And so, my dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have courage in God’s presence. We receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. What he commands is that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as Christ commanded us. Whoever obeys God’s commands lives in union with God and God lives in union with him. And because of the Spirit that God has given us we know that God lives in union with us.

1 John 3:21-24

Jesus said we will receive from God what we ask of Him, but there are conditions. We must obey God and do what pleases Him. That means believing in His Son and loving one another. If we do not meet God’s conditions, our prayers will be ineffective.

If your prayer-life is not working, make sure you are meeting the conditions. When you do, you can be confident that your prayers will be effective.

Faith and love are vital to effective prayer.

Our Daily Bread – March 7, 2003