Some people have more influence with God then others, that is God hears and answers their prayers more than others. Why is that? God has set conditions or requirements for Him to answer our prayers, even to hear our prayers. Years ago I wondered about this as I read the biographies of great prayer warriors of the past. I studied it thoroughly and as a result I preached a series of sermons called “The Dirty Dozen-twelve reasons why God doesn’t answer our prayers”. One of the reasons is that we don’t read His Word much and we don’t memorize it.

John 15:7 says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

That verse is not hard to understand, but few really acknowledge it as truth. The word “if” is introducing a conditional statement, “if the first then the second”, and I might add “always”.

If we abide in Jesus and His Word abides in us, then and only then will He answer our prayers. So many people who claim to be Christians give Jesus token time, left over time, convenient time, comfortable time, time that cost nothing, and then get sick, have a problem with their marriage, with a kid, at work and then they pray. That is dishonoring to God, and you can’t treat God like that and expect that you will receive anything at all from Him.

“If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you”. Is that true of me? None of the “Dirty Dozen” is an on or off sort of condition. “My Words abide in you”, some read and memorize a little tiny bit, some a little more, and some a lot. I read 12 chapters in the Bible every day and I spend 30 minutes every day memorizing Bible verses, and a major reason is that I want God to listen to my prayers and to answer them,as I pray for you.