Forgiveness Leads To Answered Prayer

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Mark 11:24-25

The key to prayer isn’t the words you speak or how long you are in conversation with God. The faith you have in the Lord you serve over the situation you face determines whether or not your prayer reaches the ears of the almighty or stops at your ceiling… Mark reminds us that just as much as we desire we must believe… “…when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them…” This passage taken from the gospel of Mark speaks to the heart of a Christian; in that, we may go to God in prayer, but we must have faith and not doubt… In the verses before these scriptures, Jesus has made is entry into Jerusalem and while in Bethany went up to a fig tree that had no fruit (when Jesus arrived, the tree wasn’t prepared but that’s for a later day and time), in front of His disciples, Jesus cursed the fig tree and when the men returned they found that the tree had withered (died)… The disciples were amazed, but Jesus goes on to tell them that we (as believers) have the ability to do miraculous things (move mountains), but we must have faith in God and not waver about His abilities… Whatever you ask of God believe that He not only hears you but will respond to your prayer… 

This is true not just when we are going through a trying time; this is also true when we are dealing with relationships. Sometimes the most difficult situations we find ourselves in are due to people we have embraced or encountered. No matter how much or little we are to blame, we must be willing to go before the Lord and admit our faults, but more importantly, forgive those who have wronged us (faith comes in trusting God to deliver and also trusting God to mend). So many of us carry the offense of another on our shoulders or in our hearts and because of that, there is no room for God to work in our lives.  Remember God said whatever is loosed on earth will be loosed in heaven, and whatever is bound on earth will be bound in heaven, so forgive and forget, so God can do the same for you on earth, but more importantly when you go from labor to reward! God will open doors in your life that you never thought possible, but you must be willing to close the doors of malice, resentment and anger first; this requires faith that believes and never doubts…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!