Author: Pamela Moyle

Let me reiterate: Does God answer every prayer?  If He does, that’s great but if He doesn’t, which ones does He answer and which ones doesn’t He answer? These are good questions and ones that many people have asked.

First of all, let’s define what prayer is. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, prayer is a reverential petition made to a deity. So, in light of that definition, one would have to know which deity is being prayed to. In our case, as Christians, it would be Almighty God, Creator of the Heavens and earth. As you know, there are many people praying to idols and false gods. That’s not us.

So how do we know if and when God answers our prayers? To begin, He doesn’t answer every prayer that’s prayed, even by Christians. Why? Because, as you know, everything with God is a faith issue and a heart issue. If we’re not in faith when we pray, those prayers never make it to the Throne Room.

Next, we have to look at what He has already said in His Word to find the answer to this question.

1 John 5:14-15 (KJV)
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.

This makes it quite simple: for God to answer your prayers, you have to pray in faith according to His Word, His will. Then it’s a given that He will hear and answer. God doesn’t answer prayers of unbelief. That would violate His Word and it would mean that He has gone back on His Word and the whole universe would implode.

John 1:3 (KJV) ³  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Hebrews 1:3a (KJV) ³  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power,  

My observation has been that many Christians are pleading and begging God to do something about their problem. This will not get the desired results because faith is the way to please God and get answers. [Hebrews 11:6]

Remember, faith is a law of God and it works exactly as He set it up to work. Our problem is that we’ve made up our own rules and then wonder why our prayers go unanswered. [Romans 3:27]

 And then there’s the God-part/man-part. God has already done His part but we have to do our part. Too many times people pray for God to do their part and He won’t do that. Let me give you an example.

Many times people pray for God to get the devil off their back when He has told us to resist the devil and he will flee from us! [James 4:7; I Peter 5:8-9]

Then we have Mark 11:23-24 where God tells us to speak to the problem and command it to leave. Then we have to believe we receive the answer before we even see it. Wow! How many actually do that? I wonder! But the really cool thing is that it works when you do it! Oh that God’s people would actually believe Him and do what He says so that they could live a life worth living on planet earth!

So you see, dear brothers and sisters, God wants to answer our prayers. We just need to do it His way and be so glad we did!

Let’s do it God’s way – Pamela

Remember, fear paralyzes us and draws to us the very thing we’re fearful of, causing us to miss God’s answer for us because we’re focused on what the devil is doing. What you’re looking at is what you’re moving toward.

Galatians 3:13 (KJV) ¹³  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

We have been redeemed from the curse of the law, listed in Deut. 28:15-61. Every sickness, disease, virus, etc. is under the curse of the law and we have been delivered from it. The curse has no right to attach itself to our bodies. This is where the man-part comes into play. We are the ones who have to stand against the evil ways of the devil. We have to use our authority and rebuke it and stand on Ps. 91 and the other scriptures and not waver. And that, dear brothers and sisters, takes faith.

Faith is the access door to all the promises of God. Just because God has said it and promised it in his Word, doesn’t mean the promises are going to fall on us like ripe cherries off a tree. We have our part to do and we are the ones who have to take hold of the promises with our faith.

Like it or not, that’s the way it works because that’s the way God has set it up to work. He’s a faith God and that’s how He operates. We are made in His image and that’s how He intended for us to operate. If we do things God’s way, then we’ll get God’s results. And that’s what we want.

We are the ones who have been given dominion over the power of the devil and we are the ones who have to resist him. God has given us all the tools we need: the Name of Jesus, the Blood of Jesus, the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, the angels, the whole armor of God, etc. We are equipped but we have to use it. We have to take our stand and not waver but stand firm and see God’s deliverance. We are overcomers and we are victorious!

I believe that a great revival of the Word is breaking forth throughout the world and we will see multitudes of people turn to the Lord and take their rightful place. Praise the Lord of Glory!

James 1:6-8 (KJV) ⁶  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. ⁷  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. ⁸  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Mark 16:18 (KJV) ¹⁸  They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Matthew 10:26 (KJV) ²⁶  Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

Get yourself into God’s dwelling place and fear not — Pamela

Deuteronomy 28:1 (KJV) ¹  And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

Fear paralyzes us and puts us in a state of non-resistance to the enemy and his evil ways. That’s because we’re focused on what the devil is doing instead of what God has promised us in His Word.

Also, fear draws to you the very thing that you’re fearful of. It’s a deadly trick of the enemy to get you off-course.

