"… If you do not forgive others, not even your Father will forgive your sins".
Matthew 6:15, Mark 11:26
Are your prayers working? "Father, bless my enemy with your peace … "it's a sensible prayer! Many people wonder why some prayers are answered while others - perhaps their own prayers - never seem to get one. Here are some ideas. So, if you actually seek the power of prayer, here are some things to take into account.
Steps
Step 1. Reverence God
Do what is necessary to follow Christ and to maintain your reverence for God. He is powerful, he is the creator of the universe, and deserves glory, praise, and honor. Your prayer life should recognize the Lord in his place in your life.
Step 2. Pray with gratitude, praise God, and conclude your prayers positively
Master certain attitudes such as begging emotionally and in vain, and begging God 'in the hour of good night', because, for example, this could cause restless sleep, and bad thoughts bring bad dreams; be the bringer of peace in your own mind, believing that God knows and wants for you what you need and rightly desire (without envy or lust). Then thank him in advance, expecting good results (that's trusting). There is, of course, a proper time and place for that pained and pleading plea: "prepare your salvation with fear and dread" whenever you like, but bedtime is not always the best. The goal is not happiness - rather ask for joy in whatever experience you have; to try to stop anxious thoughts or bad dreams, ask the Lord to show you their origin and bring them to him with faith through eloquent (personalized) prayers. Colossians 4: 2: "Persevere in prayer and watch in it, giving thanks" - and daily thanksgiving can bring peace to your life!
Step 3. Thank, praise, and elevate God and Jesus (and become a supporter of them) more and more (or begin to do so) for all the good things, or blessings, of your life
God and Jesus promised to bless the one who blesses others and thanks God for his blessings.
Step 4. Stop sheltering sin in your life:
yes, this will do away with it in the bud! God cannot turn his gaze to sin. 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10: "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not delude yourselves: neither immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor depraved, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God."
Step 5. Forgive others
Live as a child of God whom He loves by "being" in Christ, and you will remain forever in his joy; even in pain He is your comfort (joy). Yet, you need to enter into his righteousness and forgiveness, remembering that you too must forgive, otherwise you will not be forgiven in your capacity as a friend (and follower). So, in order to be more pleasing to his eye, always forgive, because this act of goodness will be returned to you! Mark 11:25: "When you begin to pray, if you have something against someone, forgive, so that your Father who is in heaven may forgive you your sins".
Step 6. Obey God
John 15: 7: "If you remain in me and my prayers remain in you, ask what you want and it will be done to you." Note that what you will do should lie in the pleasure He has for you. Sin is disobedience and separates us from him (outside of his pleasure). Whatever you sow in the lives of others grows in your own life, and that is: "reap what you sow".
Step 7. Believe without ever doubting
Be wise enough to pray for what you want and be sure you have the wisdom to believe when you pray, and so you will receive. Faith makes it possible. James 1: 5-8:
If any of you lack wisdom, ask it of God, who gives to everyone with simplicity and without conditions, and it will be given to him.
But ask for it with faith, without hesitation, because whoever hesitates resembles the wave of the sea, moved and shaken by the wind.
Such a man does not think he receives something from the Lord:
he is indecisive, unstable in all his actions.
Step 8. Observe the results and be inspired
Like? Keep a prayer journal or a list of things, people and missions to pray for. Your prayer journal may allow you to keep up to date with the development of the things you pray for. But be careful. Your prayer journal is a list of things to pray for - it's not a scoreboard for scoring God's answers.
Step 9. Confirm God's will in prayer, because God is not fooled:
whatever a man plants in the lives and hearts of others, he too will reap it.
Step 10. Ask for God's will to be done
"Strive to present yourself to God as a worthy person" and to know God's mind and will through his written word.
Step 11. Stay steady without giving up
Sometimes God wants us to persevere in prayer… when instead we let it go: just like that. Ephesians 6: 13-14: "… and stand firm after passing all the tests. Stand firm, then …".
Step 12. Love your enemy and never treat others unfairly
Love one another as He has loved you. Love mercy and put it into practice! Matthew 7:12: "Whatever you want men to do to you, you also do to them: this in fact is the Law and the Prophets".
