I HAVE IT!
1 John 5:15 And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.
The issue is not getting God to answer our prayers but getting Him to hear us. The hearing is not a physical hearing. God knows our thoughts; He knows what we have need of before we even ask Him, but we must ask. The Word is clear that we have not because we ask not. It seems to be a legal thing that God needs us to ask Him. As the righteous Judge, He has set up a system so that He can legally intervene in our lives through prayer. We even have an advantage that we can pray in Jesus’ name because of the covenant we have with Him.
It is not as though asking is all there is to it. We are also given some instructions in James 4:3, “You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts.” This is talking about the lust of our flesh and friendship with the world. What keeps us from asking for things that will just fulfill a lust of the flesh? The Word is clear that if you ask to consume it on the lusts of your flesh, you will not receive from God. That takes us back to John 15:7 where we are told to abide in Him and let His Word abide in us. This abiding in Jesus will keep us in the will of God and only asking for what His will is according to His Word. Remember, the will of God is not hard to find out. It is written. And the Holy Spirit is a great communicator. He can let you know the Father’s will in every area of your life.
When you get done praying, you must believe that you have it. Mark 11:24 says that when you pray, you must believe that you receive. When? At the moment you say, “Amen,” you must know that you have the petition you prayed, that at the moment you received it. Our scripture says, “we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” Faith is a persuasion. When you are fully persuaded that you have it before you see it, you will have it. You must be careful that after you say, “Amen,” you don’t start looking in this natural realm or begin to hesitate or doubt. When you prayed the will of God, He heard you; and if He heard you, then, you have it! So, what’s left to do but rejoice!