The Power of Prayer - Three Conditions for Power in Prayer, Part 1

Ever wondered whether God really hears your prayers, you find yourself saying words but in your heart of hearts she would say no I'm not releasing powerful supernaturally well today I'm going to talk about the three specific conditions for God's power to show stay with thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge Chip Ingram chip is our Bible for this international discipleship program unfavorably and were in the middle of chip series.

The hour of prayer in this program chip takes us on a journey to discover three key conditions for experiencing God's supernatural power through our prayer after teaching.

Chip joined us to talk more about how you can help God show up in your firm, so be sure to stick around for that.

Okay, let's join chip for his stock from first John chapter 3 I didn't know Walt very well. I knew that he was a distinguished professor that he was a good speaker in chapel and he was someone a lot of people admired that myself and through for the pastors about four or five businessmen ended up in Haiti with Walt is one of the redeye specials we got off the plane got up in the wee hours of the morning and got a what they called a bus. Seven. All seven of us were on one row and it would see about four comfortably one seatback the lady with the chicken was made the ride unusual 7 1/2 hours straight. I smelled things I never spell before we got fat into a jeepney went into the interior of 80 Walter given 20 years of his life in the deal that he made when he came to teach at the seminary is that I've got to go back every summer for three months and you have to let me take students architect job is setting up one of those trips and had the privilege of seeing the ministry and as we were going through all that I saw Ward of orphans that were totally abandoned that they were helping.

I walked into the area where they were doing surgery and doctors had given their life and nurses back in the middle of I mean nowhere late that night, after we traveled for about 2 1/2 days.

I was absolutely wiped out. Walt said let's pray chip we go to bed once a big guy. He probably would've been a linebacker in the NFL. If he wasn't doing what it's doing now and we knelt down with this little bed and look out. There is his little grass huts and I know you're not supposed to listen when people prayers must be really praying to God that I couldn't help myself.

Sanity given his life for these people and he began to pray and I realized I was in the presence of a man who knew God deeply and powerfully, and loved people and laid out his life and as he prayed that he took this BigHand this big Paul put it on my shoulder goosebumps with no whatever me know and I just I just prayed to God and I realize as I listened to him pray how he prayed and what he prayed was so different.

The kind of things that I pray you know sometimes listening to a person who knows God deeply and much longer than you and I can really help us learn what God is like and how to pray as we start this morning. I want to let you eavesdrop on a prayer of a man that God describes as being someone whose heart beats in the same rhythm as God's. A man who has a heart after God himself. Listen carefully to David as he prays, listen to what he prays here. The intimacy here. The desires of his own heart and see what you can learn about God.

It's a prayer that's recorded in Scripture in Psalm 101 and he says I will sing of loving kindness and justice to the Lord. I will sing praises. I will give heed to the blameless way. When will that come to me I will walk within my house and the integrity of my heart.

I will set no worthless thing before my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away, it shall not pass in its grip on me.

A perverse parts of the park for me. I will know or tolerate no evil. I will get rid of anyone who whispers evil things about someone else and I won't tolerate a man is proud and arrogant. I will approve of those who are faithful to God and let them live in my palace. Those who are completely honest, will be allowed to serve with me.

No liar will live in my palace no-hit the creek will remain in my presence. Day after day, I will destroy the wicked in our land, and I will expel all evil men from the city of our Lord. I want to talk about three conditions that are essential for you to experience the kind of power in your prayer that we talked about the text for the day is first John chapter 3 in the core verses we want to look at is verses 21 and verses 22 and in these two little verses are three conditions.

