ANB 49, How to ask God

Hello everyone, this message is rather long. I know this information is vital to every Christian’s
Faith walk. God has so much for us, but we must understand His system for a Christian in this
ungodly world. Don’t try to rush through this, consider it at a time when you can give it a
moment, perhaps even referencing the Scriptures to be sure you are convinced Biblically.

Today I want to go over a topic that will be very near and dear to all of you, praying to God. We
have been over prayer in many senses. One thing to remember is that prayer which recites God’s
Word is a powerful method for two reasons. First, you are reminding yourself of God’s promises
to you, and this builds your faith. Remember, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word
of God (Romans 10:17). Secondly, by praying the Word of God you ensure you are praying in
line with His will for your life. Remember that 1 John 5:14-15 says “And this is the confidence
that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us: and if we know
that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.

In reading this last verse you can get some interesting points, we ensure that He hears us when
we ask according to His will. When we are assured that He hears us, we know that we have
“whatsoever we ask.” That’s a powerful statement, you having whatever you ask depends on
Him hearing you. Does God hear you? We’ll consider this and many other issues. Let’s go
over some mechanics of prayer, specifically, prayer in which you make a request to God. We
will go over several vital truths about making requests to God.

1) As a person who was formerly a sinner, now a Christian, you still don’t know how to pray
properly unless you have been studying this for some time. “Likewise the Spirit also helps our
infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought.” (Romans 8:26.)

We were once natural men, born out of fellowship with God. It takes time to become acquainted
with God’s ways and thoughts. It is almost presumptuous of us to think we properly know how
to talk to God. The writer here says we have an infirmity, or sickness. This sickness is that we
don’t know how to properly pray. (Now truthfully, this passage is discussing speaking in
tongues, when the Holy Spirit speaks through you praying the perfect prayer. But that is a topic
for another day, feel free to contact me if you would like any information on speaking in
tongues, or visit www.exploitsforgod.com/materials and listen to some audio messages on there
about it.) The point for today is that we do not inherently know how to properly pray, but praise
God His Word gives us ample instruction.

2) Right before Jesus teaches us how to pray by giving us the ‘Our Father’ He gives us some
preliminary instruction. “When you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they
think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for
your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:7-8).

So right here Jesus Christ tells us we don’t need to repeat our prayers over and over again, God
knows what we need even before we ask. He never said don’t pray, He just said don’t repeat
your prayers. Why would He say that? The answer, I believe the Scriptures show, is that if you
repeat your prayer you are assuming He did not answer you the first time. You think that by
restating your prayer God will suddenly awaken to its urgency. Like, ‘oh, Byron really needs
that new car, I better hurry up, I didn’t realize he was so desperate.’ Wrong, God knows exactly
what you need when you need it. There is nothing wrong with prayer, but there is something
wrong with believing God has not answered your prayer when you asked. This is a lack of faith.

3) When you pray you should use the Name of Jesus. Jesus is the Name that is above every
name. (Philippians 2:9). Jesus has given us the authority to use His Name. “Verily, Verily, I
say unto you, ‘Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you. Hitherto
have you asked nothing in My Name: ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full. . . At
that day ye shall ask in My Name: and I don’t say to you, that I will pray to the Father for you:
for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came out
from God.” (John 16:23-27).

In this powerful passage Jesus tells us to use His Name when we ask of God. What gets God
motivated to work on our behalf here is our relationship with Jesus Christ. (There is Biblical
authority for the idea that God doesn’t even hear a person’s prayer if they aren’t righteous before
God. I know that is a bold statement, please read Isaiah 59:2. I believe the righteous here
includes those who have accepted Jesus Christ and the Old Testament figures who strove to
please God under the law, for we know He heard their prayers too). The point is that your
relationship with Jesus Christ is God’s motivation for acting for you. Jesus won’t do for you if
you pray, God will do it. God will do it because you believe in His Son. It is through His Son
alone that you can come boldly before the throne of Grace and speak to God.

There is power in His Name. We clearly see Jesus saying here that whatever we ask in His
Name we will receive. We should also understand that we should really be praying to God.
Invoking the Name of Jesus Christ is absolute power to a believer who is authorized to do so.
Jesus, however, is doing one thing right now on your behalf and one thing alone. He is before
God making intercession for all of you, you who have accepted His sacrifice for you that is.
Pray to God. Jesus tells you that He won’t do for you, God will, “Ask the Father.” I know this
may seem like splitting hairs a bit, but shouldn’t we strive to be Biblically perfect. I use the
Name of Jesus all the time, but when I request something I go to God Himself, covered in Jesus
Blood and using His Name.

4).When you pray you must believe that you receive the moment you pray. Let’s look at three
passages.

“O’ Daniel, I (the angel Gabriel) am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the
beginning of your prayers the commandment came forth, and I am come to show you, for you
are greatly beloved.” (Daniel 9:22). The verse says the moment Daniel began to pray God
commanded the angel to come and bring Daniel the answer. At the very beginning of Daniel’s
prayers they were answered. Praise God.

