Seven Steps to Answered Prayer

Step Number One: Be Specific and Stand on God’s Promises

Step number one to receiving answered prayer is decide what you want from God and find the scripture or scriptures that definitely promise you these things. So many times we are indefinite in our praying. I would rather folks pray two or three minutes and know what they’re praying about than to pray for two or three hours and not know what they’re praying about.

Sometimes when I ask people what they are praying about, they answer that they don’t know. I asked one person once what he was praying about, and he said he was praying just to be praying! I realize there is one kind of prayer whereby we pray to have fellowship with God. But I am talking about praying to God specifically in order to receive an answer to prayer. If we are not careful, the first kind of praying I talked about – praying to have fellowship with God – will spill over into the realm of praying specifically in order to receive an answer.

One time a certain minister asked me to pray for him. I asked him what he wanted me to pray for, and he said he didn’t know. Now if you went to a grocery store and pushed your cart up and down the aisles, but didn’t buy anything, people would think something was wrong with you! But on the other hand, if someone went to the store to buy a few things, and he bought just those things, you wouldn’t think anything was wrong. In fact, you could say he was being definite in what he was doing. In the same way, decide what you want from God and be definite about it. Then find scriptures from the Word that promise you whatever it is you want. Be specific in your praying.