Three things that have to be true in your life and in your experience, or these promises are free as he hears what happens to be candid with you some of you gotten kind of excited about prayer in the pumped up and so you said okay God now chips that you can have wisdom when you need it. And last week he said okay Lord I got a big decision on a big problem. I want you to give me this wisdom and the truth is, you didn't hear a lot but you don't say that because it might embarrass you under some others who said okay I'll tell what will our finances are tight and get a claim is promising a line that promise up an old God looking for 19th. I'm deleting this eating a check in the mail as we could back your finances about roughly where they were last week and some of you have a child that you want to see come back to the Lord and some of you in a relationship or situation work and you're praying you're really praying is been about a week or two in your heart of hearts down deeper singing of that line. He said Mark 1124 ask anything in my name believe that you received it and you're gonna get it.

You're just about the point were you saying you know on Saturday night or Sunday when the sky gets up and talks about it sounds really good but you know what I suspect isn't working for me isn't really working for me. I want to tell you this morning why it's not working for you.

What I want to tell you this morning as there's three conditions that are essential.

These promises about ask anything in his name. Believe what you receive there given to a special classification of people there not for everyone and if these conditions aren't met. Those promises not belong to you and they don't belong to me. It's like you know if you want to get a loan from the bank you walk in the back and saying I really need about $5000 or some real important needs and is able hears the paperwork filled out the cell. I don't like paperwork. I don't do paperwork. They say we don't do loans for people to live for court. You see it. I'm not talking about merit.

I'm not saying you can do certain things in their brownie points and God can answer your prayer because you do the certain things I'm saying there are conditions there are conditions that if they're not met the old school talks about getting on praying ground you're not even qualified. You're not even in the running for God to hear you answer unless you meet these conditions, and so a bank is evaluating and saying well. We don't want to give you money. They don't give the money to anyone who doesn't do the paperwork and so I want to talk today about what's the paperwork.

One of the conditions that God demands to be true in your life and in your heart and mine so that these outlandish promises about asking anything in his name believing that you receive them, and praying according to his will can be true in your life and you can see that power. Verse 21 has the first condition.

The last two conditions are in verse 22. Let's follow along as I read dear friends. The apostle John writes, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and we received from him anything that we ask you might circle the next word because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. You can ask whatever and you know you can get it if we keep his commands and do the things that are pleasing to him. Those are the two major conditions. Verse 21 has one also. It says dear friends in our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God's word competence keeps popping up. The word met in ancient Greece. It had in the Greek culture. The most sacred right or value of the citizen word has the meaning to feel free to speak one's mind unhampered by fear or shame. It's a picture of having this freedom and boldness and confidence that you step right before God and you know you belong here, no fear, no shame, no baggage. And when you speak you know is in a here is what this word means what stops that confidence is when your heart does condemn condition number one I like to ride in a clear conscience because of the keywords that have less space for condition number one. A clear conscience a clear conscience gives us boldness and confidence before God in prayer that you gotta ask yourself how do you get a clear conscience and the reference here by the way, the whole context is a word of assurance others times and there's many of us, maybe most of us the supplies to his unit we done some things wrong.

We don't deal with things and you know were really up for some of us, God takes a bulldozer to get our attention.

But there's some of you and this is what this passage is for there's some of you that are very, very sensitive. I mean, you're the kind of people that you do nine things right and you're down on yourself because it probably attempt you missed the people that love others in a real, caring, and we look at you and we all wish we could be more like you. But you go to bed at night and bow your head and think, oh gosh, I forgot to call so-and-so you the kind of person that is generous with your time, your generous with your money. Your caring toward others, but you always think will make ask you to pray little more. Maybe I should've given just a little bit more. Maybe I should've taken a little extra. And so what happens there's a group of people in the body of Christ that their guilt ridden. There always down on themselves and you know when you feel guilty deep in your heart you don't want to come and talk to God you feel bad you feel like there's a wedge between you and your relationship with the Lord and John in this context wants to assure you that there's an acid test were you can know for those of you that have a real strict conscience about the way if you're a bulldozer person. Don't listen to this people like you and me take passages like this for license this is for those really tender hearted people look at verse 19. The context explains it.

This then is how we can know that we belong to the truth. He says and how we can set our hearts at rest in his presence. How you do that whenever our hearts.

