Examining our text, it would appear that Esau was a poor victim of circumstances. For a certain time, hatred filled his heart toward his brother. It is interesting to note that there was no reference made about Esau’s earlier conduct and lack of appreciation for his personal birthright. His only concern was that he got a blessing regardless of anything he had done. Could it be that we have an alliance with him when we offer our prayer requests yet are unconcerned about the lives we live outside our prayer closet?
If no positive answer results from our prayers, we may chalk off our concerns by just keeping on praying about it. Perhaps we could actually be standing in the way of having our prayers answered. We have no right to expect a blessing until we have done all we can for our lives to be right before God. So, what are some ways to prepare ourselves for blessings.
We must have our hearts cleansed from sin. (James 4:8) Whatever experience we had yesterday even if tremendous highs from God, those experiences are insufficient for today. The salvation we gained yesterday is no license to do anything we want by saying that we are eternally secure. With that attitude we are not only gambling for blessings but bring into question whether we were saved in the first place. If we fail to confess yesterday’s sin, it still clings to us while restricting spiritual powers.
Having solid relationships with mature Christians adds a warming factor to our prayer life. We must be discrete about how we select those relations, though. We cannot expect the maturity of other Christians to rub off on us any more than we could expect to become significant athletes by having a gold medal winner as a friend. Therefore, we must monitor how we relate to fellow believers. The ultimate benefit for this type of discipleship makes a witness to the world possible as our personal responsibility. We must have a conscious oversight for our future spiritual life.
It is important for us to be aware of her own weaknesses and vulnerability to certain favorite sins. An assured counterpoint is to have built within our thinking a sensitivity to the leading and infilling of the Holy Spirit. We must never view ourselves as strong enough to live independently from the influence of God’s Spirit. Since our intent is to continually have spiritual maturity, we must be patient with others, encouraging them in the pathway towards the Lord.
Taking these thoughts into consideration, let us itemize what a successful prayer life is. In all humility, prayer is a privilege made possible by Christ and his resurrection. As we pray, it is important that we see prayer as being urgent and that it produces results. To propagate a routine of prayer, we must be void of self-confidence relying on Jesus as the maker of ultimate answers. Because we cannot fool God, it is wise to be honest as we pray holding nothing back. Avoid seeing prayer as a routine but as a practice from which answers will come. This means that to expect a blessing, we must’ve done all we could for our lives to be right before God.
Christian Writer 