quote:
The Signs of the Times, August 21, 1884,
Conditions of Prevailing PrayerWhen Jesus was upon earth, he taught his disciples how to pray. He directed them to present their daily needs before God, and to cast all their care upon him. And the assurance he gave them that their petitions should be heard, is assurance also to us.
One of the first things necessary in order to have our prayers answered, is to feel our need of help from God. We may come to him just as we are, helpless, destitute, needy, and he will not send us empty away. The riches of the universe belong to God; his are all temporal and spiritual treasures. He can supply all our needs out of his abundant fullness. We receive our breath from him; every blessing in nature that we enjoy is an expression of his love. We are likewise dependent upon him for spiritual blessings, for grace and wisdom and strength to do the will of God. And he is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him than parents are to give good gifts to their children.
Our great need is itself an argument, and pleads most eloquently in our behalf. But the Lord is to be sought unto to do for us those things that we desire. Oh how shamefully has Jesus been treated! He is inviting, urging us to come to him and receive the very help we need; yet too often his invitations are slighted, his proffered aid refused.
We are sinful by nature, and so are commanded to be zealous and repent. If we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us; but the prayer of the penitent, contrite soul is always accepted. When all known wrongs are righted, we may believe that God will answer our petitions. We must do what we can on our part; but our own merit will never commend us to the favor of God. It is the worthiness of Jesus that will save us, his blood that will cleanse us......
We need to examine our hearts as a preparation for coming before God in prayer, that we may know what manner of spirit we are of. If we do not forgive those who have trespassed against us, our prayers for forgiveness will not be heard. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." When as sinners we approach the mercy-seat, we cannot express the sentiment of this petition without forgiveness in our hearts for all who have done us an injury. Upon this petition Jesus makes a comment: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses......."There is necessity of diligence in prayer; let nothing hinder you. You will obtain the blessing you desire if you faint not. Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden him; you cannot weary him. He who numbers the hairs of your head, who notices the fall of a sparrow, is not indifferent to the wants of his people. "The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." He is affected by our sorrows, and even by our utterance of them. Take everything to him that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for him to bear; for he holds up worlds; he rules over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing is too small for him to notice that in any way disturbs our peace. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for him to read; there is no perplexity too sore for him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of his people, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere, contrite prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which he takes no immediate interest. "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds."
In The Blessed Hope
Avalee
quote:
Originally posted by Avalee Lohman:
If we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us; but the prayer of the penitent, contrite soul is always accepted. When all known wrongs are
righted, we may believe that God will answer our petitions.
Avalee, thank you for your response. I thought there was an Ellen White statement about not letting repentance be a barrier to coming to Christ. I'm trying to get my head around this, because I used to believe God heard all sincere and needy prayer, and that we couldn't repent UNLESS we approached Him. For several weeks, I've had serious doubts, and I think that over the years since I stopped attending church, I've been deceiving myself that my prayers have been answered. Does anyone have relevant scripture, or anything which may qualify this? I feel like my past faith was delusion. If it was, I need to know, and understand the correct process so that I know what to do if I ever really repent.
Zyph
[This message has been edited by zyph (edited May 26, 2001).]
(I just closed the quote! 
)
[This message has been edited by Mrs Sarah Moss (edited May 27, 2001).]
quote:
The Faith I Live By
Page 129
Chapter Title: Conversion And The New LifeIf you take even one step toward Him in repentance, He will hasten to enfold you in His arms of infinite love. His ear is open to the cry of the contrite soul. The very first reaching out of the heart after God is known to Him. Never a prayer is offered, however faltering, never a tear is shed, however secret, never a sincere desire after God is cherished, however feeble, but the Spirit of God goes forth to meet it. Even before the prayer is uttered or the yearning of the heart made known, grace from Christ goes forth to meet the grace that is working upon the human soul.
In The Blessed Hope
Avalee
quote:
Steps to Christ
Page 35
Chapter Title: RepentanceMany accept an intellectual religion, a form of godliness, when the heart is not cleansed. Let it be your prayer, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10. Deal truly with your own soul. Be as earnest, as persistent, as you would be if your mortal life were at stake. This is a matter to be settled between God and your own soul, settled for eternity. A supposed hope, and nothing more, will prove your ruin.