Faith gives us access to God’s power! With all that is going on in the world today, it behooves us to take a look at what God has to say about all this. Is He really protecting us or should we all just cower and hide? Just how protected are we?

Well, I’m glad you asked because it’s important to know just where we stand regarding the promises of God. Can we really depend on God in a time of crisis or do we have to get on His waiting list?

I know these seem like silly questions but I think many people ask them and really don’t know the answer. As I have said many times, you can’t just shoot up a prayer hoping it sticks and then wonder why it didn’t work. There’s more to it than that. Read on.

Notice in the opening scripture that verse one is the first of 14 verses of blessings that God had for His people but there is a catch. We have to pay attention and do what He has said. Then the blessings come on us. But if we don’t, then we open up ourselves to the curses which are listed in verses 15-61.

As I have said many times, there’s a God-part and a man-part. God has already done His part and now it’s up to us to do our part to access His promises.

We all love Ps. 91 but I want you to notice something in verse one:

Psalm 91:1 (KJV) ¹  He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

God is specifically addressing those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High, namely with God. Those who have made Jesus their Lord and Savior, walking in His ways, and dwelling in Him are the ones that are protected. It’s not the unsaved because they haven’t made the Lord their habitation or dwelling place.

Having said all that, let’s talk about our protection.

Isaiah 54:17a (KJV) ¹⁷  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.  

Here we see that no weapon can prosper against us if we abide in the Lord. We have to rebuke every evil report that comes against us to discourage us and cause fear to overtake us. Just because someone says something evil doesn’t mean we have to receive the evil report. God’s report is what counts.

James 4:7 (KJV) ⁷  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Romans 8:11 (KJV) ¹¹  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Here we see that the Holy Spirit in us quickens us – makes us alive. This is a good healing scripture. 

— Pamela

Open mouth, insert foot!   How many times have we done that more than once and wanted to kick ourselves for not learning the first time? But there is a way to avoid that unpleasant event. Let’s continue and find out what God has to say.

Proverbs 6:2 (AMP)
²  You are snared with the words of your lips, you are caught by the speech of your mouth.

Proverbs 21:23 (KJV)
²³  Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

We could stop right here with just these two scriptures that tell us that our words get us into trouble or keep us from trouble! Wow! Makes you want to practice the vocabulary of silence!

God isn’t telling us not to talk but to monitor every word that we speak because as a man thinks in his heart, so is he [Proverbs 23:7]. Plus our actions follow our most dominant thoughts! That’s a bit scary when you really think of it.

It pays to set a guard over the door of your mouth so that when you do speak, it’s what you really want to come to pass. Yes, people say dumb things that they really don’t mean but why say them if you don’t mean them – like –

it tickled me to death…

chocolate to die for…

that kills me…

that blows me away…

that gets under my skin…

that breaks my heart…

I love him to death or to pieces…

Matthew 12:35-37 (KJV)
³⁵  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
³⁶  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
³⁷  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Those idle words spoken in Matthew refer to non-productive words – words that don’t produce any good. Why are we even saying things like that? Because we’ve been so inundated and programmed by the world’s speech and don’t even know that it’s wrong and producing death in us. Fear words produce fear, depression, anxiety, etc. God’s Word produces life, joy, peace.

Proverbs 18:21 (KJV) ²¹  Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

You see dear brothers and sisters, it’s not just the good life words that produce but also the evil, anti-Word words we speak. These words are actually the vocabulary of the devil and who wants to go around saying  what he says?

Proverbs 13:2-3 (KJV) ²  A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.
³  He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

This scripture is so powerful and says it like it is. If we really believed what God has said in His Word, we’d make a concerted effort to watch very word we speak so that we only speak that which is good, wholesome, edifying.  

Philippians 4:8 (KJV)
⁸  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Be a blessing with your words — Pamela

2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)
⁷  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)
⁶  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Walking by faith and not by sight is not a cliché. Loving God and wanting to please Him isn’t faith either. This is all good but let me give you an example. me give you an example.

When you go out walking with a friend, it’s common courtesy to walk beside the other person so that you can converse while enjoying the exercise. It’s the same with God. If we’re going to walk with God, by walking by faith, then we have to be up close and personal with Him. We can’t walk with Him from a distance because that defeats the purpose of the walk.

Too many people think they’re walking by faith and not by sight but in reality, they won’t believe until they see the results of what they’re praying about. It doesn’t take any faith to believe once you see the results. That’s not what believing is.

