Before they call, I will answer

Dear friends,
I pray you are well. God is calling us to war. There is a mighty prayer movement taking place across our nation. It is yet behind the scenes, but like the kingdom of God it is growing in scope and measure and the results will soon be evident. I want to encourage you today with some scriptures and a thought or two that the Lord is giving me.

It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking I will hear. Is. 65:24 God knows your prayer before you pray it.

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things we you do not know. Jer. 33:3

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Luke 11:9 The verbs here are present imperative so ask and keep on asking.

If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:14

If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. John 15:7

And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 1 John 3:22

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5:14

Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and cast into the sea' and does not doubt in His heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses. Mark11:22-25

We would all agree that those are wonderful promises, but we could probably agree as well that has not been our experience. Are there conditions to answered prayer? There are some things we see here in these scriptures directly or indirectly. I'll list the things I see.

1. We must ask. James said you have not because you ask not.
2. You must believe. I confess I have prayed many faithless prayers over the years and I have also found myself begging for things He has already given me.
3. Forgiveness. Unforgiveness is rejecting God's grace. I personally believe unforgiveness is the one of the most or possibly the most common reason for unanswered prayer.
4. Obedience
5. Persistence
6. Praying His will
7. Abiding in His word

You may say, I have walked in those things and I still don't see my prayers answered. It could be a matter of timing. It maybe that God is developing something in you and He knows the time for what you have asked is not yet.

What I am sensing in my heart is that there is a dynamic tension right now in the earth. Wickedness is being exposed; the assault of the enemy has intensified, yet the kingdom of God like the leaven in the lump is expanding and beginning to become more evident. There is a greater sense of God's presence and we are about to see many of the promises that God has given personally and corporately fulfilled. Prayers that have been prayed for years will be answered and you will begin to see answers to prayer that you have just prayed. There will be those that before they finish voicing their prayer, there will be a phone call revealing that the prayer has already been answered. There will be those who have prayed for a financial need and after praying they will find a check in the mailbox. The answer was dispatched before it was even voiced. There is coming a quick turn around in prayer. We are entering a season of acceleration and especially in the area of prayer.

Spring is a time when I usually clean out the gutters on my house. If the gutters get full of leaves and trash the water does not flow and it can cause leaks and water damage. I think of our spiritual lives that way that the heavenly conduit needs to be kept clean for the Spirit to flow. I believe the Lord is saying that it's time for spring cleaning, because there is the sound of the abundance of rain.

Be encouraged, our Father is attentive to our prayer and He will answer. He is always with us, He is not distant or aloof and He will answer our prayers. The psalmist said,"No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Be blessed of the Lord, my friend.
In His love,
Herb Dean