own, you never hear from him unless he really needs something from you. He hardly ever calls or comes over.

Now if you are the loving father over these 2 children, which of the two will you have a natural desire to help out when they need your help on something? You have no natural desire to help the one who has been “using” you all these years. However, with the child who has established a true love relationship with you, you will bend over backwards to give that child anything and everything that he needs. Why? Because he loves you for you! He doesn’t love you for what you can do for him. He loves you for the person that you are and for the friend that you have been for him all those years.

In fact, your love for this “loving son” will be so great, that a lot of times you will give him what he needs before he will even ask you for it. Why? You are so “in tune” with him, you will know what he needs sometimes before he even knows that he will need that something. Then you want to give it to him before he even asks you because your love for him is so great. You have a very strong, natural desire to want to make him happy just because of the personal relationship that he has established with you all these years.

It is the exact same way with God the Father! Establish a true, loving personal relationship with God and see if your whole life doesn’t do a complete 180! Nothing will move God the Father to want to work on your behalf as establishing this kind of personal relationship with Him will!

One word of caution. God cannot be tricked or duped. You cannot approach God trying to enter this kind of personal relationship in order to get Him to give you all of your wants and desires. Your motives must be pure! You enter into a relationship with God because you want to get to know Him personally! You don’t enter into this kind of a relationship to see how much He can give you. You have to “want God” for who He is - not for what He can do for you. The Bible tells us to seek the face of God - not His hand.
For those of you who have truly established this kind of personal relationship with God, I’m sure you can testify that this is truly the greatest experience that a human can have this side of heaven. That this one and only true God in the entire universe can actually make contact with you, commune and talk with you and really establish an intimate relationship with you.

For those of you who have not really established this kind of personal relationship with God, the one thing that I and my friends can tell you is that there is nothing to be afraid of. God will handle and relate to you on the level that you are currently operating at. This personal relationship is not built overnight, but over time.

God can satisfy and meet the deeper longings of your soul and spirit that no human can reach! He can truly love you deeper and better than any human can. You can totally trust Him because He is perfect in all of His ways. He will not hurt you or harm you in any way. God has no dark side to Him so He is completely trustworthy. He is totally incapable of hurting you in any way.
A lot of Christians are afraid to go “deeper” with God in this kind of a personal relationship because they have been terribly hurt in other “love” relationships - whether it be with parents or lovers. All humans are imperfect and are thus not capable of “perfect love.” Since God is perfect, He and only He, is capable of giving you this kind of perfect love.

2. The Bible

Note the second part of the first sentence says, “My words abide in you.” I believe Jesus is telling us two things in that sentence.

His “Words” means literally His Words. If you have established a true love relationship with God, He will talk to you just like you will talk to Him. And if He is talking to you, His words will then be abiding in you! This is the direct result of a free flowing dialogue that you have established with God as a result of having established a personal relationship with Him.

The other meaning to the word “Words” I feel He is referring to is Scripture - the Bible. If you really want to enter into a real relationship with God, you have to spend regular quality time studying the Bible. The Bible is the only true source that we have to really learn about God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

When you enter into a true love relationship with someone, the first natural desire you have is to want to get to know everything about that person. You want to know their likes and dislikes, where they came from, where they have been, etc. And you find that out by asking a lot of questions. With God, the #1 way that you learn about Him is to read the Bible because the Bible tells you everything about Him, His Son and His Spirit.
You have to seek out knowledge about God and the Bible is the main source on our earth that can teach us about God and all of His ways.

BOTTOM LINE

To summarize the above Scripture verse in one bottom line statement:

God is looking to establish a one on one personal love relationship with each one of us. This is done in 2 ways:
A direct, free flowing and spontaneous best friend relationship with God where you commune with Him on a regular and frequent basis in the exact same way you would with a best friend.

Seeking after God by trying to get to know all you can about Him through study and meditation on what is written in the Holy Bible.

I guarantee you that if you are willing to enter into both of these “realms” with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, your life will never be the same again. The personal relationship that you can enter into with God is the “door opener” that will change the course of your entire life. The “journey” is there for all will accept and step into it!

A complete and clean copy of this article can be found at http://www.bible-knowledge.com/Prayer-Secret-1.html

Article written by Michael Bradley, author of over 100 articles which can be found at http://www.bible-knowledge.com.

To be able to realize our own ignorance is to be wise. Some people say that they know a lot and they are good at poetry, literature and art. But the wise may say, in fact they know is just a smattering of everything. I have met people in the spiritual field claiming that there is nothing to learn in Tao. The sage does not have this fault because he steers clear of such a fault and he knows he can never stop learning.