Believing – which is faith, “sees” the answer as already theirs before the manifestation. If you wait until you see the manifestation to believe, you’re not in faith and that is not pleasing to God. [Mark 11:23-24]

Faith is the door that gives us access to all of the promises that God has already freely given to us. But we can’t partake of them without using our faith. [I Peter 1:3-4]

So, the question that might arise is how do we do this: walking by faith and not by sight? Very simply, believe what God has said in His Word and act on it! Faith is an action word and voice activated. We must speak the same things that God has said if we want His results. I know I’ve said this over and over but it bears repeating until we get it into us and start doing it.

Let’s be the faith people God has called us to be — Pamela

So, how do we keep pride at bay? First all, we can’t just cast out pride and then never have to deal with it again. We have to resist is it and take action against it. We’re going to have to deal with pride all throughout our Christian walk because the devil is always looking for an opening into our lives. Don’t give it to him! Just like when you take offense and get offended, you give the enemy an inroad to trap you. And so it is with pride.

Ask yourself why you get so angry when someone doesn’t agree with you. Why do you care so much about what people are thinking of you? It’s your self-centeredness that always wants to have its own way or else! This is a sure way to cut yourself off from the Lord’s help when you desperately need it.

So here’s the good news: we can’t change everybody around us to do what we want because that’s control and control is witchcraft. But we can change ourselves and how we respond to others in all kinds of situations: our spouse, children, family members, co-workers, friends, etc. We can yield to the fruit of self-control which is in us. Plus we can practice the vocabulary of silence by keeping our mouths shut until we can trust what will come out. It’s hard to fight with someone who won’t speak or fight back!

And let me reiterate: you can’t just rebuke pride and never have to deal with it again. Pride is part of your carnal, fleshy self – governed by your five physical senses. The way you corral the flesh and harness your emotions is to renew your mind with the Word of God which changes your attitude almost effortlessly because you’ll be focused on God and wanting to be pleasing to Him.

Remember, in the imitable words of that sweet beagle Snoopy: nobody has to like you and you don’t have to care! The only One you should be out to please is God and that takes the pressure off. God loves us in spite of ourselves and that should be more than enough.

Romans 12:2 (KJV) ²  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Ephesians 4:23 (KJV) ²³  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

1 Corinthians 3:3 (AMP) ³  For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men?

Resist that ugly self-centeredness and become the powerful Christian God has called you to be — Pamela

Everyone has an attitude whether it’s good or bad. Your attitude is your outlook and how you behave toward others. It can be one of superiority or arrogance or it can be humble and unassuming. Which one do you have?

Of course, we probably all want to exhibit a good attitude that is accepting of others and only thinks the best of everyone, but in reality, this just isn’t so.

So what can we, as born-again, Spirit-filled, Bible-believing Christians, do to change a bad attitude into a good one that shows forth the goodness of God?

First of all, we need to identify just what bad attitudes are and then we can work on how to change them. Let’s look at some scriptures and see what God has to say.

Proverbs 13:10 (KJV) ¹⁰  Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

James 3:16 (KJV) ¹⁶  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

If you notice, contentions and strife come from pride. What, you say – I’m not in pride! Well, let me give you a definition of pride: pride is self-centeredness! That means when you’re only thinking of yourself, that’s pride, whether it manifests itself in arrogance or in shyness, it’s still self-centeredness because you are the focus of your attention. Let me give you some examples:

Anytime you’re focused on impressing people with how wonderful you are, that’s pride. When you always have to have your way, having to be the one who is right, that’s pride.

Then on the other hand, shyness is pride because a shy person is so focused on what others think of them and always concerned about saying the right thing so they don’t look stupid. That’s pride because it’s focusing on yourself – self-centeredness.

So what’s the problem with pride? The Word says that ONLY with pride comes contention – that means arguing, fighting, saying things that you’ll regret, holding grudges, etc. This is bad, bad, bad! And here’s the bottom line about pride: God hates it!

James 4:6 (KJV) ⁶  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

1 Peter 5:5b (KJV) ⁵  …  for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

The word resist means to actively fight against! Who wants God actively fighting against them! It’s the humble that God gives grace to! Isn’t that what we all want?

Here’s an important note: humility isn’t self-abasement. It’s thinking of yourself the way God says you are in His Word.

Chew on this for a while and we’ll continue on tomorrow’s post.

Notice the letter I in the middle of p r I d e — Pamela

Now, if you’ve been around for any length of time, your immediate answer might be: “Of course, we know that!” But, in reality, many Christians base what they believe about God by their experiences. God doesn’t change. He’s the same before and after your experience. Let me give you an example.

