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God has not made any of us to be totally self-reliant. We all need His help in our life. That’s why we must know how to pray effectively. In this podcast episode, Evangelist Frank King addresses how loving others can help us move the hand of God in our favor when we pray.
In John’s first epistle, he talks about the relationship between us loving others and God answering our prayers. He says we are to love in deeds and in truth (1 John 3:18). These days, we use the word “love” too loosely. But love must be accompanied by action. Equally important, our deeds of love must be in truth. False pretenses of love, or self-serving motives behind our acts of love may impress people. But they get us nowhere with God.
When we obey God to love others in deeds and in truth, “Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (verse 22). This is a conditional promise contingent upon us genuinely loving others.
Every one of us who has been born again has the power to show genuine love toward others. That’s because the Spirit of God indwells us, and God is love. But still, loving others is a choice. The Holy Spirit empowers us to love, but we can choose to disobey the Spirit.
The bottom line is that we can’t go about mistreating others and expect to be right with God when we pray. None of us can afford to allow others to drag us down to a place where we can’t get a prayer through. Having the right relationship with God is not an option but a must. And He says, if you want to be confident to receive from Me when you pray, you must genuinely love others.
