Key 3: Deeply Repent of Your Sins

Key 3: Deeply Repent of Your Sins

Although from time to time God hears the prayers of anyone who sincerely cries out to Him in time of need, He is not bound by His Word to do this. That is why men and women sickened by the horrors  of war have demanded:  “Where was God at the Battle of Leningrad,  when  hundreds of thousands perished?” T h e y h a v e a s k e d : “ W h e re  w a s G o d w h e n  t h e J e w s , P o l e s , Czechs, Danes and Dutch were being herded  into gas chambers in World War II?”

God’s Word  answers: “Behold, the LORD’s hand  is not  short- ened, that  it cannot  save; nor His ear heavy, that  it cannot  hear. But your iniquities  have separated  you from your God; and your sins have hidden  His face from you, so that  He will not  hear” (Isaiah 59:1–2).

The same principle  is found  in the New Testament.  A man Jesus healed of blindness  stated: “Now we know  that  God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him” (John 9:31).

It is not our job to psychoanalyze or “spiritually dissect” those who have not had their prayers answered in the past. But we all have a duty to ask ourselves: “Do I worship the true God? Do I do His will?”

Jesus said: “If you want to enter into life, keep the command- ments” (Matthew 19:17). Do you keep the Ten Commandments? Or mandments  and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1

John 3:22). This New Testament scripture  clearly shows us that we receive answers to our prayers when we keep God’s commandments!

Please be honest with yourself. It is easy to rationalize  or to “reason around”  this very clear scriptural  teaching  about  obey- ing God’s law. But if you want real answers to your prayers, you need  to repent of breaking  the  Ten Commandments—which is defined as sin (1 John 3:4, KJV). And you need to accept Jesus Christ  as your personal  Savior (Acts 2:38). Then—through the help  of the  promised  Holy Spirit—you will need  to surrender more and more each day to let Jesus Christ live His obedient life in you. Keep in mind  what  the  Apostle Paul declared:  ‘I am crucified  with  Christ:  nevertheless  I live; yet not  I, but  Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).

If you would like more information  about how to obey God, please write for our vital and informative booklet titled Restoring Apostolic Christianity. It will be sent  absolutely  free upon request.

As you grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), He will live His life in you more and more fully over the course of your Christian  life. Certainly,  you will not be “perfect” all at once! No human being has ever been perfect except Jesus Christ Himself. But you will be walking in the “way” of the Ten Commandments by surrendering  to Him. By “walking with Christ” in this manner, you can be assured of having more power- ful answers to your prayers than ever before!