Prayer is good, it is wonderful and powerful. But the truth is that Christianity is not first of all prayer. Christianity is life, the very Life of God, and it is this life that gives power and relevance to our prayers. You can't petition a Kingdom that you don't share common life or identify. It is an effort in futility for the kingdom of rabbits to petition the kingdom of fish.
The relevance of a man's prayers is to the degree of the life of God that flows in him or her. Prayer is not bribery; God takes much more delight in us living the life than preying the life or praying/petitioning the life.
What empowers your prayers is your life — the life of Christ Jesus in you. Just as the scripture says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory [including everything that prayer can do for you].”
Let me share a scripture with you because my desire for you is that anytime you lift your hands to the Lord in prayers; in the day or at night, heaven should respond to you immediately. At least, if God won't do it immediately, God should send Word to you on every matter you desire that God should address.
Jesus said, "If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7 AMPC).
Having read this verse, I want you to be intentional about every single word that appeared in the verse. But I will only pick one word from the verse for us to look up in another verse. Let's pick the term "WORD," the Word of Jesus.
Of course, you know the phrase "Ask whatever you will” refers to prayers. Please, put that close to a side in your heart as we read about the Word in another place in the Bible. I want you to get it. Prayer is good and powerful, but it is a waste of effort to pray carnally. It is useless to waste all night in prayers when your lifestyle is opposite the life of the King, the Kingdom you are petitioning.
Jesus said to them, "It is the Spirit Who gives life [He is the Life-giver]; the flesh conveys no benefit whatever [there is no profit in it]. “The Words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63 AMPC).
Do you see, the matter of prayer is simple when you are praying with complete ingredients, it is just like a wife cooking a pot of soup with the right ingredients, of course, the husband will praise her when the food is served, and whatever she asks will not be hard for her to get or withholds from her.
"The words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are spirit and life," and when this Word that is life, My life, remains in you, anything you ask in my name, I will do it. God is not looking for children that will relate with Him from afar; He is God that is near us, and He needs you and me close like He has Jesus close.
It is the life that produces effective prayers. When this life is in you, “Anything you ask Me, undoubtedly, I will do it. But the cross of the matter is this, is His life your life, anytime you pray, like King Solomon talking with or to King David (a son talking with his father)? Learn the life of Jesus, live His life daily; like Jesus like you, like you like Jesus, and it will be impossible for your prayers to fail.
Thanks for the gift of your time, I am John Ojoagbene!
Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!