Welcome to the in-touch podcast with Charles Stanley for Friday, January 26.

God promises to hear and respond to prayer, but there are a couple things to know about

approaching him on his terms.

Here's more on the requirements for answered prayer.

I want us to look at this 14th chapter, John,

and I want to talk about the requirements for answered prayer and not just these

prayers but all prayers and so the first one here is complete dependence

upon the merits and mediation of Christ as the only ground of any claim for blessing.

And so I want you to look in John Chapter 14 and this 13th and 14th verses.

Following what he said about greater works than these shall you do, he

said in verse 13 and whatever you ask in my name he says that I will do that the

father may be glorified in the sum. That is the father, he says, will be glorified in his

son as he answers our prayer. Listen, if you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. He says if you ask anything

in my name, now the unbeliever can't ask anything but mercy and forgiveness for their

sin as they trust the Lord Jesus Christ as personal

savior. When you and I come to make a request before God, the only grounds upon which

you and I can come is not our righteousness, not our good conduct. You and I can't come to him and say,

Lord, but I've done this and I've done these things over here and I've done all this. Therefore you

should answer my prayer. No. The only basis for answered prayer is the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ and the fact that he is the one who has accepted us and he is the one who is interceding before us at the Father's right hand.

Our basis for answered prayer is who Jesus

Christ is the son of God, what he's promised in his word, and who he is within us. Our righteousness is only to be found in the presence of Jesus Christ

who lives inside of us. So the only ground for any claim of answered prayer is that we're

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