Introduction:
    Our Father God is not the great slot machine in the sky that you pull the lever of prayer and "sometimes He will, and sometimes He won't." This is not His character, but a lot of people have this concept of Father God.
    We can have confidence that when we pray, Father God will respond according to His Word.
    First, we need to understand the character of Father God, that He is good, and He is love, and that all His power is at our disposal through the name of Jesus to bring about the manifestation of His goodness and love.
    Next, we need to understand that through faith and faith alone, through the perfect work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, we have bold access to Father God at all times. It is not by works of righteousness, but by the righteousness that is of faith, the gift of Father God to us through Jesus Christ.
    With these two things understood, we have a sure foundation upon which to walk with Father God on a daily basis with all confidence.

The Character Of Father God
    "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" Jn. 14:9.
     "For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Col 2:9.
    If we want to see the full revelation of the character of Father God, we can look at Jesus. All the Old Testament names of God, Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the Lord my righteousness, Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord my Healer, Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord my Provider, just to name a few, are all fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament, the Old Covenant, shows the beginning of all things and the unfolding of the character of God being manifested in the earth. Jesus, and the New Covenant,  is the beginning of the unveiling of the full character of God in all the earth. He is the fulfillment of Psalms 145:9,  "The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works." We see the character of Father God toward His people in the life and ministry of Jesus.
    Peter had this revelation of the character of Father God in Jesus when he said in Acts 10:38,  "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." Father God was on the scene, so there was good being done and healing to all who were oppressed of the devil. This is the  manifestation of the character of Father God toward all mankind in this time of grace and mercy.
    Jesus expressly stated that His mission was to give abundant life, in contrast to the mission of the devil to steal abundant life:  "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." Joh 10:10.
    The character of Father God is to give us life more abundantly in every way. It's that simple.
    The character of Father God is reflected in the New Covenant. In the New Covenant, Jesus has obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb.9.14), we are sanctified through the one offering of the body of Jesus Christ (Heb.10.10), we are perfected by that one offering (Heb.10.14), the Teacher and Guide lives within us (Heb.10.16), and our sins and iniquities He remembers no more (Heb.10.17). Because wholeness and completion is given to us in every way through Father God's love toward us in Jesus Christ, we can have great boldness with "full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience." Heb.10.22.
    The Covenant and the character of Father God never changes. That is established for us forever. Faith receives that. It is our conscience that changes. Sin mars our conscience and undermines our confidence with Father God, but His character to do good and give, and the Blood Covenant promises never change. When we walk in love in deed and in truth, then our hearts "assure" us. If our hearts don't condemn us, then we have confidence toward Father God.  "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." 1Jn. 3:18-22.
    If our heart does condemn us, then we run to the blood for cleansing, our conscience is cleared, and we maintain confidence with Father God. "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Heb 9:14.
    Through the blood, our conscience that changes, can be cleansed and restored back to that place of confidence in Father God that is natural to the new creation. The shed blood of Jesus and the Covenant that never changes, gives us total confidence with God, so, we are exhorted on the basis of the Blood Covenant and the continuing priestly ministry of intercession, given to us freely through Jesus Christ, to not waver, but to have full confidence with Father God. "And having a high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Heb 10:21-25.
    Father God, in His character of goodness, love, and compassion for us, has provided a complete way that we can have complete fellowship with Him and full confidence in Him, every day that we live. It is through the perfect work of Jesus Christ.