Verse 20 condemn us of the word means to accuse us, for God is greater than our hearts and he knows everything. With the key phrase here is this then is in verse 19.

Whatever this then refers to is the way that we can know that where the truth assurance know that this is the way to set our hearts quietly when our heart and idea of this phrase is when your heart is falsely accusing you when you're feeling guilty that you not feeling guilty because God wants you to feel guilty. You're feeling guilty because you just one of those kind of people he feels guilty a lot, what's that this then verse 18 explains that this then dear children, let us not love with word or with Tom but in action and in truth, the apostle John is saying is that your assurance that you are in right relationship is just to look at the habitual practice of your life. You have a loving lifestyle. Are there deans and habitual actions. Not that you hit it all the time but your heart, your desire you're giving your loving your caring.

He says when the habitual practice of your life as a caring, loving person and you hear these little voices inside is a should've done more, and by the way these little voices are almost always vague and never specific the Holy Spirit when he wants to convict you. He doesn't mess around. He doesn't say stuff like your sort of a Yuki person you're kind of a jerk your selfish once you get with the program when he convicts you he says you were rude to so-and-so last night at 9 o'clock and you need to make that right. Because the Holy Spirit's job is to draw you back close to God not to make you feel bad but you know there's some of you that struggle, praying the reason you struggle, praying is because you're so down on yourself. The apostle John. This apostle loves us.

This then is how you can know just look at the objective facts of your life. God knows everything he knows your desires. If it's 1130 at night and use it. All I wanted to call her and I wanted to encourage her, but it's too late now. I've blown it know God's probably down on the is not he knew what you wanted to do. He understands he loves you and so the first thing that most of you with real tender hearts need to know is come to God with a clear conscience, knowing, hey, you're my child open up heaven on the basis of the work of Christ. Those of you that habitually practice loving just you. Come on, don't be so down on yourself. Now the second two conditions appeal more to people like myself that God has to come and knock me a little bit over the head.

The second condition is an obedient lifestyle and obedient lifestyle. Look at verse 22 and we received from him anything that we ask because we obey his commands. God answers the prayers of those who keep his commands as a condition is filling out the paperwork seen. The fact of the matter is there are Christians like you and like me and we have these dreams we got we got a child that we want to see start the walk with the Lord and there's a relationship in our family which kind of helix with financial pressure over here is a situation at work were really asking God for moreover here to God. God oh God will really praying to be honest were not seeing many answers rinsing the kind answers that I'm talking about and it would get ticked off at God, but the fact of the matter is, is that there's multiple Commandments that we know that we are just flat out not doing pieces we need to keep his commandments. If you're not in the Scriptures.

You can't know what they are basic areas of the Christian life in terms our thought life are morality our love for other people. We aren't obeying and yet were asking over here and then you'll have the audacity to do what God you don't come through the promises and what the Lord wants us to understand is that these promises is talking about real supernaturally work there's some paperwork involved. You need to meet the conditions you need to come with a clear conscience and you need to come with an obedient lifestyle you will join the series to the application of Joe's to you for listening to the first part of his message preconditions for our prayer from his series, the power of prayer, whether you're a new Christian or a seasoned follower of Christ. Prayer is absolutely essential to our relationship with God is how we communicate with them as his children, we are given free access anytime, anywhere. But how does that actually work in this series, you'll discover the steps to developing a dynamic prayer life. How to remove common roadblocks to answer prayer and what it means to pray with confidence for limited time the resources for the power of prayer are discarded and the MP3s are always free for additional ordering and pricing details, visit LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call at AAA 83336003 hapless nurse top special offers will chip you ended today's message talking about the importance of acting on what we read in Scripture, which will affect his many believers around the world don't have the resources or even a Bible to dig deeper and of course with COBIT. 19. That problem has worsened to commit it sure how God has used this ministry during this trying season to meet the specific need. Dave, I have to tell you that covert was such a challenging and and difficult time very difficult here in America but also all around the world, and two or three things happen. We responded right away.

