Crosswalk.com

Answers for Each Day - December 5

Key #2 to Effective Prayer - Being Connected
By Janet Conley

Yesterday we found that the first key to effective prayer is the need to be specific when we pray.  Today, I want to show you the second key:  The need to have a close relationship with God.

In John 15:5, Jesus says,

"I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."

God wants every part of our life to be connected to Him.  And He tells us that as that happens, as we have our lives connected with Him, we bear much fruit.  A few verses later Jesus directly connected that fruit to prayer.

In John 15:16, Jesus goes on to say,

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."

If we are connected to God and we abide in Him, Jesus says we will bear much fruit—prayer fruit.  Think about a fruit tree for a moment.  The leaves come out because the branches are attached to the tree.  In the spring the branch will blossom, and from those blossoms comes the fruit.

But if something happens and the branch is not solidly connected to the tree, it will probably not bear any fruit at all.  There may be a few leaves, but the blossoms won't come and there won't be any fruit.  The blossoms and healthy fruit will only come if the branch is fully connected.

God wants us connected to Him in every part of our lives.  When that happens, our prayers will be in line with His desires, and we can be confident that He will answer.


Visit the Answers with Bayless Conley website for more ways to connect with God. 

Answers for each day devo image JanFEATURED RESOURCE

Chase the abundant life God has for you!

Peace, love, purpose, passion, restoration, healing . . . we all want to experience those things this year. But is it actually possible?

It is—because God invites you to pursue the abundant life in Him every day!  And you’ll find out exactly how to do that with Bayless Conley’s NEW book, Great Pursuits: Chasing What Matters Most in Life.

This resource gives you scriptural, practical, and personal lessons from God’s Word—as well as from Bayless’ own life—to help you pursue what’s most important in life even in these challenging times.

Click here to learn more!