The Connection of Faith
   The one connection that is needed to plug in to all of Father God's goodness and mercy and love is this: faith in Jesus Christ.
    The Old Testament had a system of animal sacrifices, and religious ceremonies that were types and shadows of the life and ministry of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.
    Jesus has now come. He gave Himself as the final, complete, and eternal sacrifice. He has fulfilled all the requirements needed so that we might have bold and free access to Father God at any time through faith in His name, His spirituality, not our own name, not in our own spirituality.
    Father God Himself rent the veil, the thick curtain veiling the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, indicating that now, all people can come freely to Him through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. Lk.23.45.
    The judgement of Father God rests on unbelief, upon the failure to accept His character of love and goodness and provision as shown in and demonstrated by Jesus Christ: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Joh 3:16-18.
    The love, goodness, and mercy of Father God has already done the work of reconciling the world unto Himself through Christ. "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." 2Co 5:19. The job of every Christian is to "get the word out" to every person of this reconciliation.
    It is the goodness of Father God that leads people to repentance:  "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Rom 2:4. When a person refuses to be under the umbrella of His goodness and mercy, then all that is left is the consequences of divine justice on unbelief and sin. Jesus took Father God's wrath on sin for us. If we refuse Jesus, then we commit ourselves to bear that wrath that rests on unbelief and sin.
    Father God is not "out to get us." He is out to rescue us, and He has already done that in Christ. When we come to Christ, we receive our rescue. When we refuse Christ, we refuse our rescue from Father God's wrath on unbelief and sin, we remain under the umbrella of sin. When we come to Jesus, we come under the umbrella of Father God's goodness and mercy that follows us all the days of our life:  "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." Psa 23:6.
    Father God is only in the salvation business, never in the condemnation business. This is the good news of Jesus. His Word stands forever to let us know where we stand with Him so we can choose life instead of death, so we can choose the Son instead of sin, so we can choose faith instead of unbelief and failure.
      "Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. Jn. 12:44-48.
    "What about the judgement of God," one might ask.
    "For our God is a consuming fire." Heb.12.29. Yes, He is a consuming fire on unbelief and sin. Notice, this was written in the vein of thought that started out exhorting us to be looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith". Heb.12.2. This is stated in the letter that is exhorting religious Jews that faith is the key, and faith alone, and not religious works. Religious works are works of unbelief, works of trying to be accepted with God. People who are sound in the faith, not trusting in any religious works, have great confidence with Father God. They see that Jesus has taken their judgement, there is no condemnation, and they have free access given to them to the Father at all times through the perfect, eternal, unchanging work of Jesus Christ on their behalf.
    Our "chastening" or "disciplining" or "training", and "the removing of those things that are shaken", and our receiving "a kingdom that cannot be moved" (Heb.12.27,28) is all in the overall context of faith and of "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines...be established with grace." Heb.13.8,9. This is all in the context of faith in the everlasting covenant given to us through the blood of Jesus in contrast to religious works. "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." Heb 13:20-21.
    Father God "chastens" or "trains" His children to not trust in the law but in Jesus alone. That is His teaching ministry of reproofs and instruction. Everything from Father God is working for our salvation, never for our condemnation. This is why the new covenant was given through the blood of Jesus--for our total salvation in every way. It is when we refuse to believe the promises of the covenant, that we retain ourselves under the curses, outside the blessings, and we walk in darkness instead of light.
    If we sin wilfully in the face of this truth, refusing to accept the free gift of Father God in Christ Jesus, holding to our own religious works, then there remains nothing except judgement for us, since we have refused to accept the satisfaction of Father God's judgement on sin for us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ.
    "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Heb 10:26-31.
    Those who insist on working for their acceptance with Father God instead of accepting the perfect sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ as the one, final, and complete satisfaction of His judgement on sin, are those who keep themselves under the judgement of God on sin. If we identify ourselves with sin, we receive the judgement on sin. If we identify ourselves with the Son, we receive the satisfaction of Father God's justice that was executed on sin for us.
    "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." Jas.4.6. The proud, who insist on trusting in their own goodness and works, remove themselves from the goodness and work of Father God on their behalf through Christ. It still is a matter of faith or unbelief, never of works of righteousness, though those works appear to be very spiritual. Works are still works. They are in opposition to faith in the work of Jesus Christ.
    The bottom line is this: the just shall live by faith in Jesus Christ. Rom.1.17; Gal.3.11; Heb.10.38. There is total confidence available to us through our total faith in Him alone.
    Faith sees Father God who is loving, good, merciful, and always for you, and it sees that if Father God be for you, who or what can be against you?
  "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Rom 8:31-32.
    Faith in Jesus Christ is the simple way of Father God to give us all good things.

Conclusion:
    Faith receives the unchanging position that Christ has secured for us of our being adopted as sons of Father God, seated with Christ, accepted in the beloved, and a recipient only of goodness and mercy all the days of our lives.
    With this understanding of the loving character of Father God, and with this understanding that through faith in Jesus Christ, we always have free access to Father God, then we can have great confidence in Father God at all times, as a child with it's father. We can know that when we talk with Him, He hears and responds, as would any good, loving, and caring Father.
    With the understanding that Father God is only out to do us good and not harm, then we can boldly pray the prayer of faith, faith in His unchanging character of goodness and love and mercy, so that we know we have the petitions that we desire of Him as our petitions are in line with His character and Covenant to set all people free in every way.
    You can have confidence in Father God to forgive, heal, deliver, prosper, and give mercy and favor in every way, every time, because you know that this is in line with His character, His covenant, and His compassion and concern to provide these things for all people in abundance. Why would He provide them for the whole world if He didn't mean to give them to all? "For God so loved the world, that He gave...." Jn.3.16.
    Father God has come, in the person of Jesus Christ, to only give you the abundant life. You can believe that with all your heart because He loves you with all His heart to provide this for you. Did not He give His very Son for you?
    You can have confidence that when you pray and speak with Father God, it is not like a big slot machine in the sky: "Maybe He will and maybe He won't." That is not Father God's character, that is not according to the Covenant, and that is not how Father God operates. No. He operates according to His Word, His Fatherly, loving, character, and His Fatherly purpose as set forth in the Covenant, to set every person free in every way from the oppression of the devil, and to give every person life more abundantly.
    Wow! What good news! Jesus Christ has come to really set us free, and it's done.This is why you can have confidence in Father God--because of what Jesus Christ has done for you according to the character and Covenant of God the Father. Faith receives that as a free gift. It doesn't depend on any religious works on your part. Our faith is in Jesus Christ. Thank Father God for the gift of faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.