Thank you for the question on answered prayers, “If you want a special prayer to be answered, what is a good way to sacrifice to God?”
God hears the prayers of every person. The granting of a prayer is according to will and pleasure of God. If a believers who walks in or by the Spirit of God will find that his/her prayer will be answered by God. The reason is that this child of God is seeking to advance the glory of God than one’s own glory or even his own need.
Jesus said this in John 15, “ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages). Bible citations are from the New International Version.
James says this in James 4, “You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (NIV).
The Scriptures reveal that even if one was to offer something special to God so that one’s prayer will be granted, that prayer may not be answered because the motive may be skewed and not in accordance with the revealed Scriptures.
For example the Mega Million Lotto is worth $850 million. Even if one was to offer God 20% after taxes, would God grant that request? It would be a form of bribery to God to receive what one wants. It will most likely be not granted for God knows our hearts and our actions.
When Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world if he would bow down to him, Jesus refused. Jesus could have avoided the cross but there wouldn’t be any people in the Kingdom of God. In the Garden, Jesus prayed that may the will of the Father be done over his own will (Matthew 26:36–42). If we truly seek the will of God and the glory of God, I believe that God will hear and more than likely grant that believer’s request. God’s desire is to give us good and perfect gifts that will help transform us more into the image of his dear Son.
SUMMARY: If one wants his/her prayers to be answered, then the Lord’s Prayer is to be our pattern for answered prayer.
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