Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us,
we have confidence toward God. 1 John 3:21
Sometimes our hearts condemn us by constantly reminding us of our failures and shaming us. That affects our confidence to come before God in prayer.
John says in 1 John 3:20 that “if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” John was trying to say that even if your heart condemns you, God doesn’t condemn you; He loves you…
Paul says in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…”
If you are truly confident in Romans 8:1 that “there is no condemnation for you” because you are in Christ, you will be confident in God’s promises and desire to bless you. Then you will have a clear conscience; thus, you can come before God with great confidence.
When we come before His throne of grace in prayer, God doesn’t want us to come in fear or anxiety but with humble, holy, calm confidence and submit our prayer knowing that He can do it. The results of such prayers, John says in the next verse, “whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight (v22).”
Amen.