Step 13. "Bless and don't curse"
Seek the goodwill and good of others in everything you do or say! Pray to God to bless your enemies with good things. Since it is an order that comes directly from his words, we must put it into practice, whether we like it or not.
Step 14. "Pray without interruption," 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Remain in a spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude: blessing others - because God feels these things as a living prayer - is like praying incessantly, since by treating others as you would like to be treated yourself, you glorify God. And whatever you do., whether it be good or bad, to the smallest of these, you do it to the Lord.
Step 15. Open up to God and ask Him in faith what you would like
Of course, God knows every aspect of your life (lying won't help), as well as your efforts and sins. He knows how you feel. He loves you and cares about you without any limit. Since He is love and mercy, He does not unfairly favor nobody because He created us and tries to heal and save us all, if we have faith and follow God's will.
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Jesus said:
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites who, in the synagogues and in the corners of the squares, love to pray standing upright, to be seen by the people. In truth I tell you: they have already received their reward. Instead, when you pray, enter your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. " Matthew 6: 5-6
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Jesus also said:
"By praying, do not waste words like the pagans: they believe they are listened to by dint of words. So do not be like them, because your Father knows what things you need even before you ask them". Matthew 6: 7-8
- Pray for the right reasons, not for personal interest. Let your thoughts be moved by good reasons, and when you pray ask yourself whether or not your prayer is bringing glory to God (James 5: 3).
Advice
- Pray sincerely. When you ask Jesus Christ to save you, say the prayer of repentance, then accept God's plan for your true life.
- Persevere in prayer. He knows your motives, because He knows the truth (because He And the truth) and knows your life (past, present and future). He has a plan for each of us. So, if you entrust your life to Jesus and ask for mercy, God will forgive you and your sins.
- Read the Bible. It is full of clear directions on how to pray, what works and what doesn't. God speaks through the Bible when you read it, although not always (it depends on Him and what you pray for).
- Love your neighbor with sacrifice, because what greater love can there be than that of a man who would risk or give his life for a friend (or even a stranger)?
- "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself", Luke 10:27.
- Read the Gospels; praise God and ask for help "in the name of Jesus". Jesus said: " Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you. Because whoever asks receives, and to him who seeks he finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened"(Matthew 7: 7-8). If you wait, God will answer.
- The Bible says to pray for the following things:
- Matthew 9.37-38: The workers in the crop.
- Isaiah 58: 6, 66: 8, 1 Timothy 2: 4: The conversion of those who have gone astray.
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1 Timothy 2: 2: The presidents, the government And
Peace, holiness and honesty.
- Galatians 4:19, 1: 2: The full development of the Church.
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Ephesians 6:19, 6:12: For God to open the doors for missionaries.
- Acts 8:15: The fullness of the Holy Spirit and his consecration for Christians.
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1 Corinthians 14:13: A double distribution of the Holy Spirit and gifts for Christians.
- James 1: 5: For Christians to receive wisdom.
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James 5:15: Physical, mental and spiritual healing for Christians.
- 2 Thessalonians 1: 11-12: The strength to glorify Jesus in evangelism.
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Matthew 26:41, Luke 18: 1: The strength to overcome the temptation for Christians.
- I Timothy 2: 1: Petitions and other requests.
- Some people use rosaries for certain prayer rituals.
Warnings
- The presumptuous or boastful prayer is not worth your breath.
- When you pray, you must be in God's will. If what you are praying for is not in God's will, then you will not get it. Prayer is not a simple "I ask for this, I get this". When you pray, God will always listen to you, but sometimes God's answer is "no" or "not now".
- Don't ask in vain, but ask Jesus when you need help, assistance or mercy - and ask that God's will be in your heart (in your "center").
- Praying against people doesn't work!
- Jesus said:
- Remember:
- "… Men of indecisive soul, sanctify your hearts!" (James 4: 8).
- "… He who hesitates resembles the wave of the sea […] and you do not think you receive something from the Lord …" (James 1: 5-8).