“What things so ever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall
have them.” (Mark 11:24). We must first believe that we receive. You are supposed to believe
you receive the moment you pray. If you believe that you have received what you prayed for,
then you will have what you desire. This is Jesus speaking again in this passage, again telling us
God will answer all our prayers. Yet this time He tells us our part of the operation, we must
believe, or have faith, that God has answered our prayer immediately.

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and doesn’t hold
back; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting. For he that doubts is
like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall
receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:5-8)

Praying the prayer of faith is a prayer that doesn’t doubt. Praying the prayer of faith doesn’t
have one doubt in it that says God may not do what He said He would. If you are praying God’s
promises with one part of you, but doubting God’s promises with the other, you are double-
minded. You are not true in your faith in God. When you ask for something, you must believe
God has answered your prayer that moment. I know you cannot see the physically manifested
answer yet, but we’ll come to that. The point is that you believe you have received. If you want
to look at Mark 11:24 another way, if you don’t believe you have received, you won’t have.
We’re not trying to be 50/50 in our answered prayers, God isn’t going to respond to a maybe
God will do it kind of faith. God responds to single minded faith which understands our rights
before God. God wants you to operate a faith-based process.

5) As just noted, after you pray there will be a time before you see the answer. Moreover,
hopefully you will be tempted to think the prayer was not answered, but you will hold fast to
your faith. How often after you pray for something do you immediately receive the answer, I
mean receive it in the physical realm? I suppose sometimes when you ask God for wisdom the
answer may come quickly. But other than that the answer is never. From the moment you finish
praying until the moment you receive the physical manifestation of your answer, you are in a
period of both faith and temptation.

First the temptation. You are tempted to believe God didn’t answer your prayer. You are
tempted to think you have not received. You are tempted to pray again, like maybe this time
God will have His ears pointed your way. You cannot physically see the thing, so your flesh
wants you to believe you have not received it. How do we fight temptation, by Faith.
(Remember, faith comes from the Word of God.).

So what you must do is build yourself up in faith. Build yourself up in God’s Word, reading and
confessing out loud over and over again how He has already answered your prayer, giving thanks
to God for the answer your already have.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). “Now faith is the substance of thins
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith’s time in this equation is the
time before you physically see the answer to prayer. Faith is the opposite of sight. If you can
see something, you don’t need faith. Anyone can believe what they see in the natural realm.
Really, faith is trust in God’s Word when everything in the natural realm goes against what His
Word tells you. But not just trust, trust which leads you to act on what God’s Word says, not just
what you can see. (You act like you are saved don’t you, but can you see it, no. If you didn’t act
like it would you be out of faith in this area, yes. This is a quick example.) God’s Word tells
you that you have received what you prayed for, your natural circumstances say you haven’t.
Well whose report will you believe? Aren’t we instructed to let God be true, and every man, or
every thing, a liar (Romans 3:4)?

Faith is one of God’s key concerns in your life. Without faith it is impossible to please God
(Hebrews 11:6), without faith you won’t receive anything from God (James 1:5-7), and anything
not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Faith comes from God’s Word. When you get His Word in
you, you begin to trust it. Your trust in God’s Word will carry you through the period between
you believing you already received and you actually having.

6) “Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything,
by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known unto God.”
(Philippians 4:6 (Amplified)

7) “And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone: that your Father
also which is in Heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will
your Father which is in Heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25-26)

8) “And Jesus spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to
faint.” (Luke 18:1).

So how should we think about making a request to God? Let’s say you are praying for your rent
money, for an easy example. I would pray like this. “I thank You Father God that Your Word
says you will provide for all my needs according to your riches and glory in Christ Jesus. I ask
right now in Jesus’ Name for my rent money. I believe right now that I receive my rent money.
I thank You Father God for it. Amen.” Now, after I pray a check won’t appear in my hand, but
that doesn’t change my faith. I just go right on believing I have received. If someone asks if I
have the money I say ‘yes.’ This is not a lie, this is trust in God. What if the person says I’m
crazy, that they can see my wallet is still empty. I say well according to Mark 11 I have received
it, and I let God be true no matter what my wallet says to me. Now I am in the faith period, now
I am walking by faith not sight. I just continue thanking and praising God He has given me my
rent money already. Then we get up to the 11th hour, right before the deadline. I don’t step out
of faith, I just keep on thanking and praising God. Some way, one way or another (never limit
God) He has already answered my prayer. IWhen I need to see the physical manifestation of that
prayer’s answer I will see it. Remember, He knows what I need before I ask, so I only need to
ask once and stand in faith. I already have the money by faith. I’ll see it when I need to.

This is the process by which you should pray for everything. This process should become
second nature to you. Meditate God’s Word here until it does.

May God bless you all, Byron