I was considering if "Right Standing" with God might have some bearing on answered prayer, when the following thoughts occurred to me.

Wouldn't having the faith to pray for someone's healing and expect good results mean that we must know we have right standing with God and so can truly believe that He will answer our prayers?

So, if this is the case, what's the criteria for having "right standing" with God?

Whatever we believe that it is, we must be keeping it perfectly. Otherwise our hearts will know, even if we try to fool ourselves with soft words!

If the criteria is something you have to be obedient to; something you have to do; that is fine. Just be fully persuaded that you are doing what you profess.

If you actually live on the basis that YOU can miss the mark and then ask God to forgive you, you are not actually keeping the criteria you claim. You see the scriptures tell us...

Galatians 3:11-12 "The righteous shall live by faith. But the law is not of faith, rather "The one" who does them shall live by them".

So if your criteria is, in your mind, a body of scriptural law, or any law or command, then you must keep them perfectly; and if you do, then you will live. If not...

If you know that you fail but expect to be forgiven for failure, then the real criteria that you are living up to is is not 'obedience', it's "Attempted (or feigned) obedience with forgiveness on failure"! And just remember that there's no prize in scripture for almost keeping the law.

If though you have John 3:16 in mind as your criteria for right standing with God then you can keep it perfectly and tell others with a clear conscience to keep it also!

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

That's the good news and is the starter for all the other good news that Jesus is and brought and bought for us.

Believe on Jesus. He's our all in all, and that's our criteria for everlasting life!

Best wishes for Grace and the Peace of Jesus.
Attlee.

Another thought...