Study God's word prayerfully. That word presents before you, in the law of God and the life of Christ, the great principles of holiness, without which "no man shall see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14. It convinces of sin; it plainly reveals the way of salvation. Give heed to it as the voice of God speaking to your soul.As you see the enormity of sin, as you see yourself as you really are, do not give up to despair. It was sinners that Christ came to save. We have not to reconcile God to us, but--O wondrous love!--God in Christ is "reconciling the world unto Himself." 2 Corinthians 5:19. He is wooing by His tender love the hearts of His erring children. No earthly parent could be as patient with the faults and mistakes of his children, as is God with those He seeks to save. No one could plead more tenderly with the transgressor. No human lips ever poured out more tender entreaties to the wanderer than does He. All His promises, His warnings, are but the breathing of unutterable love.
When Satan comes to tell you that you are a
great sinner, look up to your Redeemer and talk of His merits. That which will help you is to look to His light. Acknowledge your sin, but tell the enemy that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" and that you may be saved by His matchless love. 1 Timothy 1:15. Jesus asked Simon a question in regard to two debtors. One owed his lord a small sum, and the other owed him a very large sum; but he forgave them both, and Christ asked Simon which debtor would love his lord most. Simon answered, "He to whom he forgave most." Luke 7:43. We have been great sinners, but Christ died that we might be forgiven. The merits of His sacrifice are sufficient to present to the Father in our behalf. Those to whom He has forgiven most will love Him most, and will stand nearest to His throne to praise Him for His great love and infinite sacrifice. It is when we most fully comprehend the love of God that we best realize the sinfulness of sin. When we see the length of the chain that was let down for us, when we understand something of the infinite sacrifice that Christ has made in our behalf, the heart is melted with tenderness and contrition.
I don't believe there is ever a time we cannot come to God in true repentance. God knows our hearts even more than we do so we might as well not try to fool him because we can not...I went through a time long ago where I could not pray, as I felt God would not hear my prayer. Then I read the verse Create within me a clean heart..and I made that my prayer to God as I could not do it....nothing happened for a long time...I wanted to continue doing what I was doing...but Praise God He did not give up on me....I am not saying I have arrived...of course not...but I know that God loves me and is working with me....but I am working with Him too now....we have a part to play...asking God to create within me a new heart helped alot..I asked Him to create a desire in my heart to repent of the things I knew I should not be doing. Guess What? It works...when I do it....
In The Blessed Hope
Avalee
The value placed on the one sheep was assigned by the value of the price of the cost to the owner. When He heard the sheep faintly crying out in the distance, was He less kind or more kind than the good samaretin ? Would He ignore the faintest cry ? Sometimes the heart cries out while the mouth is still trying to drown it out, but Jesus hears both the heart & the mouth.
Jesus said it best.
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Jesus will use your prayers coupled with His own to find a way to bring you back to right terms with Him.
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Edward F Sutton
Zyph, do not give up your searching. If there are things holding you back, if there are things you can't quite let go of, or grasp, give them to Jesus, He understands your heart. "Seek, and it shall be opened unto you". When I took my legal assistant training, we were taught that there is a world of difference between the words "shall" and "will". Using the word "shall" means that it MUST be done, the word "will" does not have the same impact, at least not in a legal sense. As you seek, He will open to you and reveal to you what is necessary for your heart to be reconciled to His. Do not walk away. Your heart may only be warm, but it is heating up. My prayers are with you.
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Sarah Moss
*Prayer Changes Things!*
__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace
Daryl
DA p-331-341 - read over & over the last paragraph.
