Conditioned Your Prayers
Before our prayers are answered, there are conditions that have to be met before they even reach His throne. In the Word of God, it records, ‘’If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’’ (1 John 1:9 KJV) Do we really admit that we have done wrong by someone else? We all have to take full responsibility for our own actions, our own attitudes, and our own dispositions. The definition of honesty means- a: fairness and straightforwardness of conduct b: adherence to the facts: (Merriam-Webster) We have to be honest with ourselves. Growing up, life for my siblings and I held good times and learning times, too. Our parents taught us at a very young age to do household tasks and outside tasks, and these had to be done. My parents would tell each one of us what our chore was for that moment in time. They didn’t ask us for our perfection, but they asked us to do what they said to do. About thirty minutes to an hour later, they would check on us to see what we had accomplished in that timeframe. If we were trying but maybe not doing so fast, they were more understanding. But if they came to check on us and found us goofing off, playing with our toys, or playing our video games on the Atari, and the firewood wasn’t gathered inside the house, the splitting of the firewood wasn’t done, and it wasn’t stacked on the woodpile, our punishment wasn’t the best for us. Time after time we asked the Lord for his forgiveness. But, really, we aren’t honest with Him – maybe we are holding on to some kind of bad experience, a tad of jealousy, or a bit of selfishness. Just be a person that is honest with the Lord and admit, “Lord, I am wrong; you’re right.” That’s just plain speaking but it’s the truth. When we aren’t honest with the Lord, it ruins our connection with Him. None of us are perfect people; we all make and will make mistakes. We have to forgive those who have done something wrong to us. What are our motives? It’s not worth our unanswered prayers if we hold back. The Lord doesn’t owe us anything; we owe him our whole being. He takes charge in these things and set those things right in our lives of opposition where we want to serve God with all our hearts and minds, but we are pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different against His will for our lives. Stay Encouraged.
By: Lynne Conley
