Prayer: a Right Relationship

God is a God that never changes. He is true to His Word. I want to show you something
about God and prayers. Prayer is so important to a true believers walk. If you do not have a
right relationship with God your prayer will be hindered. However, if you are like Jesus
when He walked the earth just storming heaven with pleads, prayers from His heart then
guess what? God will hear you. Let’s take a look here in the Word and see what God says
when you pray and reverence God compared to what happens when your relationship
with Him is not in order.

Hebrews 5:7 While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud
cry and tears, to the one who could rescue Him from death. And God heard His prayers
because of His deep reverence for God.

See this scripture shows us that

God honors your prayers when
you are in right relationship with
Him. When you cry out to the
Father and He recognizes your
voice because you spend time
with Him, He shows up for you.
God knows your heart and when
your heart is in the right place
God has no problem stepping in
and showing Himself.

I Peter 3:7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife
with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your
equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be
hindered.

Now here God is telling you if you are mistreating your wife your prayers will be hindered.
Now this is showing us that the relationship part is important. You being out of order with
God and then praying seeking answers and blessings from Him is not going to work. If you
are home mistreating the gift that God gave you. God is making it plain for you to
understand what He wants from you. So if here God is telling you to honor your wife and
treat your wife with honor and understanding what do you think He will do if you do just
that? See God is very clear what He wants and expects from us. Do you want your prayers
hindered or do you want to walk in the full flow of God?

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God is not looking for you to pray just for public show. Understand that God does not want
us to be like the world. We should look different and be set apart from the grand standing
of the world. God tells us about praying for show. If you are praying in church on Sunday
morning because you have a bad suit and you want to be seen, God has something to say to
you about that.

Matthew 6:5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on
street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that
is all the reward they will ever get.

This all goes back to you having a right relationship. It is just like when you are building a
relationship in the natural with a husband, wife, children, parents, or friends etc. The
relationship is only as good as the time you put into it. If you never spend time with that
special someone how is the connection to develop? When you put time in and maybe even
a little over time you see the foundation beginning to shape.

That is God all day every day. The more time you put in with Him the closer the
relationship is and the more access you have to the things of God. But God wants you to
understand when you come to Him you cannot hold on to anything that is not Him because
then you run the risk of Him not forgiving you. Look here in Mark.

Mark 11:25-26
But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that
your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. But if you refuse to forgive, your Father in
heaven will not forgive your sins.

So many times we hinder our own progress in Christ because we hold on to things that we
need to let go of. A good friend of mine helped me to see that I had some patterns that I was
not paying attention to. God was moving in my life but once I did away with the patterns I
had and began to see things for what they were I was able to lay down those things that
took me off course. Yes it is a daily decision you have to make that God is always going to
be first. I am going to share with you this scripture that will help you make it through
because your prayer life depends on you doing this. Hebrews:

Hebrews 12:1-2
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith,

let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our
eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a] Because of the joy[b]
awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of
honor beside God’s throne.

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You have to walk away from any and all things that will take your focus off God and cause
you to not have a relationship with God in prayer. You have to put everything in the order
of importance. God first, Husband/wife etc. but there should never be anything before God
and His time with you. It does no matter if you don’t pray like brother Jones or Sister Mary
as long as your heart and mind are right and God knows who you are it does not matter
about anyone else. Prayer is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things
not seen. God said a mouth full here. It is all about your relationship being right with God
so that you two are connected at all times. Never should you have to wonder does God hear
me. See my brothers and sisters the Word of God tells us in Proverbs: Proverbs 18:21: “Death
and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” So
when you have a right relationship with God you are speaking life and not death. God
desires to hear from His children. So take some time search out what God is saying to you
about your relationship with Him in prayer and then do whatever He tells you to do. God
wants you to get to a point in your prayer relationship that you will be just like Luke 6:

Luke 6:27-28:
27But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

28Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you

So ask God “Am I in a right relationship with You in my prayer life? If, you find
that the answer is, no. Then begin to ask God to show you those things that are
hindering you and to strengthen you overcome them. Peace be unto you.

Ornatta McFadden aka Sista Divine Mind has for over the past 6 years been a
featured poet on the KINGDOM Poets broadcast and is the leader of the “Prayer
Team” for Kingdom Impact Church. To find out more on prayer and how it can
help you build your Kingdom lifestyle and ministry check out
4KingdomImpact.com.

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