Five Conditions of Answered Prayer, Part 1

Greetings, friends and new listeners, and welcome to this program of the R.G.

Hardy Ministries. I'm Sharon Notts thanking you for joining us today because we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Today's message by my father, Brother Hardy, is five conditions of answered prayer. This is a subject suited for and needed by every Christian.

I believe you will find some answers about your unanswered prayers in today's message, five conditions of answered prayer. At the seventh through the eleventh verses, Jesus said, ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. Here's what I want you to see in this verse. To everyone that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. To everyone that asketh, he shall receive. First of all, that means there's no limitation on who can ask. Second of all, it means that there is a Bible way that everyone that asks shall receive.

These are positive statements. It didn't say he might receive. It said that to everyone that asketh, he's going to receive. But I find out to receive it from prayer, we have to meet five conditions.

There's five conditions to get our prayers answered. You see, there's a Bible way that everyone, every time they ask God, they shall receive. That's what he's really saying, Jesus, in this Matthew 7, 7, that if you ask the Bible way, every time you ask the Bible way, you will receive. If you seek the Bible way, every time you seek, you will find God. If you will knock the way the Bible says to knock, every time you knock, God's door to heaven and mercy of grace will be opened unto you.

Hallelujah. In fact, ASK, ASK, ask, seek, knock, God is encouraging us to ask. But we must meet five conditions of prayer to get our prayers answered. First of all, we must ask in Jesus' name. Jesus told his disciples, heretofore, up until that time, you've asked the Father nothing in my name. He said, but now, whatsoever you ask the Father in my name, he might give it to you.

No, he will give it to you. We must ask in the name of Jesus. That's the key that opens the door to receiving from God. The reason why we must ask in the name of Jesus is that the Father has turned everything over to the Son of God now. And as the heir of God, Jesus, you see, he's the heir of God and we are joint heirs with him, all things are deposited in his name in the account of heaven. But Jesus has given us the permission, he's given us a signed check, as it were, on all of his blessings of all of his wealth and riches deposited in the bank of heaven.

And he's allowed us to use his name and to countersign it and take it to the Father who, as it were, is the custodian and when we take that check, sign with Jesus' name and we countersign it, whatever we ask the Father in his name, God is going to give it to us. See, you just can't pray. Some people pray, but that's not enough. I heard people say, oh, he's a praying man and I get letters all over the place and say, brother, honey, I'm praying and praying and nothing's happening.

We're not praying the Bible way because Matthew said to everyone that prays the Bible way, he shall receive. God's not a respecter of persons. God doesn't give something to me because I'm so good looking.

God's not going to give you something because you're so good looking, but he's going to give it to you because you come the Bible way. You know, everything that God does, he has a plan for it. The Bible said that God does everything decently and in order. God has an order. There's an order, there's a plan on how to ask and receive God. And the first step of that plan is you must ask in the name of Jesus.

He said, Jesus, all power and not only all power, but everything is given unto me in heaven and in earth because John 3, 34 said the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hands. So we must ask in the name of Jesus. Then the second condition of answered prayer is we must not ask amiss. First of all, John said to some, you have not because you've asked not.

And that's natural. If you don't ask, then naturally you're not going to receive. But then he said that some ask and they ask amiss or they miss it because they ask that they might consume it or waste it on their lusts. You must not ask amiss. I'll show you amiss prayer. I get a letter once a month from a man.

It's been coming for years. I don't even have to look, as soon as I see the envelope and see his name, in fact I know his handwriting by now. I don't even have to, you know, see his name. I know who it is by his handwriting. And I know what he's going to ask before I ever open up the letter. And not only does he ask, but he gets graphic. He cuts out pictures.

He goes to magazines and newspapers. And he tells me, pray that I get a Mercedes. Show a Mercedes. Pray that I get a Cadillac.

He's done graduated. He wants a Rolls Royce now. And he asks me for about five or six cars. Pray that I get a hundred million dollars.

And I'm not exaggerating. I'm praying. And when he gets done, both sides of the paper. I thought, bless God, if I'm going to pray for anybody to get all of this, I'm going to pray for me to get it. But you see, that's missing it. Who needs five or six cars? Especially Rolls Royce, Mercedes, Cadillacs, Jaguars.

How many say amen? He even puts pictures of the stereos, the television, the hi-fis. Now God wants us to have the things that we need. God's already promised that he will supply all of our needs. And he will also supply the things that go to our standing of living. You know it's almost a necessity in this day and time you have to have a car.

