Lack of knowledge of the value of fellowshiping with God
will also hinder your prayer life. If you do not know the
importance of close, intimate fellowship with God, you will
not likely see results in prayer. Set apart a specific time to be
alone with Him and to direct all your attention toward Him.
It is easy to say, “I don’t have time to stop everything else, so
I’ll just fellowship with God ‘on the go.’ If He has something
to tell me, He can say it while I’m doing this or that.” Yes, you
can commune with God wherever you are and in whatever
you are doing, but you must get quiet and spend quality time
in His presence to hear His voice. When you are “on the go,”
you will do most of the talking.

The Bible says in 1 John 1:3-4, “That which we have seen
and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship
with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and
with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you,
that your joy may be full.” You are called into fellowship with
the Father. This is why God made man in the first place—to
fellowship with Him.

The Bible says we have been given in our spirit a cry that
says, “Abba, Father.” Scholars tell us the closest English word
we have to abba is “daddy.” Our relationship with Him has all
the freedom of “Daddy,” and yet the reverence and respect of
“Father.” You can fellowship with God on both levels, as your
Daddy and as your Father.

Fellowshiping with the Father gives Him the opportunity to
reveal His Word to you by His Spirit. Fellowship brings joy to
your relationship. Jesus said, “…your joy no man taketh from
you” (John 16:22). That joy is your strength.

The Word of God brings faith. Fellowship will cause it to
become effective. Fellowship will drive out all fear and doubt.
It brings you into a love relationship with the Father and love
casts out fear. Through intimate fellowship, God will personally
reveal His love to you.

Fellowship with the Father because you desire His company,
not out of a lack of faith. Do it because you love God and He
loves you. Your relationship is founded on love instead of obligation
when you choose to fellowship with God.

God and His Word are one. So when you fellowship with
Him through His Word, He responds to you by His Spirit.
Learn to fellowship with God. Do it by faith and expect Him
to respond. Say, “Father, I didn’t come to beg You for anything.
I came to visit with You. You have things to tell me and I’m
going to be quiet and just listen. I want to hear from You. Most
of all, I just want to be with You, in Your presence. I want to
watch You run the universe. I want Your slightest whim to be
my command.”

The first time I did that, the Lord spoke to me and said, Son,
you don’t know how that thrills the heart of a Father. I heard
Him speak to me in words you hear when you talk with a friend.
I heard it in my heart as if it were an audible voice. Psalm 16:11
says fullness of joy is in His presence. What joy it brought!

He enjoys our fellowship, too. It brings Him fulfillment and
joy as well. The greatest times you will ever have are times
spent fellowshiping with God!

Kenneth Copeland Ministries

You have agreed, spirit and soul (mind). Then your actions
must come in line. If finances are what you agreed on, expect
the money to come in. This is part of being in agreement. You
cannot agree in prayer about something, then act the opposite
and expect it to come to pass. If you do, your actions will
eventually take over your thinking.

Agreement with the Word and another believer are not
the only things involved in this kind of prayer. Agreement is
also harmony.

Harmony is extremely important. When speaking of prayer
in Mark 11:25-26, Jesus said, “And when ye stand praying,
forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also
which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye
do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven
forgive your trespasses.” This is vital in your prayer life. You
must forgive everyone who has offended you. Jesus did not
say, “Think about it for six weeks and then forgive if or when
you feel better.” He said, forgive when you pray.

Jesus prayed, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed
be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth,
as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive
us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:9-12).

He put a condition on forgiveness. The condition is “I don’t
expect to be forgiven until I forgive.” He displayed the kind of
discipline the believer should exercise when he is praying.
How important is this? In Galatians 5:6, the Bible says faith
works by love. If you are operating with an unforgiving heart,
your prayer life will be paralyzed.

The Word says we know we have the petitions we have
desired of Him, if we do the things that are pleasing in His
sight (1 John 3:22). Put these scriptures together and you
quickly see unforgiveness would actually ruin the whole
prayer system.

Agreement makes prayer work. You can experience a place
of agreement with God’s Word, and harmony that will produce
power, as you forgive and agree with another believer.
You can affect governments, families and the lives of others.
You can change your financial situation, affect your church
and your pastor with the power of prayer. Find someone who
can agree with you according to the Word of God.

The same principle works the other way. If you are in disagreement,
the door is open for Satan to come in. “For where
envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work”
(James 3:16).

In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how oft
shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” till seven
times? Jesus replied, “I say not unto thee, Until seven times:
but, Until seventy times seven.” Forgive because God said to,
and not because you feel like it.

Build your home, your church and every other area of your
life on the unselfish love of God. Selfishness has never built
anything it did not destroy. But love never fails. The love of
God is the very center of the family of God because God is
love. You are His very own child, born again with His love
nature inside you.

Don’t let that love lie dormant. Cast down selfishness and
let loose the love of God in you. You cannot fail when love is
in dominion.

When you forgive and reach for harmony, you come to
a place where you have the spiritual awareness to perceive
the closeness of God. Jesus said if you get into harmony and
agree together, He would be in the midst of you. God wants
to be involved with you.

When you are in harmony and agreement with those
around you, you will step into a deeper, more personal
fellowship with God. He becomes real and vital to you.
Fellowship with your heavenly Father is one of the greatest
things you will ever have in your Christian walk! It causes
a confidence and an assurance deep down in your heart.

You know your prayers are answered because you have conformed
yourself to His will. As you forgive, the joy that comes
through answered prayer will become your own personal
experience. Jesus said, “Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy
may be full” (John 16:24).

Gloria and Kenneth Copeland Ministries