Let's talk about Prayer

In a conversation about prayer, one woman said, "I always find it very necessary, and He tells us to, to make sure I go to Him and ask for forgiveness ... because He won't listen to you if you've got something that you're holding on to. So, it is really important to try and stay current with Him." How many Christians feel this way when it comes to prayer? The other two people involved in the conversation agreed with this statement. Therefore, at least three people feel the same way about this aspect of prayer. But, is it true? Do we have to stay "current" with God or else risk Him not listening to us when we pray? She continued, "You can have broken fellowship with the Lord regarding sin or iniquity in your heart. You need to make sure you get it straightened out. He tells you that before leaving your offering, if you have aught against your brother to go get it straightened out." The gentleman involved in the conversation said, "I think the Lord will listen to you no matter what. I think that our prayers become less effective if we are holding things in or allowing things to hinder solid communication. It's kind of like if there is a mountain between your cell phone and my cell phone, when you call me it may cut in and out, but I think the Lord hears because there is no limit to the Lord's ability." There is no limit to the Lord's ability, but like many conversations about our relationship with Him, their always seems to be a focus on us and how we get in the way. This is an Old Covenant attitude. The Old Covenant was a testimony to God's faithfulness and man's failure and many Christians have drug that same attitude into the New Covenant. We have to clean ourselves up. We have a "mountain" of sin between us and God that we need to take care of. We have to make sure all our relationships on earth are in order or else God is on high with His hands folded and His nose turned up. Conversely, in the New Covenant, everything is based off of what God did, in Christ Jesus, and not about what we are doing or do to stay "current" or remove the "mountain" between us.

There is nothing in the New Covenant about God not listening to us if we are holding on to something or that we have to keep "current" with Him in order to remove any "mountains." This is the byproduct of not knowing the truth about forgiveness and our identity in Christ. We are forgiven, we do not continue to ask for it. 2 Corinthians 5:19 says God is "not counting men's sins against them." How then do we have to ask forgiveness for sins He is not counting against us? Where does it say that we can have broken fellowship with God because of our sins? What the Bible does say is that "God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 1:9)." We are in fellowship with God because He is faithful, not us. There is no "mountain" between us, messing with the signal, like we are on a cell phone. He indwells us. He couldn't indwell us if our sins were still being counted against us. We would be in and out of spiritual life and death if that were the case. In other words, we would be saved one minute and lost the next. And as far as Matthew 5:23-24 is concerned, that took place before the cross. It reads, "Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." This was said under the Old Covenant because Jesus hadn't went to the cross yet. Under the New Covenant, we do not bring an offering to an altar. Hebrews 10:17-18 clearly states, "and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.""  The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was once for all. There is no need to bring an offering to an altar when there is no sin being remembered. Secondly, we don't go and first be reconciled to our brother before we can be reconciled to God. It is now the complete opposite. According to 2 Corinthians 5:19-20, we are told to "be reconciled to God," because He has already forgiven our sins and taken them away. Therefore, you end up "forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32)." There is a different focus when you get your eyes off yourself and learn to trust what you have in Christ. When you realize you are "current" with God and there are no "mountains" between you and Him, because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, your relationship changes and so does your prayer life.