Pray By the Rules

Creflo Dollar
Prayer is probably one of the most misunderstood and potentially frustrating topics because
many people do not know how to get results when they pray. The simplicity of prayer has
been lost in many peoples lives and turned into a religious tradition that has a form but no
real power. Prayer is not meant to be a burden or to be used as a badge of holiness. Instead, it
is a gift from God that, when used properly, should yield great victory in our lives.

In many cases, the missing element in prayer is confidence. But why do people lack
confidence in prayer? Because they do not know the will of God concerning their prayer
request. Gods will is simply another way of describing what God wants to have happen. It is
what He desires for our lives as outlined in His Word. If we do not know Gods will for our
lives, we will tolerate the life we have when it could be so much better.

There are only two places to go to discover what God wants for our livesthe Bible and His
presence. When we pray, our prayers must line up with His Word. The only prayer that God
will hear and answer is a prayer that is based on what He has said in His Word. If we pray
according to the Word of God, then we are praying the will of God. We can only have
confidence in our prayers when we know that what were praying for is something that God
desires to bring to pass.

People often get confused and frustrated because they do not know what God has already said
in His Word. How can someone pray for healing when they do not know God wants them to
be healed? How can we believe God for an increase in our finances if we do not know God
wants us to prosper? The truth iswe cannot. When we do not know what God has said
about our situation, our prayers will be fear-based and they will not get results.

The beauty of prayer is its simplicity. Prayer is simply saying to God what He has already
said in His Word. This protects us from getting off into areas that are not the will of God.
Moreover, the Bible covers every problem that you will ever have. We can read it and find
out what Gods Word has to say about our bills, our marriage and our children? When we do,
our prayers will be effective.

Many people cancel out their prayers, once they have prayed according to the Word, because
they look to their circumstances to see if anything has happened right away. However, just
because the problem or situation hasnt immediately changed, it should not hinder our
confidence that God has heard and answered the prayer we prayed according to His Word.

Finally, the most powerful prayer comes from the heart of a person who knows that God
loves him or her enough to answer the request they have made. It is ridiculous to think prayer
will yield results if we do not believe the God we are praying to, first of all, loves us. Even in
the natural, a child who doubts his or her parents love will be hesitant to ask for or expect
things from them.

God loves you and gave you His Word so that you can have great results in your prayer life.
Pray with confidence in the Word, knowing God loves you and will answer your prayers.

Scripture References: 1 John 5:15 ; 1 John 4:16