"And souls that have been degraded into instruments of Satan are still through the power of Christ transformed into messengers of righteousness, and sent forth by the Son of God to tell what "great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee." {DA 341.2}
*************
"While they were waiting at the foot of the mountain, a father had brought to them his son, to be delivered from a dumb spirit that tormented him. Authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, had been conferred on the disciples when Jesus sent out the twelve to preach through Galilee. As they went forth strong in faith, the evil spirits had obeyed their word. Now in the name of Christ they commanded the torturing spirit to leave his victim; but the demon only mocked them by a fresh display of his power. The disciples, unable to account for their defeat, felt that they were bringing dishonor upon themselves and their Master. And in the crowd there were scribes who made the most of this opportunity to humiliate them. Pressing around the disciples, they plied them with questions, seeking to prove that they and their Master were deceivers. Here, the rabbis triumphantly declared, was an evil spirit that neither the disciples nor Christ Himself could conquer. The people were inclined to side with the scribes, and a feeling of contempt and scorn pervaded the crowd. {DA 427.2}
But suddenly the accusations ceased. Jesus and the three disciples were seen approaching, and with a quick revulsion of feeling the people turned to meet them. The night of communion with the heavenly glory had left its trace upon the Saviour and His companions. Upon their countenances was a light that awed the beholders. The scribes drew back in fear, while the people welcomed Jesus. {DA 427.3}
As if He had been a witness of all that had occurred, the Saviour came to the scene of conflict, and fixing His gaze upon the scribes inquired, "What question ye with them?" {DA 427.4}
But the voices so bold and defiant before were now silent. A hush had fallen upon the entire company. Now the afflicted father made his way through the crowd, and falling at the feet of Jesus, poured out the story of his trouble and disappointment. {DA 427.5}
"Master," he said, "I have brought unto Thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: . . . and I spake to Thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not." {DA 428.1}
Jesus looked about Him upon the awe-stricken multitude, the caviling scribes, the perplexed disciples. He read the unbelief in every heart; and in a voice filled with sorrow He exclaimed, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?" Then He bade the distressed father, "Bring thy son hither." {DA 428.2}
The boy was brought, and as the Saviour's eyes fell upon him, the evil spirit cast him to the ground in convulsions of agony. He lay wallowing and foaming, rending the air with unearthly shrieks. {DA 428.3}
Again the Prince of life and the prince of the powers of darkness had met on the field of battle,--Christ in fulfillment of His mission to "preach deliverance to the captives, . . . to set at liberty them that are bruised" (Luke 4:18), Satan seeking to hold his victim under his control. Angels of light and the hosts of evil angels, unseen, were pressing near to behold the conflict. For a moment, Jesus permitted the evil spirit to display his power, that the beholders might comprehend the deliverance about to be wrought. {DA 428.4}
The multitude looked on with bated breath, the father in an agony of hope and fear. Jesus asked, "How long is it ago since this came unto him?" The father told the story of long years of suffering, and then, as if he could endure no more, exclaimed, "If Thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us." "If Thou canst!" Even now the father questioned the power of Christ. {DA 428.5}
Jesus answers, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." There is no lack of power on the part of Christ; the healing of the son depends upon the father's faith. With a burst of tears, realizing his own weakness, the father casts himself upon Christ's mercy, with the cry, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." {DA 428.6}
Jesus turns to the suffering one, and says, "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him." There is a cry, an agonized struggle. The demon, in passing, seems about to rend the life from his victim. Then the boy lies motionless, and apparently lifeless. The multitude whisper, "He is dead." But Jesus takes him by the hand, and lifting him up, presents him, in perfect soundness of mind and body, to his father. Father and son praise the name of their Deliverer. The multitude are "amazed at the mighty power of God," while the scribes, defeated and crestfallen, turn sullenly away. {DA 428.7}
"If Thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us." How many a sin-burdened soul has echoed that prayer. And to all, the pitying Saviour's answer is, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." It is faith that connects us with heaven, and brings us strength for coping with the powers of darkness. In Christ, God has provided means for subduing every sinful trait, and resisting every temptation, however strong. But many feel that they lack faith, and therefore they remain away from Christ. Let these souls, in their helpless unworthiness, cast themselves upon the mercy of their compassionate Saviour. Look not to self, but to Christ. He who healed the sick and cast out demons when He walked among men is the same mighty Redeemer today. Faith comes by the word of God. Then grasp His promise, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. Cast yourself at His feet with the cry, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." You can never perish while you do this--never. {DA 429.1}
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Edward F Sutton
[This message has been edited by Edward F Sutton (edited May 29, 2001).]
The real hindrance to God hearing our prayers is our unwillingness to hear Him; that's when He can't hear us. When we pray, and really only want to hear what pleases us, like the pharisee who prayed "with himself," God couldn't hear him because he didn't want what He had to say (Luke 18:11). But the other man felt his need and wanted God's solution, and God heard his heart-felt appeal for help.
