John 15:7 – “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
These words of Jesus give us great insight into the realm of answered prayer. If we want to see God move on our behalf, we must understand He is more interested in our relationship to Him than what He can do for us.
The first criteria for answered prayer is 1) “If you abide in Me…” There is a position we must possess and maintain. We are granted this position initially upon our conversion and salvation. We are “in Him” by virtue of the work Jesus accomplished for us at Calvary. The book of Ephesians amplifies the “in Him” position better than any other New Testament book. However, for prayer to be effective we must maintain the position purchased for us. We must “abide.” This word means to remain and live. Do we live in Him every day? Do we walk in Him every day? This is essential if we are going to see the supernatural come to pass in our lives.
The second criterion for answered prayer is 2) “And My words abide in you…” Hebrews 2:1 says “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.” This is referring to the scriptures, which we have been taught. We must pay close attention to them lest we drift away or as the King James Version says, “let him slip.”
Jesus is telling us that we cannot let His words slip away from us. We must let them take deep root in our hearts and in our minds so that they become fruitful. This is why it is important to have a regular devotional life that is inundated with the Word of God. We must be filled with it and saturated with it so that it becomes the basis through which heavenly prayer is answered.