Of all the aggravating things we can think of, nothing is more frustrating to a believer than spending time in prayer without receiving answers. If we do the statistics, you will be shocked; most of those who lost hope to the point of backsliding did so because of unanswered prayers. They prayed asking God to show up at a certain season when they were in need, but they never saw him come through.
Nevertheless, the Word of God makes it crystal clear that we serve a God that honors prayer:“O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come” (Psalms 65:2NKJV). Right from the days of Enoch, Noah, and Abraham to the days of the Apostles, the Bible holds numerous stories that serve as evidence of the unflinching truth that our heavenly Father hears and answers prayers.
Predominantly, it’s never the size of your prayer that determines whether or not your prayer will be answered. The main determining factor is our attitudes and motives. If they are not right, all your praying, fasting, and giving will be in vain. Your attitude is the key to living a life of answered prayers.
To clearly understand the subject of attitude, we must narrow our study to understanding thoughts because it’s your thoughts that determine your attitude. Moreover, thoughts are a product of the words implanted into your mind.
The words you constantly hear will shape your thought pattern, and affect your attitude in the long run. It’s the reason the Lord instructed Joshua to ensure the Laws of God never depart from his mouth, and the only way to do so was by meditating on them, not once in a while like most of us do, but day and night.
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you[a] shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8NKJV).
TYPES OF ATTITUDES.
A lowly Spirit.
“Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the [a]spoil with the proud” (Proverbs 16:19 NKJV).
Having a lowly spirit does not mean degrading yourself to the point of deeming yourself worthless and insignificant. It alludes to cultivating and expressing the character of humility, kindness, and compassion towards others. It is the exact opposite of having a self-exalting, self-centred attitude.
An attitude that is glued to self and personal gain will never attract the favour of God in prayer. Jesus taught about this when he said in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” In simple words, never expect to receive from God what you are not willing to express to his people. But what do we do most of the time? We mistreat those around us, hurt them and speak ill concerning them, then enter prayer clothed in humility, brokenness, and gratitude expecting to receive mercy from God. Some have even taken this further by slandering the servants of God without realizing such habits will eventually affect their prayer.
God closely watches your attitude to those he positions around you. How you treat them will greatly influence how God responds to your prayer. Nothing will create a stumbling block to your prayers more than an attitude full of pride and arrogance.