And if they're married, it's almost a necessity for two cars in the house. But God wants us to be specific but not lustful. No way in the world is God going to answer and give you five cars. You know when I get that letter, you know when I pray? Oh God, open up his heart in understanding that he might know the truth.

How many say amen? Bring him to the knowledge of the understanding and the blessings and the covenant of asking and receiving. Not ask amiss. Not ask foolish and absurd things.

Supply my need, God, in the station that you place me in life. You know some people are praying for a grain elevator and an oil well. You see, God didn't necessarily promise us an oil well or a grain elevator.

Somebody said, what are you talking about, brother Hardy? I'm talking about the little widow in the day of the prophet of Elijah. When God called the prophet to call for a famine in the land.

And when he prayed, he shut the heavens. And in the case of Elijah, it was three and a half years it didn't rain. And the consequence of that drought was that food was very precious.

In fact, there was a famine in the land. But God remembered a little widow woman that had kept the message of God and the messenger of God alive. And in the time of this test and famine, he remembered her and he was going to bless and supply her need because she kept the message and the messenger alive. So after the ravens fed Elijah, when they couldn't find no more food, and then when the angels gave him the supernatural meal until he went 40 days and didn't have to eat another meal, the word of God came to the prophet and said, I want you to go down to Zarephath.

For there's a little widow woman down there that I want to get in on this miracle. I've been taking care of you, Elijah, by a miracle. You know, sometimes when you prophesy, you bring yourself into the setting of the prophecy. You see, Elijah was in that setting too where he was.

You see, he didn't have a private cloud raining on him. He had to suffer the effects of his prophecy. But God always makes a way for the righteous and the obedient. Because God is going to keep his message and messenger alive. And if he has to do it supernaturally, he'll do it. And when man won't supply the need, he can still command the ravens.

When all of the vegetation was going down on the lowlands, God could tell the ravens to go high up in the mountains where there was still some vegetation because of the snow that was melting. How many say amen? And they could find that hidden food.

How many's out there? And then when that ran out, God gave him a special supernatural meal that he could go 40 days on. But he remembered a little widow woman that had given to keep the prophet and the word of God alive. And when you give and when you sacrifice to keep the word of God going in the time of famine and in the time of judgment, God is going to remember you and supply your need and get you in on the miracle that he was already doing.

You see, God was supplying the need of the prophet by a miracle. How many's had a meal that the ravens brought you lately? You see, that's a miracle meal. And how many lately has an angel cooked your breakfast? You see, this was a miracle meal because God will keep his messenger and message alive and God will also get in on the miracle, those that will give to keep the message and the messenger alive and going. How many say amen? I don't care if God calls for judgment, if you have given up to keep the message and the message alive, if you have sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, then God will add all the things to you. When God is doing a miracle to keep his man and message and messenger alive, God will include you in the miracle.

The famine was so great that the king left his palace and became a herdsman with the few cattle he had left trying to find the stubble that was left. And the word of God came to Elijah again and said, I want you to go down the Zarephath, because there I have commanded a little woman to sustain me. And that's a key word, substain me.

You know what substain means? To keep you alive, to maintain you. And he went on that journey. You know when God works on both ends and when he got to the gate of that city, here was that little widow woman hunting up stubble and the man of God spotted her. And he said, woman give me to eat. And the woman says, There's a Lord liveth. I was about to make two little cakes, one for my son, one for myself, and then I'm going to sit down and I'm going to wait for death to come.

We don't have enough, but just a little cake. And the man of God said, Oh no, I perceive that God is going to give you a miracle. How did that man of God know that that widow woman was going to get a miracle? Because before he ever left to go there, the word of God came to him and said, I have commanded a widow woman to substain thee.

And this little widow woman had not enough to substain herself. So the man of God knew. He knew that God was about to do a miracle.

Hallelujah. And he said no and he began to prophesy and he said, by the word of God, your cruise shall not run dry. He said, I've only got a drop in it. And he said, your mirror barrels shall not waste.

He said, I've only got a measure to make two small cakes. He said, no, God's marked you for a miracle. He's been supplying my need for a miracle. God is faithful. He remembers your sacrifice to keep the word of God, the message and the messenger alive. And God's going to include you in on the miracle. You know, a lot of times you give to keep the message and the messenger alive and hard times come and the devil prophesies and preaches to you. Oh, you fool, you miss God. You stand on the word of God because God is going to give you a miracle and supply your need.