When people pray and don’t get their desired results, they conclude that it just wasn’t God’s will. But oh how wrong they are! Whether or not something is God’s will isn’t based on results but on His Word where He tells us what His will is. The problem is that most people don’t even seek God to find out what His will is before they shoot up a prayer and hope it sticks!

Here’s another example: when you ask someone if it’s God’s will to heal every time, they usually say, “I hope so!” Then ask them how they would know it if it’s God’s will. They’ll probably answer, “If I get healed, then it’s God’s will but if not then it isn’t.”  This is not how it works!

They’re basing what they believe on their results. That can only lead to disappointment and discouragement. God said we are to walk by faith and not by results. We are to believe what He said in His Word and act accordingly. Then we will see our desired results because we have prayed and believed according to God’s infallible Word. This is how it’s supposed to work because this is the way God has set it up to work.

However, there are so many Christians who believe that they are smarter than God and their thoughts supersede what God has already said in His Word. These people don’t get answers to their prayers and have a poor relationship with God because they spend so much time being disappointed and discouraged. This is not God’s way.

So what do we do? As you already know, getting into God’s Word and getting His Word into you is step one.  Everything follows that. And as I always say, you can’t believe God’s Word if you don’t know God’s Word!

We can’t rely on someone else to do our studying and learning for us. We have a responsibility to know the Word for ourselves. Yes, others can teach and help us to learn along our path but the ultimate responsibility is up to us.

Brothers and sisters, we in the USA are so blessed to have so much at our fingertips. We can tune into teaching 24/7 and never miss a beat. We are really without an excuse. It all depends on how much of God you really want. It’s up to you!

Let’s endeavor to be reservoirs of the Word of God, able to help in any circumstance that comes up!

Ephesians 5:15-17 (AMP) ¹⁵  Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),
¹⁶  Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.
¹⁷  Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.

Go for it — Pamela

1. You can’t see the answer looking at the problem! Yes the problem is right there in front of you but if that’s what you’re focused on, you will be constantly frustrated. You must focus on what God has said about the problem and the answer He has provided. What you focus on is the direction in which you will be led.

This is so important because you can’t think negatively and expect positive results. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. [Proverbs 23:7]

2- You will never influence the world by living like it! If our lives and lifestyles are no different than our unsaved neighbors, why on earth would they want to be like us? If we’re just as sick, just as poor, just as depressed, just as discouraged as they are, this isn’t the witness we’re to be.

We have the Holy Spirit of God living in us. We are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. We are more than conquerors! We have the victory that overcomes the world – our faith! [I John 5:4] Yes we have all of this but most Christians are not walking in the fullness of what God has given them. This needs to change so that we can show forth the goodness of our Father God and cause the unsaved to want Jesus as their Lord and Savior! [Romans 2:4]

3- A bad attitude is like a flat tire; you won’t go anywhere until you change it! Someone once said that attitude determines altitude. This is so true. Nobody likes being around someone with a bad attitude. You have to watch everything you say or they’ll get offended and then you can have war on your hands. Let’s be people of a sweet attitude and let words of blessing and encouragement come out of our mouths. Not only will this bless the other person but it’ll bless you as well!   

— Pamela

1. Fill up with faith and it will displace fear, doubt, and unbelief. If you keep putting the Word of God in your heart, it will eventually crowd out the junk that’s in there. It works all the time with negative things – garbage in, garbage out. What’s in you in abundance will eventually come out and if it’s not good, you have a problem.

When push comes to shove and you’re in a crisis, you don’t want the Fake News coming out of your mouth. You want the Word of God speaking forth His promises and taking your authority.

• Those who see the invisible can do the impossible! This has to do with faith because faith sees beyond the natural, physical realm into the spirit realm where the answers are. If you can see it, then you don’t need to use your faith on it. That’s why what’s happening in the world situation today is mostly happening behind the scenes. If we knew everything that was happening and how God was actually doing things, we wouldn’t have to use our faith to believe for it.

Faith is the substance of things that we are hoping for. It’s not the things that we actually have in our hand right now. Faith is what we hold onto while we are standing firm waiting for the manifestation. [Hebrews 11:1]

• Life without God is like and unsharpened pencil – no point! Even if we’re saved but don’t involve God in every aspect of our lives, we really don’t have a vital, viable relationship with Him and it’s easy for us to give up and quit when the going gets rough. He is our stabilizing factor. He is our anchor. He is our reason for whatever we do. This is living a life worth living!

— Pamela