Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions (Psalm 51:1).

Prayer that gets results must be predicated by a heartfelt desire for truth. When we go to our God with a truly repentant heart and in full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:22) we are fulfilling the criteria for God to fulfil his part of the equation. For as the writer of Hebrews tells us, daily repetitive sacrifices can never completely remove sin. So the frequency of prayer although it is a good discipline, must be balanced by the condition of our hearts and must be underpinned by love.

 So regardless of the fact that you pray five or more time a day at regular intervals, if your heart is not clean, that is your actions betray the words you say to God, your prayers will go unanswered. For as the psalmist says, “if I regard iniquity in my heart then the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18 KJV). This is exactly the trap that the ancient Israelites fell into. And today many followers of Islam fall into the same trap as they would rise from prayer to kill those who have different views from them.

Prayer is a dialogue, therefore when we pray there must be a time of waiting for the person to whom the prayer is given to respond. If this person is an inanimate object or cannot respond, then the prayer is just a religious exercise. However, we know that Yahweh is a God who listens and answers prayer in ways that we can see and recognise.

Today spend time listening to him for he will answer; and as the writer of Hebrews says: “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”(Heb 11:6 KJV).

Read Hebrews 10 &11.