Secrets from Heaven

Scriptures That Will Help You Get Your Prayers Answered!

Hughes

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9781498233989
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Secrets from Heaven is a practical devotional guide that consists of Scriptures from the Bible on how to get our prayers answered. The only way to receive an answer from God is to learn the Scriptures. In gaining knowledge of who God is through his Word, we will understand the mind of God. When we understand the mind of God, we will begin to pray the Lord's will over our lives. However, in order for us to receive what we desire, our request must be in harmony with the principles of God's kingdom. When we communicate with God, it allows him to give us divine counsel. When we do this, he will listen, and we can be certain that if God listens, he will give us a definite answer. God is ready to answer our prayers but we must ask him for his assistance. Therefore, we must pray with confidence and an expectation that God will answer us.

1

God First

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

—Matthew 6:33 NLT

As a kingdom heir your inheritance is contingent on placing God above everything else. As God grants special favor on those that put him first, his favor extends from divine protection and prosperity, to divine wisdom, and so much more. Furthermore, when you are in God’s will, he does not have a problem with blessing you with earthly possessions. Thus, righteous living can only be acquired when God is your number one priority. Ultimately, though, your goal as a kingdom offspring is to obtain a higher spiritual life. However, the only way to achieve a more excellent spiritual walk is to obey your Father.

Since God chose you, he has set you apart for his special use. Did you know that you are precious in the sight of God? Yes, God sees you as an honorable and upright man or woman of God. My prayer is that you will begin to align your life with the word of God. When you begin to allow God’s Word to reign in your heart, he will show you how to follow his way of living. Therefore, make it your business to pursue after God, when you do, he will give you everything that you could possibly need.

Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first time he had done this.

—1 Samuel 14:35 NIV

Chosen by God, Saul was Israel’s first king. He was courageous, good looking, and impulsive by nature. Despite the fact that he was a skilled soldier, his foolish behavior would soon create disastrous side effects during his kingship. His rash actions demonstrated his weaknesses as a leader. Saul accomplished great things in the kingdom when he followed the ways of God.

Although Saul won many battles for Israel, he would still be a failure in God’s eyes because he would not submit to God. As God’s chosen leader, it would take him two years to build an altar to God. Saul turned to everyone else first before he would turn to God. As a leader in the kingdom, it is very dangerous to undertake anything without God’s direction. When we turn to God first, we will not only avoid separation from God, but we will have less heartache. This is why it is important to surrender our lives to God. He does not want a religious ritual that disconnects us from living a Spirit-filled life.

Can you imagine living a life without any direction from God for a day? Without guidance from God, we are not fulfilling our true divine purpose that he has for us. Therefore, we become drifters; seeking guidance from those who can barely help themselves, let alone help us. It does not matter if the issue is big or small, his desire is to assist us as we journey through this thing called life. When you plan a trip, do you seek advice from your friends or a travel agent? Well, God’s advice is much greater than either one. Therefore, find out what God has to say about life situations that you are about to embark upon.

Listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.

—James 4:13–16 NIV

How do you know what the next hour will bring? Or, for that matter, what the next day will bring? Do you even know if God will allow you to see another day? God is the only person that knows what happens each second of the day. Have you ever noticed how quickly the fog in the air disappears? If so, imagine how quickly you will vanish from the earth. Since we are here for a short time, we must get in the habit of saying: “If it is God’s will, then I will arise tomorrow and be about God’s business.” Our life belongs to God, so it is imperative that we seek him every day finding out what he wants from us.

Although it is good to plan, keep an open mind, because God may just change your plans. How would you feel if God interrupted your plans? It is vital that you ask God what his thoughts are about your plans that you have set forth. When you do this, it will save you time and anxiety. Most of the time, believers make plans without God, however when the plans fall apart, believers begin to seek God. This type of thought is not godly behavior. The righteous should always first seek God’s counsel. God is waiting for you to ask him for assistance. God takes pleasure in giving his children sound advice on any situation. Therefore, relieve yourself of such backwards thinking that will create unnecessary stress. If God is not the person that you seek first, then ask him to teach you how to make him number one. God knows all things and since he is the creator of all things, then why not go to him first? Since God controls all things, why receive partial blessings? Seek him in all matters of life so that you can receive every promise that belongs to you.

He gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, “We are his offspring.”

