KJV 1 John 5:14-15
 14.  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
 15.  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

WE ARE INSTRUCTED TO PRAY
WITHOUT CEASING
KJV 1 Thessalonians 5:17
17. Pray without ceasing.

GOD’S EYES AND EARS ARE OPEN TO THE CHRISTIAN
KJV 1 Peter 3:12
 12.  For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

WE NEED TO ALWAYS PRAY
KJV Luke 18:1
1.  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

WE NEED TO BE INSTANT IN PRAYER
KJV Romans 12:12
12. Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

A CHRISTIAN HAS A FATHER – SON RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

WE MUST BE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
KJV 1 John 1:2-3
 2.  (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
 3.  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

GOD LOVES US AND THIS IS EVIDENT IN CHRIST DEATH
KJV 1 John 4:9-10
 9.  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
 10.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD
KJV 1 John 3:1-2
 1.  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

GOD SAYS ASK AND YE WILL RECEIVE AS A FATHER WOULD GIVE TO A SON
KJV Matthew 7:7-11
 7.  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
 8.  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
 9.  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
 10.  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

WE MUST HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH THE FATHER TO BE SAVED
KJV 1 John 1:1-9
 1.  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
 2.  (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
 3.  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
 4.  And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
 5.  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
 6.  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
 7.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
 8.  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
 9.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

OUR CONFIDENCE IS BUILT UPON FAITH

WE MUST BELIEVE IN OUR PRAYERS TO HAVE THEM WORK
KJV Matthew 21:22
22. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

PRAY WITH FAITH WILL WORK
KJV James 5:15
15.  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

ALL GIFTS ARE OF GOD
KJV James 1:17
 17.  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

WE MUST BE CONFIDENT AND WALK BY FAITH
KJV 2 Corinthians 5:5-8
 5.  Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
 6.  Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
 7.  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
 8.  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

FAITH IS HOPE
KJV Hebrews 11:1
1.  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

FAITH WILL HELP US OVERCOME
KJV 1 John 5:5
5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

PAUL AND SILAS PRAYED – AN EARTHQUAKE OCCURRED SETTING THEM FREE
KJV Acts 16:22-34
22.  And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
 23.  And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
 24.  Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
 25.  And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
 26.  And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
 27.  And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

THROUGH PRAYER AND BELIEF OTHERS WERE LED TO CHRIST
28.  But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
 29.  Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
 30.  And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
 31.  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
 32.  And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
 33.  And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
34. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

Paul preached
They believed 
Obviously changed (repented) as they washed and their stripes (v33)
Confession is not documented but surly occurred as it must unto Salvation (Rom 10:9-10)
Baptism applied before they rejoiced.  (I Peter 3:21) Baptism Saves
 
 

Copyright 2000 by Brian Yeager may be reproducted for non-commercial purposes at no cost to others.