Or.
Do you wait for the last minute to ask for His help and only because nothing else worked when things seem hopeless and you're even more worried, then try to use Him like a genie who needs to grant you three wishes?
If you said yes to any of the questions above then listen to this.
The first step to answered prayer is a very important prequel to praying by the rules.
And while you don't have to actually do this while praying your prayer life will remain ineffective if you don't do it at all.
Step #1 Meditate Your Worries Away
Think about it this way.
God is the ultimate problem solver.
And He already set up a solution to every problem you could possibly have and it's in your Bible, therefore if you find it and meditate on it you'll be preparing yourself for answered prayer.
For instance if everybody at your job is worried about getting laid off and they're all in panic mode throwing each other under the bus you don't have to worry because you're not participating.
And the reason you're not participating is because you've been meditating on psalms 91:7 "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee".
Now let's say one of you're worried co-workers tries to throw you under the bus, you don't care, why, because you've also been meditating on Isaiah 54:17 "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn".
Therefore, when you've meditated to the point where you've replaced worry or anger with the good news in your Bible then you'll be ready to get on your knees and pray to God with confidence, and by the rules without cheating.
And this way you'll be calling Him out on His word and seeing if He's a liar instead of waiting for bad stuff to happen then begging for help, then disbelieving when it doesn't just disappear like it never happened.
Step #2 Confess Your New Found Beliefs
This is probably the most important step there is when it comes to answered prayer.
And I say that because this is how you know whether you believe His word or not.
Because whatever you believe in your heart is what will eventually come out of your mouth.
Mt 12:34 "..for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."
But who or whatever you listen to is what will determine what you will believe.
Like a two-way street.
But you're more likely to believe what you say than what anyone else says.
Mt 12:37 "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
This is what it means.
Let's say one of your worried co-workers, you know one of the ones who's always worried about getting laid off and throwing each other under the bus asks for your opinion after a nervous rant about how you're all going to get fired soon.
If you say something that agrees with what they said then guess what.
You got the worry bug too.
And you might just attract the thing that you're worried about and get yourself laid off next.
What you should say instead is this "but it shall not come near me!" and leave it at that, unless they want to know why.
This way later on that night or in the mourning when you're praying there will be no contradiction or mistake about what you believe.
But check this out.
Does your prayers sound similar to this example?
"God please help me I need one thousand dollars by next Friday or I'm going to lose my apartment and be homeless, please make a way for me to get this money so I won't get kicked out" with tears running down your eyes.
If so, you may be emotional and serious, but you're still not praying by the rules.
So, after you've found at least one verse to meditate on.
Let's see, you could use Philippians 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Then you simply return it back to Him by confessing it in prayer like this.
"God the Bible says that you supply all my needs, according to your riches in glory threw Jesus Christ my lord and saviour therefore I know that my rent is paid and on time because I believe your word"
Notice I said "is paid" instead of "will be paid" because this is important.
That's enough to get the job done but I like to get outrageous.
I would also add.
"the Bible says "your mercy endureth forever" so I know even though I messed up you still help me.
"The Bible says that you will never leave me or forsake me" so I know you are with me on this"
The Bible says "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want" so I know you take care of all my needs"
And I could go on and on.
Because God already did everything that He's going to do but it's up to you to receive it.
Step #3 Praise Him For What He Already Did
Since you already established the facts that God supplies all your needs, His mercy never runs out, He won't leave you and turn His back on you, and He will give you everything you want, that's plenty of reasons to be happy and praise Him.
By this time you should be excited and maybe even shedding a few tears because you realize how much God really does love you.
This also demonstrates gratitude and shows that you trust Him and are not worried about your problems.
Which upsets Him because He is way higher than your little bitty problems.
We don't call Him the most high God for nothing.
Step #4 Ask For What You Want
Now you're ready to ask God for what you want and if you followed the first three steps correctly He has to do it for you.
Because you put together a open and shut case against the prosecution and you got a jury full of angels on your side and the most high Judge who is more than honorable and has to follow His own rules and keep His own word in which you sent back to Him respectfully with confidence and gratitude.
About The Author
David Hopkins is a Christian article writer for The Daily Word Of God Group.http://www.dailywordofgodgroup.com
His articles will help you remember to glorify God in everything that you do so you won't miss out on any of His wonderful blessings. If you enjoyed reading this Answered Prayer article then you will also enjoy reading this Righteous Man article.
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