My Heavenly Master said, “Being in the midst of the heavens and the earth, Man must not regard oneself as unsurpassed and superior to others, or consider oneself as the center of everything. This is the so-called: There are heavens exterior to a heaven; there are Men exterior to a man. You should understand that you are just a grain in a vast sea, just a grain of sand. Then, within this sand-territory of the Ganges (the entire universe), the roles that you must play are just a matter of several decades. When you have finished with singing this opera, where are you moving house again? This is uncertain. You must be far-sighted, be very sure that you don’t get attached to the beautiful scenes before your eyes and that year after year, you spend the time only in serving your own interests; only serving your own happiness!

Take a look at your national heroes, the idols within your hearts. These heroes could be so peerless in their martial skills and become everyone’s idols. They can make so many people fall with one kick. But could they conquer ‘impermanence’? No, they couldn’t. Instead, they were fallen by just a gentle kick from impermanence. Hence, no matter how adaptable people are; no matter how high and unsurpassed their wisdom is, they cannot fight against a gentle blow from the impermanence. When ‘Yama’ (underworld guardian angel) sends the blank paper over (issue an order), mustn’t people let go what their hands have grasped and leave the human world?”

Nobody can escape old age, sickness and death. Let’s think about this: How many happy events are there in this life? The most anxious thing for people is just hunger and cold. Even if one wears silk, drinks fine wine, tastes exotic food everyday and lives in mansion, the flesh cannot stay unwithered for a hundred years. The wealth and nobility of life is actually a dream. People are entangled by many things in the world; and these entanglements are all invited by oneself.

Everyone of us must go through the sour, sweet, bitter and spicy parts of life. Human existence in the world has more suffering than joy. To put an end to this suffering, we must make contributions and build our virtues. Only with true merits and honest repentance can Heaven offer true help. Make the journey of life a meaningful one and let’s see a poem by my Heavenly Master JiGong;

“Reconize the directions clearly. Turn the steering wheel on seeing the wind (grip opportunities). Rebuild a new life and seek the Root. Throw away and let go all greed, anger, ignorance and blind love and passion. To the ones with affinity, the Saints and Worthies are beckoning from afar. Do encourage yourself and do cultivate with haste.”

Wisdom of life is to reconize ourselves, who we are and why we are here. In this land of endurance there is a great heap of defects and frustrations. We have a choice and don’t live without choices. Humble ourselves and learn the way to liberation of life. Use the false self (body) to save the true self (soul). Let go of all attachments and don’t crave for fame and wealth. Free ourselves from greed and worries and if we are willing to adapt to all conditions, a bitter gall-bladder can turn into a sweet spring; if we can transform the situations, a thatched cottage can be an elegant mansion too.

Author: T.A Chew

T.A Chew, till now has been living a simple life and his small little house temple is like a mansion with a beautiful willow tree. If ever he has to build a great mansion, it would be a great temple for all to come together to study and practise Tao. Website: http://www.white-sun.com

PRAYER! This is probably one of the two most important aspects
of our daily walk as a Christian. The other, of course, is Bible
Study. Prayer is the one way that we, as Christians, can commune
with God on a daily basis. It is as important to our spiritual
health as is water and air to our physical well-being. It is
absolutely necessary that the Christian spend time in earnest
prayer.

Remember, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for
one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent
prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)

To many Christians prayer is not a meaningful act. All too often
people pray but do not realize the full blessings that are
available through this means of seeking God’s will. They may be
praying in a shallow meaningless way, or, they just do not
really believe in the power of prayer. God does hear and answer
prayers of Christians. I sometimes feel that we are guilty of
asking for God’s will in our lives, but what we really want is
our will in God’s life.

There is power in prayer! You, as a Christian, have the
authority to enter God’s throne room and ask for His blessing in
your life. You may enter with the boldness of faith and
knowledge that God hears and answers prayers. “Let us therefore
come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and
find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) Why has God
given us this authority? Because we Christians have been adopted
into the royal family of God, “… that we may receive the
adoption as sons.” (Galatians 4:5b) However, “come boldly to the
throne” does not mean to come to the throne in a disrespectful
manner. It means to come with the boldness that is present when
we KNOW something to be true. In other words, to come with the
boldness of faith and knowledge that God will receive us, hear
our prayers, and answer them according to His will. Honor,
praise, glory, and reverence should always be given to our
Heavenly Father.

How should we pray? Prayer should not be offered to God in a
negative manner. Matthew 6:5-7 tells us that we should not be
like the hypocrites and pray to be seen, and use vain
repetitions. Often we are called upon to pray in public for a
particular purpose. On these occasions, we are to offer a
community prayer on behalf of the group assembled. These prayers
should not be given to bring glory to our ability to offer those
prayers, we should not do it to be seen. We should not do it
with pretense as the Pharisees did in Matthew 23:14, and Luke
20:47. Also when we pray, either in public or private, we should
not do it with unforgiveness in our heart.

