“Don’t worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him” Philippians 4:6. Giving thanks to God humbles us. God is worthy of praise and thanksgiving. When we give thanks in prayer it solidifies our belief in God that He hears our prayers and will grant our prayers if it is according to His will. It is easy to focus on the negatives. Being thankful makes a cheerful heart (Proverbs 17:22).
3)You must be at one with God.
Jesus said. “If you remain joined to me and my words remain in you, ask for anything you wish. And it will be given to you” (John 15:7). It is important to continue to have a relationship with Jesus and keep His words. This shows our love to God. In 2 John 1:6 it says “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments.” Our prayers will be much more effective if we keep His commandments and have faith in Jesus (Revelation 14:12). Because of God’s love and grace, these motivate us to love Him and desire (want) to do His will.
4) Surrendering to His will.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14 NKJV). Prayer requires us to surrender ourselves to God and trusting Him to work in our lives, to grow into the person He designed us to be. Being able to surrender completely to God means we have to know God. We have to believe that He loves us unconditionally (without limit). He will not forsake us. He has the best plans for us. It puts God in control as we surrender our lives to Him and allow Him to change us into Christ’s image or character.
5) Cherish no sin.
“If I enjoy having sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” Psalm 66:18. This does not mean we need to be perfect before we approach God. Jesus invites sinners to call on Him. The verse means unless we are sorry for our sins and are willing to turn away from sins and be cleansed by God, then our prayers will be more effective. If we pray for selfish reasons such as winning the lottery, He will not hear our prayers. “When you do ask for something, you don’t receive it. Why? Because you ask for the wrong reasons. You want to spend your money on your sinful pleasures.” James 4:3.
We can come to Jesus in prayer and tell Him our needs, our struggles and our troubles. God will not turn us away empty. He invites, "Come to me, all of you who are tired and are carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28. “The prayer of a godly person is powerful. It makes things happen" James 5:16.
Amanda Colgan
The beautiful thing is that though none of these things are in me: though by nature I live a life of complaints, though the thought of surrender leaves a bad taste in my mouth, though I may yet have a strong tie to those things that disconnect me from God. .. I can COME to Christ. As I learn of Him everything changes. Why? Because as I behold His love for me and the world He gave up all to rescue:He fills my mind with new pictures and even my feelings begin to change. The more I learn, the more I want to learn of Him. The more He shares His connection with me, the more I desire to stay close to Him. Before I can grasp what is happening, my thoughts are running in new channels and I have rest because the Prince of Peace is dwelling close to my side. My heart is filled with gratitude for the renewing of my mind and new heart I have. "As I bow my ears (putting aside how I think and feel) and spend the time to really hear His wise Word) and as He aids me in applying them to my life: it is a pleasant thing because I am connected to Him: I can't hold it in! I want to talk about this Man of my heart! And this process is what makes my trust in Him grow!' See proverbs 22:17-21
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