—Acts 17:25–28 NIV

Christ is the creator of the universe and everything in it. He gives us every breath that we take. Christ decides if we will live or die. Therefore, we should thank him every morning for allowing us to rise. We should also thank him for his protection and provision as we move throughout the day. Every morning, I tell God thank you, for allowing me to see another beautiful day. I am grateful to God because he allows me to use each limb. Moreover, it is because of God that my mind is in a healthy mental state. I appreciate the Lord so much for giving me peace within. Not only is he my safe haven, God is my divine counselor. Without God, I would not exist, I am nothing.

God loves us so much that he desires that we get personal with him. As human beings, sometimes it is hard for us to get close to God because we cannot see or touch him. However, it is imperative that we have a personal relationship with God. We must seek him. He is a God that desires to be found by us; therefore, he is not far from any of us.

God is dependable. He is someone that you can open up your heart to and he will hear you. You will never have to worry about anyone finding out what the two of you discuss. Ask yourself how many times you have gotten close to someone whom you wish you could forget. I can think of several people during my lifetime I wish I had never allowed into my space. If we take the time to get to know other people who we think we can trust, why not take the time to get to know God? For in him we live, move, and have our being; therefore, who would not worship an almighty God like that? Furthermore, in order to worship him you must get to know him. When you get to know God, you will fall madly in love with him. Out of pure love for him, you will be forever thankful for what he has done for you.

The law made nothing perfect, and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

—Hebrews 7:19 NIV

Do you have a desire to draw near to God? If so, it is because God dwells within you. You were created to worship him; therefore you belong to God (1 Cor 6:19). Thus, because he dwells within you, your spirit will always desire to be close to God. In fact, God feels the same way about you. His love for you is so great that he will stop at nothing to establish a relationship with you. If you look back over your life, you will notice how God used events and people to bring you closer to him.

God is faithful and deeply in love with you. If you desire to know the Lord in a deeper way, then set aside some time each day for prayer, worship, and Bible meditation. Implementing these three things will help you grow closer and closer to the Lord. Come close to God and get intimate with him so that he can love on you! No one can love you like the Lord. He adores you and he wants the best for you.

We fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

—Ezra 8:23 NIV

Do you seek God regarding all matters of your life? Oftentimes we jump into things not really knowing what the outcome will be. Sometimes the outcome can be devastating or good. Whichever the case may be, we should always ask God which plan of action we should take. Therefore, before you move ahead, you might want to pray and fast so that you can receive divine direction. Without divine counsel, every potential opportunity that you set out to do is subject to failure.

An example of one who searched for divine guidance is the scribe Ezra. As an educator and one who lived a life submitted to God, he knew the importance of receiving help from the Lord. Before Ezra made his journey with the second group of exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem, he called on the Lord for divine instructions. Ezra and the people of God had to travel through dangerous territory on foot for nine hundred miles. Since the trip would take about four months, the people of God had to spiritually prepare for a safe and prosperous journey. Therefore, Ezra and all of the people of God committed themselves to praying and fasting. Thus, when we crucify our flesh by fasting and praying, it is a symbol of submission before God. Our fasting and praying is an indication that we are acknowledging that we need God’s guidance as we embark on the journey that is ahead of us.

As a result of the Israelites putting God first, God would demonstrate his divine care by protecting the people and their treasures as they journeyed to Jerusalem. Thus, because of their humbled attitudes, fasting, and praying, God answered their prayers. God will do the same for you, if you give him total control over every situation. If you desire to live a life led by the Lord, then read about Ezra. He is a great model for anyone who wishes to live for God. Ezra honored God throughout all of his life.

If you seek the Lord, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

—Deuteronomy 4:29–31 NIV

God’s promises are true. The Israelites were very special to God. They were so unique in God’s eye. God’s desire was that Israel would seek him with their entire being. God promised the Israelites that if they pursued him with their heart they would find him. The same vow that God made with the Israelites still applies for us today. God will bless those that are serious about their pursuit of having a relationship with him. It is the Lord’s desire that we become intimate with him. He wants us to become personal with him but we have to desire a personal relationship with him as well.

Furthermore, when God formed you in your mother’s womb, you immediately became an heir to the throne of God. Since you belong to God, search for him so that you can receive everything that he has for you. However, upon r...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: God First
• Chapter 2: Pray Continually
• Chapter 3: Confess to God
• Chapter 4: Friend of God
• Chapter 5: Obey God
• Chapter 6: God’s Will
• Chapter 7: God Listens
• Chapter 8: Persistence in God
• Chapter 9: Faith in God
• Chapter 10: Wait on God
• Chapter 11: Conclusion
• Transformation Letter