Does prayer have to be answered for people to believe in its power?

Answer 1

Yes.

Answer 2

Prayer is always answered, you just might not get the answer you thought you wanted/needed. If you trust in the higher power you will see the answer that was sent to you.

Answer 3

Most people who believe in God believe that an unanswered prayer is actually an answered prayer, because if 'no' is the answer they get, they believe it is God's Divine Will being carried out in their lives/the lives of others.

(Yes, I believe in God. LOL)

Answer 4

no, i have pray and i'm always answered but if one time i wasnt then i still wouldnt doubt its power. You dont have to have all ur prayers answered to believe, look on tv and u see miriclas all the time. SAY YES TO JESUS HE LOVES U, SAY NO TO EVOLUTION.

Answer 5

Yep and seen how there is no god it can't be answered so it has no power just a bunch of people sat in the corner talking quietly to themselves. Say no to jesus.

Answer 6

well yes.... what power would prayer have if nothing ever got anwerered?? It would clearly be useless!

Answer 7

no prayer in itself is power because yuo know that when you talk to God he listens

Answer 8

No...The key to all Gods promises is that you must be born again.

John. 3:3 " Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God".

Matt. 18:3 "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

Luke. 13:3,5 " except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish"

The new birth is necessary for you, in order to be saved. Through the new birth you have a right stand with God.

THE NEW BIRTH IS NOT:

· To do a lot of religious duties
· To accept the Christian doctrine
· To attend a lot of meetings
· To do good deeds
· To read the bible
· To pray

All these things are good, but you will not become a child of God by doing this.

John. 3:1-5 Jesus spoke with Nicodemus about these things and he had all the merits I mentioned before. But Jesus said: "You must be born again". The robber, who was crucified with Jesus, and the other people whose sins Jesus forgave when he walked here on earth, were saved without any own merits. They did the only necessary thing: They accepted Jesus as their personal saviour by repenting from their sins and wholeheartedly turn to God.

When you have been saved you become a new creation and it will have an effect upon your whole life so that you will do the right and acceptable things in Gods eyes. (See above).

The problem God wants to deal with is in our hearts, the inner man. To change only out-ward behavior will not save you.

· What has happened to me?

· What does the new life mean to me, then?

· How will it change my life?




THIS IS WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU:

1. He has declared you "not guilty".
Romans. 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus

2. He has saved you from darkness.
1.Peter. 2:9 "...who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

3. You have been born again.
2.Cor. 5:17 "A new creature."

4. You have become a child of God.
John. 1:12 " But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name".

5. You have found peace with God.
John. 10:10 "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly".

6. You have been united with the people of God.
1.Peter 2:10 " Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God".



Read Luke. 15:11-32. There you will find a living story which shows us how God view those who comes to him and repents of their sins.

It will take the whole eternity, for us, to fully understand what we have in Christ. The more you get to know God, the more you will find out that there is more!
The bible uses a couple of parables in order to show us our situation before God came into our lives and saved us. The bible says that we were far away from God, we had fall short of the glory of God and we were dead in our trespasses and sins. Far away from God, cut off from the life of God, guilty because of our sins. Our situation was desperate. How was it possible for God to save us, then?


A COURT ROOM DRAMA

The New Testament uses a language of law and justice in order to explain what Jesus has done for us.

Rom.3:24 "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus".

Imagine yourself a courtroom full of people in different functions with serious faces, a prosecutor, a judge and the persons who are being accused, one man and one woman. The grand jury comes with its prediction: You are found guilty! The judgment is prison, a lifetime sentence. They has to go to jail, they cannot be released. If they asked for it the people in the courtroom would laugh.
Now, imagine yourself another scene. The two criminals are standing before the highest judge of all. The prosecutor, Satan, is accusing them and want them to be judged and condemned. Their lawyer, Jesus, runs the defense.

1.John. 2:1 "And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous".

The problem is that the two persons know that they are guilty and they also know that the judge over all the earth must act in total correct justice. It seems that there is no other thing to do than to judge them. But then Jesus came and he challenges the prosecutor and says: "Where are your evidences?"

This causes a strong reaction. The prosecutor becomes irritated. When he goes through the files in this case, he cannot find any testimony against them, no descriptions of the crime, no single evidence, not even a trace of this man and woman's trespasses can be found in the whole universe.

This is what has happened: The proof of our sins has been destroyed!

Col. 2:13-14 "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross".

Jesus, the lawyer, makes his sensational claim before the whole courtroom, saying: "There are no proofs". The prosecutor walks away in anger and the judge declares the judgement for the two criminals: "Not guilty". They are being released and they have found grace before the judge who is God himself.

This was a simple way to describe what Jesus has done for us. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"(Rom.8:1). Because of this, we don't need to fear the judgement day.

John.3:17-18 " For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned".

HOW SHALL I KNOW THAT THIS IS TRUE?

How can I be sure? How shall I know that God really loves me? These questions are very common in the heart and the mind of a new convert. The good news is that God wants you to be sure of that you are his child.

· 1.John. 5:13 " These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God".

· 1.Cor.2:12 " Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.".

God has given us two "witnesses" that will assure his acceptance and us of Gods love.

NR 1: THE BIBLE

Many people thinks that the can base there faith on emotions. The problem with that is when the emotions are gone, their faith will also disappear. Your salvation is based upon something that is more solid than your feelings. It is based upon the facts in the bible, what Jesus has done for you when he died for you on the cross of Calvary. The bible describes who God is and what he has done for you. You can trust in the word of God. Jesus says: "Heaven and earth will perish, but my words shall never perish". The word of God is like a concrete fundament, a rock that you can build your life on.

HERE'S SOME PROMISES FOR YOU.

1. How shall I know that God hears me when I pray?
Jeremiah 29:12-13 " Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.".

2. How can I be sure of Gods love to me?
Rom.8: 38-39 " For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.".

3. How shall I know that God is with me?
Hebrews 13:5 "He Himself has said: I will never leave you nor forsake you".

4. How can I be sure of Gods forgiveness?
1.John.1:8-9 " If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".

5. How shall I know that I have everlasting life?
John 5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, He that heard my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life".

This is the most central theme in our Christian faith. We know that God loves us and that he accepts us. This is what the bible says and we believe in it, not our emotions. God has given us His word so that we will get to know him better and be strong in our faith. Maybe you're still worried about this new life. Is that really true? Satan is called "the father of lies". He is a master of lying. Maybe you feel strong in faith one day, but the next day you feel like the faith has gone. Your faith will be attacked, but then it's good for you to read and study the bible. When the devil attacks you, read, for example, John.5:24 over and over again.




NR 2: THE SPIRIT OF GOD

When you were saved, your spirit became a new creature.

Romans 8:16 "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God".

This is a witness in my heart, like a strong intuition. Something inside of me that say: I know, that I know, that I know, that I know I am a child of God. Look what it says in:

Romans 8:15" For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father".