Years ago we had a beautiful mother cat who had kittens--a full assortment. But she was hit by a car a short time later. We tried the best we could to help those little kittens, but they were too tiny to survive without a mother. They cried and cried, and we prayed to the Lord for wisdom on what to do. Then, on Sabbath morning we heard a lady at church tell someone that her female farm cat had just weaned her kittens. We told her our situation, and she agreed to let us try something. We took our tiny kittens over to her barn. The mother cat heard their desperate cries and quickly ran away. But she couldn't stay away long; her mother instinct was just too strong. She returned and looked in the box, and then left again. After doing this several times, she at last came and picked them up one-by-one and took them to where she felt they would be safest. It was wonderful to see this mixed up mother cat who had just weaned her own kittens now adopt a brand new batch of newborns, and bring them field mice to eat. Of course, they were much too tiny for food yet, and the mice just piled up. That mother cat had a hard time figuring out the reason, but fortunately she gave them plenty of love and mother's milk, and they all grew happy and healthy. The Lord knows your needs and mine far better than that mother cat did. But like her, He cannot resist hearing the cries of those who feel their need for Him. Don't stop calling.
The biggest hurdle in finding our way back to God is the hurdle we ourselves place in our way. We set the requirement that God must meet to convince us that He cares and accepts us. But if we will just place our trust in His word and choose to follow Him (and like Job, say, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him"), we will see the waters part and a way open to deliverance. Keep trusting, keep hoping, and keep praying.
That was a very touching post as the true story you told us about the kittens penetrated deep into my heart.
God the Father wants the true story of His Son's sacrifice to penetrate deep into our hearts also.
__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace
Daryl
[This message has been edited by Daryl Fawcett (edited July 03, 2001).]
I still fear God might not hear me because I haven't made a decision for Him. But the mature part of me, that remembers what it was like to walk with Him, knows full well that the only avenues to approach Him are prayer, bible study, and service. It is the devil who says, "Don't pray."
Then why, zyph, knowing what you know, are you not making a decision for Him? 
You may not want to answer that here, however, that is up to you.
But, during my wilfull apostasy, before I was willing to give up my open sin (working on the sabbath) I was unwilling to deceive myself into believing that I was in a saved relationship. However, the moment I made my decision to stop working on the sabbath, a sweet peace filled my soul, and I knew without a doubt I was saved at that point. And ever since I have purposed in my heart to serve God without reservation.
If I found myself in sin, I quickly responded to the Lord's offer of repentance, resolving over and over again to keep my eyes on Jesus. And He has blessed me abundantly with love, peace and joy. I hope and pray this for you as well.
My recommendation is to get back in that prayer room and pray your heart out for yourself and for those people that Jesus has put on your heart to pray for. Your prayers will be answered because of the righteousness of Jesus. When Jesus finishes with you you will be righteous but not because of your efforts but because God gave you His mind and you allowed Jesus to do the work for you. In essence you surrender you robe of fig leaaves for the covering that Jesus has made FOR you.
Daryl, why do you ask?
Why do I ask?
The answer should be obvious; out of prayerful love and concern for you. 
The key ingredients are a sincere prayer coming from the heart.
With your prayer posts and all your other posts, I don't understand why you have not accepted His freely offered gift of salvation offered by His grace?
Of all the prayers you have posted or said in your room or anywhere else, and that He has surely heard, the one He is longing to hear from you is your acceptance of His salvation by grace.
The fact that you pray to Him for others, tells me that you are heading in the right direction, and are still open to the wooing of the Holy Spirit, so keep praying, for the day you stop praying is the day that will do you the most harm.
quote:
The key ingredients are a sincere prayer coming from the heart.
Daryl,
This is where I stumble in prayer. Sometimes I dont know wheather my prayers are of sincerety or of self. I have many doubts about my prayer life yet I keep at it and ask God to direct me.
Amelia
We also have a Steps to Christ quotation that satans constant plan is to get us to take our eyes off Jesus and get them on our defects or the defects of others. Anything but the love and character of Jesus. Amelia, keep looking up to Jesus and He has promised to draw you to Him. When He is finished you will be perfect in His eyes, you will of course see little good but to Him you will be completely clean and pleasing in His sight. When you get proper eyesight and He says you are clean you will know that it is the truth.
Keep praying.