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James 4:3
3 Ye ask
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. NASB
Bible doctrine and prayer are the components of our two-way dialogue with God. The written word is God speaking to each of us, and our prayer is our conversation with God.
In our current dispensation, there is no other form of communication between us and God. No dreams, no hearing of voices, no visions, no messenger angels, nothing but the written word which we study and thereby hear God through His written message in the scriptures.
Residence in fellowship is our online link with God. When in fellowship we are inside of Gods will, we are standing (as it were) in the presence of God, we are inside of His temple, protected by His fortress, and so forth. Our spiritual life operates only while we are resident in fellowship. Thus, prayer functions only while we are in fellowship.
When we commit sins and are out of fellowship, then our spiritual life becomes off-line, shut down, out of sync, we are standing outside and out of view of His presence, we are imitating unbelievers, so to speak, by operating in the world just as they do.
Prayer is our mechanism for making requests of God. However, there are prayer rules which must be followed, otherwise our prayers are not heard or acted upon.
And remember, that Gods overall policy is to do that which is best for us, not what we ask for.
Rule number one. You must offer your prayers while in fellowship. Any prayer offered while out of fellowship, is not received. Perfection does not lower itself to the levels of imperfection, and being out of fellowship is in effect a state of imperfection.
No unbelievers' prayer is ever heard, with one exception, and that is the moment of their belief in Christ. Salvation faith is in effect a prayer to the Father and He accepts that faith prayer and always grants salvation. That is divine policy - no exceptions.
And remember again, God always gives you that which is best for you, and compatible with His grace policy, and divine plan.
So, human history takes precedent in prayer. The details over your entire life takes precedent over your present moment. You may want something now, but that might interfere with something else in your later life, which would be better for you.
Prayer must be in sync with history. You cannot ask for the rapture now, because of your own selfish interest or misery now.
You cannot pray for someone else, to do or not do something. That interferes with their right to make their own decisions.
You cannot pray for anything that is from the sin nature. You cannot pray for anything that is incompatible with Gods grace policy. You cannot pray for anything that is inconsistent with truth.
Far too often people will pray for their own selfish interests, which have nothing to do with the function of their spiritual life.
But the biggest error that people make in prayer, is the error of being out of fellowship. The second biggest error, is the error of not advancing in their spiritual life, and thus not being familiar with Gods divine plan and policy, or not being oriented properly to life, to God, or to themselves.
And so the vast majority of all prayer, never gets any higher than the ceiling.
And even when you are in fellowship, and have substantial spiritual growth, your prayers must be compatible with Gods plan for human history, must be compatible with truth, must be compatible with Gods plan for your life, and must be in your best interest (and perhaps of people around you), in Gods view, not yours.
All prayer must be offered while in fellowship.
All prayer is directed to the Father, and to no one else. We do not pray to Jesus, to Mary, to birds, to angels, to wolves, or to the moon.
All prayer must be offered in Christ's name. Jesus Christ is our only means of approach to the Father. There is no other means, or method, or path of access.
And when you do not follow these requirements of prayer, then you are wasting your time. The more you advance in your spiritual life, the more effective your prayer life will become. The more you lack in your spiritual life, the less effective your prayers will be.
