"The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth."[Psalms 34:15-16]
"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."[1 Peter 3:12]
Now, if the unregenerate can call upon the Lord and then be regenerated, how can God look upon them, how can He hear their prayers in a wicked state of life...prior to regeneration I mean?
Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
If a person believes on Christ and calls upon Him for Salvation believing Christ will save them will they receive what they request?
Matthew 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Seems Jesus knew they prayed but they weren't answered.
Acts 10:
"34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."
Seems God accepts those in every nation who fear Him that is they believe on Him and have salvation. Now in Acts 10 when was Cornelius saved? We are told first that, 1
There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
31 And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
His prayers were heard and answered, but when did salvation come and they all become truly saved?
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all

37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
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.
39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree:
40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
They believed and the Holy Spirit came upon them we see in verses 43-44, Cornelius believed as he prayed but we are told he was a devout man in verse 2. Was he a believer already and the rest needed salvation? His prayer for salvation was heard. He was told to one thing and one thing only and he had to decide whether to follow those instructions, he had to use his volition and: "5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:"
He had to choose to send men to Joppa guess what he did exactly that. But again when was he saved?
1 peter 3:
"8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil."
Let's look at this one thing here? He is listing for believers things we should and shouldn't do, isn't he?
Well if that be so then we have Revelation 3:19 "As many as I love, I rebuke and
chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."
God chastens the believer who does evil correct? Those who do evil while a believer the Lord's face is against them and He chastens them, until they either repent or until He turns them over to satan for destruction of the flesh. Hebrews 12:6 "For whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Hebrews 12:8 "But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."
What of these believers who fail to repent and continue to sin we see James 4:2-4, these are doing evil and yet James is saying they are brethren,
"2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."
They ask, how do they ask, in prayer but their prayers are not answered because they ask amiss, that is with sin in their life as believers. The unbelievers sin can't be answered until they call upon the Lord for salvation and that through belief.