Oh yes he is. And he prophesied and he said, thus saith the Lord, thy cruise shall not wax dry and the vessel with the grain in shall not fail till the end of the judgment or until I lift judgment and until there is grain and there's oil again from the ground. What a miracle. Not just one miracle, but it was a continuous miracle all through her life until she could get her need supplied another way that it didn't take a miracle. And when God has marked you for a miracle, then God is going to continually give you a miracle until you can maintain and sustain yourself without the miracle.

Hallelujah. But what I want you to see is God did not give her a grain elevator. God did not give her an oil well. God didn't say here I'm filling up an oil vessel that will last through the whole famine. Here I'm going to fill a storage for the grain that will last for the whole famine. What he said was that that drop of oil wouldn't fail, that that measure of meal wouldn't run out. Or in other words, every time you use a drop of oil, there'll still be a drop left. And every time you take a measure of meal, there'll still be a meal, measure of meal left. You know, some people think being rich is having X number of dollars, like having a million dollars. Well, the time might come you need two, and then you're one short. I'd rather have what I need when I need it.

Every time I need it, that's being rich. And God didn't put any limitation, but it was an act of faith. She had a manifest. She had to make the cruise, take the last drop, the last measure of meal, and then give it to the prophet. And then she had to have faith that when she picked up the old cruise and the meal again, there would be that measure again.

And you know what? The man of God said, now go ahead, make those cakes like you said, one for you and one for your son. He said, but you make me a cake first, because if you will act in faith, God demands a manifestation of faith and an act of obedience to receive.

If you will believe and give to me first, then you can make one for your son, one for you, and she had a big family and servants, and one for your servants. Not only today, but every day until the famine ends. Hallelujah. Every day. You see, it took faith.

I imagine the devil was preaching to her and saying, hmm, that's a slick prophet. You'd untold him, you only got two little cakes, and he's already saying, give me a cake first, but that's the word. Give and it shall be given to you. You see, with every promise, there is something you do first, because God demands obedience and faith, and then God will do. Ask, and then you will receive. Seek, and then you shall find. Knock, and then it shall be opened unto you. Give, and then it shall be given to you.

Good measure, heaped up, pressed down, running over, will men give unto you a bosom. God will make them do it. How many say amen? You see, there's conditions in prayer. You just don't go out there praying like shooting an arrow. That's what the word means, you miss.

You know, some people in their prayers, they're missing. You know, give me an Orwell. Give me a grain elevator.

Give me a Rolls Royce, a Mercedes, a Lincoln, a Cadillac, a Jaguar. You're missing it, brother. You're missing it, sister.

You done missed it. You pray, supply my need, and when a genuine bonafide need comes in your life, then you come boldly to the throne of grace with the password, the Lord Jesus Christ, and then the portals of heaven open and you are ushered into the presence of Almighty God who is the caretaker of all the things that he's given to Jesus. And when you ask him and show him it countersigned by Jesus, then he what? Freely gives you what you need and you can come out and rejoice. For the Bible said, ask that you might receive that your joy might be full and God wants you full of joy. Praise him.

Amen. What an insightful message by God's servant, brother Hardy. Five conditions of answered prayer. Prayer is the most vital component in the church's invincible arsenal of spiritual weaponry. And is why Satan fights our prayer life so relentlessly both individually and corporately because he knows very well what many Christians may lose sight of. God does hear and answer prayer. When God wants to move in the earth, he sets men to praying. Yet there are times when we perceive that our prayers are not being answered.

Now this could be a matter of spiritual warfare like Daniel experienced or it may be our failure to meet one or more of the conditions God has set forth in his word. In this message, brother Hardy discusses five and by no means all but five principles that govern getting our prayers answered. Scripture clearly teaches that there are certain factors that can hinder our prayers. Find out what they are and how you can overcome these pitfalls to answer prayer. Five conditions of answered prayer is available on CD. And when you order five conditions of answered prayer, we will send you the bonus message by brother Hardy, the power of one praying man. This examines the dynamic operative power that prayer releases, the prevailing prayer that James 5 16 defines, the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much. But the Greek text is actually more powerful and means it prevails.

It overrides and overrules the opposition of enemy forces. You will receive both CD messages for a love gift of $15 for the radio ministry. Request offer 158. Mail to Archie Hardy Ministries, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Or order online at ArchieHardy.org. Once again, you will receive both messages, five conditions of answered prayer, and the power of one praying man. Offer 158, a two CD set for a minimum love gift of $15. Mail to P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Until next time, this is Sharon Otse, Maranatha.