The Bible tells us how to pray. We should pray persistently
(Luke 18:1-8), in faith believing (Matthew 21:21,22; Mark 11:23;
James 1:6,7), expectantly, as from a friend (Luke 11:5- 10),
assuredly, as from a father (Luke 11:11-13), fervently
(Colossians 4:12), in Christ’s name, or by His authority (John
14:13,14), boldly (Hebrews 4:15,16), and with confidence toward
God (1 John 3:19-22).

Why do we pray? Jesus set the example for us as indicated in
Luke 6:12, “Now it came to pass in those days that He (Jesus)
went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in
prayer to God.” Jesus also taught us how to pray (Matthew
6:5-13). Taking our needs and desires to the throne of God can
do many things for us. It can help us to overcome temptation
(Luke 22:40). Prayer can help us to realize those things which
we need and desire (James 4:2 & 1 John 5:14,15). We can obtain
forgiveness (1 John 1:9,10). We can help others to get well
(James 5:16); to be forgiven (1 John 5:16); and to overcome sin
(Luke 22:32).

It is interesting to note here that First Samuel 12:23-25)
teaches us that we sin when we fail to pray for others. We can
obtain wisdom as we see in James 1:5. Wisdom is not knowledge,
but rather the application of knowledge. We can gain soul
winners (Matthew 9:38). Even when we don’t know what is best for
ourselves, or we may not even know what is proper to pray for or
how to express them, our prayers will be answered (Romans
8:26-28). We should know that God wants us to pray. Know also
the, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails
much.” (James 5:16b).

We have discussed how and why to pray, but what is it that we
should pray for? I have some friends who feel that the words of
Jesus in Matthew 21:22 teach us that whatever we want we can
have. “And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing,
you will receive.” Does this really mean that if I want one
million dollars, and I pray to God for that, and believe with
all my heart, being and soul that He will supply it for me, that
I will receive it? If the above statement by Jesus was a
universal truth, the answer would be yes! However, to fully
understand this statement by Jesus, we must examine other
scripture to determine what God’s word says we should pray for.

Here is what God’s word says we should pray for: God’s rule on
earth as in heaven (Luke 11:2); our daily bread or necessities
(Luke 11:3); forgiveness (Hebrews 7:25 & 4:16); shelter and
rescue from temptation (Matthew 6:13 & Luke 22:40); for others
(James 5:16, 1 John 5:16, & Luke 22:32); wisdom (James 1:5);
soul harvesters (Matthew 9:38); for the church (Ephesians 6:18);
for our enemies (Luke 6:28); for government officials (1 Timothy
2:1- 3); for open doors that we may spread the Good News of
Jesus Christ to others (Colossians 4:3); and for the word of God
to have a free course to expand the kingdom to all nations (2
Thessalonians 3:1). I can find no place in God’s word where we
are taught that we should pray for material blessings so we can
have our lives more abundant in the things of the world. We
should pray for those things which will make our lives here on
earth more abundant in the things of the spirit.

In the scriptures we are also given several examples of when to
pray. We should pray for others when they are in need. Jesus
prayed for Peter when he (Peter) was tempted, Abraham prayed for
Sodom because of its sinfulness, Moses prayed for Miriam when
she was sick, Job prayed for those who abused him, and David
prayed for his enemies. There are countless other examples of
prayers for others in the scriptures. God’s word has a lot to
say about other times when we should pray. We should pray when
we are tempted (Luke 22:40); when we are sick (James 5:13-15);
when we are persecuted (Acts 16:25); always (Ephesians 6:18);
continually (Acts 6:4 & Romans 12:12); without ceasing (Acts
12:5 & 1 Thessalonians 5:17); all night (Luke 6:12); night and
day (1 Thessalonians 5:17); steadfastly (Acts 2:42); when
fasting (Mark 9:29); and when eating to sanctify what we eat (1
Timothy 4:5).

A sister in Christ and I were recently debating the subject of
baptism, when she began to feel that I was questioning her
sincerity. She told me that the last few months had really been
trying for her, and that without prayer she did not feel that
she could have made it through her ordeal. She asked me, “Where
do you pray?” I told her that I prayed everywhere, that I did
not feel that there was any place that I could not whisper a
prayer to God. God’s word tells us where to pray: A solitary
place (Mark 1:35); on your knees (Acts 9:40); in a place of
prayer (Acts 16:16); in our closets (Matthew 6:6); and together
(Acts 1:14 & 12:5). To say that we should pray in a solitary
place or in a closet indicates that we should pray where we can
be alone with God, just the two of us. This is important for us
to be alone with God as we talk with Him, so we can share with
Him our innermost thoughts and cares. This also gives us the
opportunity to tell God how much we love Him, praise Him, and
honor Him for the blessings we receive. But we should also pray
together for blessings that will help our fellow brothers and
sisters in Christ, individually and collectively as the church.
To be sure, we can (and do) pray in other positions. However, we
should not forget that when we pray we should humble ourselves
before God. Getting down on our knees is one way to do this.

