I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Prayer is always a topic that we as Christians are concerned with. Many are concerned with whether God hears or will answer their prayers.

Rev. Dr. Charles F. Stanley states that praying with authority is essential if we are to participate with God in accomplishing His purposes here on earth. There are five prerequisites for going to God with a sense of authority:

1) Salvation. We must have a genuine personal relationship with God through his Son Jesus Christ. Since our authority is based on our position in Christ, we must be in him to receive it.

2) God's thoughts (1 Cor. 2:11-12). The Bible shows us God's thoughts expressed in human vocabulary. The more we saturate our minds with Scripture, the more His thoughts and attitudes will become ours. In the Word, we can find basic principles for handling any circumstance we face.

As a result, it becomes easier for us to know His will and have confidence that He is on our side. If we are praying in agreement with God about something, we also know it is just a matter of time until He answers.

It's also a good idea to look for a prayer recorded in Scripture that goes along with your particular problem or need. Put it in your own words. Then see how God answered that prayer in the life of the one who prayed it. Remember that the same God who met the needs of those people is able to meet your needs too.

3) Pure hearts. This means we must confess and repent of any known sin. God will not trust His power to anyone who isn't submitted to His purpose -- sin will render our prayers ineffective.

Often, Satan will try to use sin against us when we pray. He wants us to feel guilty and unworthy. But it is the righteousness of Christ that allows us access to the Father. It is a righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith (Phil. 3:9). So once sin has been properly dealt with, we should forget it.

4) Pure motives. We must know in our hearts that we are praying according to God's will, not according to our own selfish desires and justified by an inappropriate use of Scripture.

However, not every personal request is selfish. The key is to have committed our lives to God before we start praying. When the Father knows we want His purpose accomplished more than what we are requesting, He can trust us with His power.

5) Persistent confidence. Many times we pray fervently for a while, but then we lose interest and say, "Well, I guess it wasn't God's will." If we really believe we are interceding in alignment with the Lord's heart, then why should we give up before we see an answer? If we are to petition the Father with authority, we must lay aside excuses and continue until we see victory.

Praying with confidence is a matter of claiming that which has already been bought and paid for by Christ at Calvary. When we intercede with the authority God gave us, we will see our prayers become the powerful tools they were meant to be. Our lives and the lives of those around us will be changed. His authority has been promised. Now we must decide whether or not to pay the price necessary to make it a part of our lives.

Have a prayerful and blessed summer.