I think the Lord just gave us an idea and we begin to respond directly to people in their homes with some resources, the daily discipleship and some other things at all. Talk about maybe later in the month, but one the things that happen is we did a webinar live with all the pastors in all of Egypt, and I think God really use that and then what happened is we found out there were pastors in India and then there was a whole another network and Africa and then it moved to Latin America and then southeast Asia and the partners you know like right now media movement day and you version they all joined in and I need to spend this miraculous moment of 13 webinars since covert got going in 16 languages to over 60 countries, ones that we didn't know ones that were hurting and we help leaders and pastors make it through this time and trust God and I would remind people that you know sometimes you think pastors have it all together. They don't have struggles. This has been the most challenging time for pastors I've ever seen. I mean the markets were closed in India, people are dying that the situations in Africa were dire, many people, pastors right here in America were discourage some depressed, some contemplating suicide. There's no exaggeration.

There and what we were able to do was to give them hope and direction, and then resources to help them minister the people in their churches all across the globe.

It's been amazing. What is happened. Thank you to each one of you that gave and prayed that allowed us to do that and what it's opened is a door to do far more.

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Just Donate on behalf of Chip and the team. Thank you in advance for your generosity as we close today's program. We talked about two of the three conditions to really see God's power show up and you know it's it's really challenging to say condition number one God answers prayer to those that have a clear conscience.

In other words, you know that you are right with God. As far as it depends on you. There is nothing between you and your heavenly father to me that is very, very strong when you know you have a clear conscience.

You know, the apostle John tells us that you come boldly and you have confidence that you actually know that you're going to be heard because there's nothing between you and your heavenly father.

The second one we began into talks about an obedient lifestyle that's related but it's a bit different. He talked here about you know when you know your heart doesn't condemn you when you know that as far as it depends on you your obeying what God shows you that that positions you again in this condition to come before God with not a whole bore prayer or please or bag or maybe your unit can I twist God's arm but when you have a clear conscience and when you know as far as it depends on you that you are walking in the truth, there's this amazing boldness and confidence we can have that as I say that I want to share something with a couple groups of people because I watch people respond to the section and there's two basic responses. There's one group that basically says you know I really want God's power and as I was listening to this message and I heard you teach that I've got a couple areas in my life that I know they're not right. God's convicting me, but I just don't really want to change God would say to you. Yes I'm your father yes I love you. Yes I want to help you, but I'm the holy God of the universe, and you need to have a change of mind you need to repent.

I want to answer. I want to give you the best, but if you're involved morally and some things you know are wrong. If you have some addictive behaviors there some things in your heart for your speech or if there's a lack of integrity in some areas.

God is having us have this conversation right now so you can address that. Confess it, forsake it and he wants to answer your prayers. There's another group, however, that when we talk about having a clear conscience and is there anything in your life that might hinder your prayers. There, on the other end of the continuum. They have an overly developed conscience while you know, I wonder if when I said something to someone three days ago if my motives were 100% right. This isn't for people like you. This is for people right now that are in blatant moral sin and God wants to get their attention. And so here's what I want you to know when the spirit of God is speaking to you. He brings conviction.

Conviction shows you specifically what's wrong to restore your relationship with him if you hear a vague sense of your unworthy. You probably did something wrong. You're not a good person that's called condemnation and that's from the enemy.

Stay with me because in her next broadcast were going to roll out exactly how you can know the difference and how to note that you can have power and authority before the throne of God is Living on the Edges making a difference in your life and like others to receive the same blessing we love to have you partner with us. Thanks to a handful of very generous friends of the ministry. Every gift we received between now and July 6 will be doubled. 4400 or 4000 doubled dollar for dollar to send a gift. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org Donate all the up or give us a call at AAA 83336003 that's AAA 333-6003. Your generosity is greatly appreciated: selects time for everyone here. This is the same. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge