God Hears Me

Introduction

One thing I have observed among the people of God is a general lack of knowledge about our place before God. This in turn brings a lack of knowing that we have access to God and a lack of confidence in knowing that God has heard our prayers. I find some looking for a formula in the way to approach God in prayer. I find some using religious articles to give them confidence that God has heard and will answer their prayers. Many use a combination (formula + article) of these things…

“Use this <water/cloth/oil/shawl/etc…> in this certain manner and in 7 days God will <heal/bless/increase finances/etc…>.”

Is all of this of God?

Did God make it this difficult to come into His presence?

No, of course not!

When Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn in two (Matt. 27:51; Mk. 15:38; Lk. 23:45) meaning that the way into the Holy of Holies (God's Presence) was open and accessible through Christ to all.

Our Standing Before God

We have to know that God has made us kings and priests before Him.

Exodus 19:5-6

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

1 Peter 2:9-10

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Rev. 1:6

6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev. 5:10

10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

As people of God, we are a peculiar treasure and a peculiar people because of the access we have to God. The scripture calls us "kings" and "priests". That wording alone should let you know that we have a special place before God. Being a king is not just about ruling people but a king has a special place before God to receive instruction and direction in order to dispense justice and mercy. A priest has a special place before God to make intercession for the people. So, if God sees us as kings and priests, we must also see ourselves in the same way before Him. God has given us a special place before Him but it is up to us to occupy it. If you are already before God and in His presence, you don't have to go through hoops to bring your requests before God or to receive an answer from God.

Confidence in Prayer

1 John 5:14-15

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Many of us have an incorrect perception of prayer. We have been taught that prayer is asking God for stuff. There are three problems:

1. The "asking" is more akin to begging, pleading and moaning,

2. We ask for stuff for which God already knows that we have need,

3. We ask selfishly, for things that will only benefit me and mine.

Matt. 6:31-33

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

For reference and context please read Matt. 6:25-34 and Luke 12:22-31

In reality, prayer is a two-way conversation between an individual and God. The reason that Jesus instructed us to "enter into your closet" was to find a quiet place where you can both speak to and hear from God. That "closet" can be any place that works for you.

What does it mean to seek the Kingdom of God? When we begin to seek the Kingdom of God we are seeking God's will in all of creation. We are seeking His will in the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on this earth. We are seeking for souls to added to the Kingdom (not church attendance). We will intercede for our families, our churches, our communities, our cities and our nation to turn, and in some cases return, to God.

A partner of prayer is fasting. Unfortunately, this too is misunderstood and misused. First of all, fasting should always have a focus, a target and a reason. The purpose of fasting is to quiet the noise around you so that you can hear clearly from God. Many think that we have to fast to obtain God's favor. That is incorrect because God has already given the believer favor.

Psalms 5:12

12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous;

with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Proverbs 3:3-4

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee:

bind them about thy neck;

write them upon the table of thine heart:

4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding

in the sight of God and man.

Favor is not an object to obtain but it is a place in which to abide. In order to abide in that place, we must know the will of God, which brings me back to fasting in combination with prayer. We fast and pray to learn God’s will and His direction. We fast and pray to obtain understanding and clarity. The purpose of fasting and prayer is to bring us closer to God by muting our desires. Through fasting and prayer, we learn to abide in God’s will and it is in God's will we know that we abide in favor and that gives us confidence in prayer.

Religious Articles

This is a day of proliferation of religious articles, sold at a price to the people of God all with the promise of getting prayers answered, receiving blessings or receiving special protection from God. Many of these articles are hocked on religious channels to bring financial gain to the seller.

In Acts 19:12, the Bible tells us that God worked special miracles by the hands of Paul. From his body handkerchiefs or aprons were brought to the sick and the sick were healed. Evil spirits were cast out of those that were possessed by them. In the Pentecostal churches, we sometimes use prayer cloths based on this scripture for similar purposes. In the scripture, this was done because Paul could not be everywhere at once nor could he physically lay hands on all that needed prayer. Looking at it another way, the people that needed help were not able to get to Paul so that he could pray for them. Certainly they did not have the technology we have today where people could virtually meet!

Should prayer cloths be used today? Yes, as long as they are used properly.

We must always note that the power was not in the various pieces of cloth on Paul's body, nor was the power of Paul. The power was and is of God. Paul was just a vessel in this case.

Here are some improper uses:

• financial gain of the seller (prophet, evangelist, etc)

• promise of special blessing to the buyer, usually financial

• sold with instructions on "fast-tracking" your prayers before God

• sold with promise of special audience with God

Here's a simple way of knowing which Televangelists are real "prophets" and which are false "profits".

The real prophets will always talk about the Kingdom of God:

• building/expanding the Kingdom of God by spreading the gospel

• interceding for others (family, community, nation)

• feeding the hungry

• taking care of the poor

• asking for donations to support ministry

• will show how donations are helping to spread the gospel, feed the hungry and/or take care of the poor

The false profits will always talk about selfish things:

• appeal to your desire to have your needs met

• their message causes you to only look at the blessing you need

• their products promise blessing for you if you follow their plan

• their message is always about unlocking some secret

• asking for donations to support their program.

Conclusion

God has already given believers unrestricted access into His presence. Many struggle in prayer and fasting because of misunderstanding and misuse. Knowing that God already knows all the things of which we have need will allow us to focus on the things God really wants us to pray and fast about, the Kingdom of God.

I encourage and implore you to let go of the gimmicks and religious articles that keep you in a selfish mindset and embrace the fact that you already have audience with God, our Creator!