What if there is a way for us to know the prayers that God guarantees He will answer?
We have looked at one reason that sabotages some of our prayers for purity and that is still cherishing the sin in our heart. We are not wholehearted but instead, we are doubleminded.
God will not answer the prayers if you are not all in and single-minded about being done with sexual sin.
There is a passage in 1 John 5 which is extremely important when it comes down to the prayers we can KNOW God will answer. It is a promise from God that if we ask in prayer for something that we know to be God’s will, we can have the assurance that He will answer that prayer. Here is the passage in 1 John 5:14-15;
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
The problem with many of our prayers is that we are praying for our will and not God’s will. We are like children asking for things that would be harmful for us to have and like a good parent, God does not answer those prayers. Like a 12-year-old asking his parents if he can have a party at the house while you are gone for the weekend. Uuuhhh – NO!
So, I asked myself what are the things that I know are God’s will so that I can pray those prayers and have the confidence that He will answer them? For example, I know it is God’s will for me to love my wife as Christ loves the Church because I am commanded to do that in Ephesians 5:25;
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…”
If loving my wife as Christ loves the church is God’s will, and I know it is because in the bible I am commanded to do that, God promises to hear any prayer that we know is His will, which He says in 1 John 5:14-15. So, if I pray for God to help me love my wife as Christ loves the church He is going to answer that prayer.
To put it more bluntly;
If God promises to answer any prayer that is according to His will, and He does.
Loving my wife as Christ loves the Church is God’s will, and it is.
Then if I ask God to help me do that … He will because He has promised that.
Now, is it God’s will for us to live in sexual purity? I think so. See 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5;
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you knows how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God”
To put it this more bluntly, it is God’s will that we do not commit sexual immorality. Which would obviously include;
- Looking lustfully at another person.
- Watching porn.
- Masturbating
- Having sex outside of marriage.
- Using fantasy to imagine having sex.
The list could go on and on and on, but you get the idea. God’s will is that we live a life of sexual purity. So, does it not make sense that if I pray for God to help me walk in sexual purity that I can be assured that He will help me do that? Yes, I can and so can you.
Starting tomorrow I am going to share with you 7 prayers that you need to put into practice if you are going to be growing in purity. However, today may I suggest you praying daily a prayer like this;
“Abba Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, I know it is your will for me to live a life of sexual purity today. Please help me to recognize when I am being tempted or when a time of temptation might happen today. Help me to say no to sexual sin and reach up to you and out to those on my recovery team. You have promised that with every temptation you will provide a way of escape. Please give me the strength to not only see that escape but to take it and flee every youthful lust that I encounter today.”