Grace Fellowship Church Pastor/Teacher Jim Rickard Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Memory Verse Heb 4:16, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

John 14:13-14 The Doctrine of Prayer Part 5

D. Four Categories of Petition in Prayer.

1. Each petition prayer has two parts:

1. Each petition prayer has two parts: a) The petition which is what you actually say;

1. Each petition prayer has two parts: a) The petition which is what you actually say; b) The desire, which is what you really want.

2. God’s answer to each petition and desire can be defined in four ways.

a. Positive-Negative: in which the petition is answered with a positive but the desire behind the petition is not answered. 1 Sam 8:5-9, and Num 11:5-35; Psa 78:17-30; 106:13-15

b. Negative-Positive: where the petition is not answered but the desire is. This is where God says no to the petition but gives you the desire behind it. Gen 17:18-21; 18:23-33; 19:20-22; 2 Cor 12:7-10

c. Positive-Positive; the ideal prayer, where the petition is answered and the desire is also answered - Yes and yes. 1 Kings 18:36-38; Judges 16:28; Luke 23:42-43; John 11:41-45

d. Negative-Negative; or no and no, the worst prayer of all where neither the petition nor the desire is answered.

E. Why Prayer is Not Answered.

1. The fundamental reason: the believer is under the control of the sin nature. In a state of sin, your prayers cannot be heard or answered.

General reasons for failure in prayer are always related to carnality, being out of fellowship, residence in the cosmic system or reversionism.

Psa 66:18, “If I regard wickedness (cherish iniquity) in my heart (stream of consciousness of the soul), the Lord will not listen to me.”

a. “Cherishing iniquity” means not rebounding. 1 John 1:9

Rebound is a non-protocol recovery procedure that does not belong to the spiritual life.

Rebound must precede all divine mandates (Old and New Test.) of prayer, to get you back into fellowship with God immediately. 1 John 1:5-9

b. In carnality the believer grieves (Eph 6:18) and quenches the Spirit (1 Thes 5:19) and your prayers cannot be heard.

The only prayer which can be heard is rebound, which is the private confession of your sins to God; in that sense, it is a prayer.

2. What the righteousness of God approves (personal prayer); the justice of God answers through the love of God expressed through the grace of God, when the believer has first confessed his sins.

See Grace Pipeline chart Found under Diagrams & Maps

3. What the righteousness of God disapproves (the believer praying in a state of sin), the justice of God does not answer.

Grace Fellowship Church Tuesday, June 16, 2009 Doctrine of Prayer, Part 5 Tape # Doctrine of Prayer, Part 5 Why Prayers Are Not Answered Upper Room Discourse, Part 272 John 14:13-14; 2 Cor 12:7-10; Psa 66:18-20 James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2009