Who do we pray for? I’m afraid that all too often our prayers
are for what we want or feel that we need. It is important that
we make our desires known to God. However, we also need to pray
for others and their needs. We should pray for friends (Philemon
1:4); enemies (Matthew 5:44); fellow Christians (Philemon 1:9 &
1 Thessalonians 5:23); for harvesters (Matthew 9:38); for
sinning Christians (1 John 5:15,16); for the sick (James 5:16);
church officers (Acts 6:6 & 14:23); for those in prison (Acts
12:5); and preachers (2 Corinthians 1:11, 8:4, & Ephesians 6:19).

Wouldn’t it be great if all Christians had a very active,
sincere, fervent, daily prayer life? Just imagine how much
better this world would be if all Christians united daily in
this kind of prayer. Unfortunately there are hindrances to
prayer, and Christians are subject to those hindrances. If we
have an un-Christian relationship with others, our prayers are
hindered. 1 Peter 3:7-12 speaks to the relationships we have
with others. We should “…be of one mind, having compassion for
one another, love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be
courteous…” (1 Peter 3:8a). The opposite of these causes a
hindrance to prayer. Having unforgiveness in our heart also
serves to hinder our prayers as Jesus taught in Matthew 6:14.

I said earlier that we should not pray for material blessings so
we can have our lives more abundant in things of the world. In
reality, when we pray this type of prayer, it becomes a
hindrance to what we should pray for as well as answers to
prayer. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that
you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:3).
Self-righteousness serves to hinder us in our prayer life, read
the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke
18:9-14. Other hindrances include Satan, lack of fasting, lack
or persistence, unbelief, and iniquity in the heart.

This has not been an exhaustive study of prayer, for there are
more than eighty prayers in the Old and New Testaments, as well
as countless other references to prayer. However, I have tried
to give you and overview of prayer which will teach you the
basic truths about prayer. Learn to pray to your Heavenly
Father. Praise Him, thank Him, glorify Him, and seek His
guidance in a daily time of prayer. But most of all love Him
with all your heart and soul, and express that love for Him in
your prayer life. Does God answer prayer? YES! Remember, “The
effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
(James 5:16b).

Favorite Scriptures

I have many favorite scriptures that help me make it through
this world and live each day in Christ Jesus. Here are just a
few.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
(Romans 3:23)

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not
your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to
You: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was
betrayed too bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it
and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you;
do this in remembrance os Me.’ In the same manner He also took
the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in
My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of
Me.’” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you,
always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance
for every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

All scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version unless
otherwise noted.

Swami Vivekananda presented the talk, Real Religion at the World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893. With this speech, he introduced Vedanta (AKA Hinduism) to the West. It is more than 100 years later and the Christian West continues to struggle with the world’s religions. This is a brief opportunity to comment on Vivekananda’s speech.

“Religion does not consist in doctrines or dogmas.” What simple and wise words. However, the religion of the West, Christianity, is devoted to its doctrines and dogmas. Doctrines about Christianity as the exclusive path to salvation are the roots of Christian evangelization and, sadly, of Christian intolerance. Such intolerance extends to the ends of the earth. The Catholic hierarchy, for example, sets its gaze upon every religious tradition and judges. The proselytizing view of the Catholic Church and all of Christianity, peruses its own house. In Catholicism, for example, Catholic theologians who dare to present theological arguments for salvation in religions other than Christianity are silenced, taken from teaching positions, indexed.

I agree with Vivekananda. Doctrine is not the same as the experience to which doctrine points. God-realization cannot be achieved by reading doctrines or encyclicals. The Christian Testament points to a reality that must be experienced. The purpose of the Gospels, for example, is to encourage faithful to embark on a journey home to God and to portray the unfathomable source of pure love that is God. But, the words are not the journey. “The raft is not the shore.” If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.

This does not mean that doctrines, dogma, sacred texts are disposable and without real spiritual value. I merely suggest that the source of strife among the peoples of the world is inordinate reliance upon religious teachings at the expense of emphasis upon an experience of God and the consequent comprehension of the interrelationship among all people and the cosmos.

For religious leaders in any religious traditions, why is it so incomprehensible to agree with Vivekananda: “As soon as a man stands up and says he is right or his church is right and all others are wrong, he himself all wrong.” Of course, in order to be consistent, I suppose I must admit that I could be wrong.

Sandi Fults has a Master’s degree in Systematic Theology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. She also attended the graduate Middle Eastern Studies program at the University of Texas at Austin. Her area of specialization is Interreligious Dialogue and the world’s religions, with emphasis on the South Asian Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions. She is convinced that interreligious dialogue is a way to peace.