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Bible Study: The Prayer of Faith |
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Prayer that Gets Results: The Prayer of Faith
Have Your Ever Wondered? 
Scripture Study:
WHEN YOUR PRAYERS DON'T WORK: And what's more - I love the fact that when I pray - no matter what I ask for - no matter how outrageous it might sound - no matter how impossible it may seem - The Lord ALWAYS hears, and even more important - He answers me! I get results! Praise His mighty name forever! But to be entirely honest with you - it wasn't always like that! There was a time in my Christian life (many years if you must know) when my praying was very hit-and-miss. I never really knew what the result would be - if any. And just like it used to be for me - today, the prayers of too many Christians seem to go unanswered - with no results - and most do not have any clue as to why this is so! So, just like I used think when my prayers went unanswered - many Christians have also come to the wrong conclusion that whatever they asked for must not be God's will for them - yet no one can explain Biblically why this is so - though many people are willing to offer any number of explanations that are NOT scriptural - in other words, their explanation does not line up with what God said about the subject in His Word. The Truth is Much Simpler: In other words - no matter what we are talking about - if Jesus paid for it - then it's ours! If it was bought and paid for by His blood - then it rightfully belongs to us. However, just like salvation -there are conditions that must be met to receive it, and this study is designed to help you to understand and apply those things necessary to bring you to a place where your prayers get results - every time! I'VE BEEN THERE - I'VE DONE THAT! In the past - when I needed help - I needed it right then - not later! And, I didn't want excuses, explanations or anything else except the help I asked for. What about you? Now some might think this attitude is selfish - but the truth is that if the Bible says that God is faithful, and He can always be counted on to do what He said He will do - then there is nothing selfish about expecting God to do what he says He will do. And, since the Word of God (our Father's promise) tells us to RUN TO HIM when we are in trouble [Proverbs: 18:10] - then what good is it if we run to Him - yet get NO help?! In other words, when we run to Him for help, we should be able to expect help! Right? SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? There can be a number of reasons why this is so - but I have found that the majority of the time it is because most Christians do NOT understand that there are different kinds of prayer - and each type is governed by different spiritual LAWS. (For more information on this subject read our online study about different kinds of prayer: One of the most misunderstood types of prayer is what the Bible calls "The Prayer of Faith" [James 1:5-7 • James: 5:15 • Mark 11:24] "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that
gives to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given
to him. But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering (not doubting). "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." Jms:5:15] "Therefore I say unto you, Whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that ye receive them, and you shall have them." [Mk:11:24] Be Careful: Notice that according to the above scriptures found in the Word of God - it was NOT me who called this type of prayer "the prayer of faith" - but it was God Himself thru the hands of the writer. (It's in His Word - right?!) So despite any doubts one might have
regarding this subject, and despite the various
teachings that deny what the Word says about Faith -
if you are one of those who would argue about this - or if
we are been taught something other than what these
scriptures say - at least admit that the Word
of God states that there is something called
"the Prayer of Faith" and And acknowledge that according to the Scriptures in James 1:5-7 and Mark 11:24 that Faith plays a crucial role in whether or not your prayers to God are answered: "But let him ask in faith, not doubting .... For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." [Jms:1:5-7] If we can (at the very least) admit to ourselves that the Word of God calls it "the prayer of faith" - then at least God can begin to teach us out of His word - providing we are willing to be taught. And regardless of what men might say - we are supposed to give the Word of God preeminence over anything or anyone no matter how spiritual their doctrine might sound. The Prayer of Faith:
Unfortunately - more often than not, folks are attempting to pray what the Bible calls the 'Prayer of Faith' - when there is NO faith in operation - and this is the reason that they get no results. So, in order to understand exactly HOW the Spiritual laws work that govern the "Prayer of Faith", one must first have a basic understanding of how faith works. Now - I understand that there are many different lines of thought on this subject - but I have always found that the best way to get clarity on anything scriptural - is to go to the scriptures - and ignore everything else - no matter how reasonable or logical it may sound. Everything we need for understanding the Word of God - is found in the Word of God. We do not want to rely on opinion, experience, philosophy, logic, or anything else - now matter how distinguished the man, and no matter how big the ministry - because history has proven that men can be wrong. So, if we want understanding of the Word of God, what we need to do is study the Word of God, believe what it says, pray for wisdom and understanding, and trust God to give it. FAITH: A WORD STUDY Notice that the various translations of Hebrews 11:1: • "Now faith is being sure we
will get what we hope for. It is being absolutely sure of what • "Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see." [Wycliffe] • "NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the physical senses]." [Amplified] Notice that the 2 most important thoughts being brought forth is that
when faith is in
operation there is 1] NO DOUBT present - and
2]
that faith is based upon what we cannot
perceive with our physical senses. Did you notice the phrases? A SURE FOUNDATION: The word, translated substance in the King James is from the Greek word: 'hupostasis'. It literally means "support under" or "foundation". (Greek is the original language that the New Testament was written in) In other words, according to the Bible - there must be a foundation from which our faith comes. If we are to have faith - then there must be something supporting it, a foundation on which we base our hope and expectation. And what exactly is this foundation? The Word of God: You may as well get this settled now - because it is never going to change. God's Word is the
only sure foundation on which faith is built. In other words, no matter what some may have believed in the past: It is what the BIBLE says about itself - and about any other subject! If you do not have first-hand knowledge of the Word of God regarding any given subject - then no matter what you might think - you cannot stand in faith on it. And because James 1: 5-7 says clearly that we receive NOTHING if it isn't asked in faith then we can forget having our prayers answered if we aren't standing in faith. One can argue this - debate this - disagree with this - and even dislike the idea, but the disagreement is not with me: Any disagreement you might have regarding this is with God because He is the one who stated this in His word. I DISAGREE: That's true - the Bible can be interpreted many ways - but that doesn't mean that they are all correct! Furthermore, the only person that will be affected by what we believe - is US. So if what we believe isn't producing the results we want, then we better change what we believe! All I know is that the Word of God DOES what it says it will DO - but ONLY when we FOLLOW the instructions! And frankly, the only sure way to find out which interpretation is correct - is by proving it with confirming evidence! If there isn't any proof - then it's just wishful thinking - speculation. And as far as I'm concerned, when I need help, I am not interested in what somebody thinks about it or some speculation or theory - No Sir! I want results! And, if we are NOT getting the RESULTS that the Word of God
promises - maybe we should consider that we might be
wrong in either what we believe - or the
way that we WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'EVIDENCE'? "…the Lord worked with them, and confirming the word with signs following" [Mark 16:20] So then, if what we think is faith is NOT working - then we might consider that fact that perhaps what we believe - is not true - and that's why it doesn't work! Besides, why keep doing something over and over if it's not producing the results we want? FAITH AND DOUBT: That kind of certain expectation - confident assurance - and absolute certainty can only exist where the revealed will of God is clearly known and believed. Question: Answer: KNOWING GOD'S WORD & KNOWING GOD'S
WILL: "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.... But God has revealed them to us by his Spirit .... Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; so that we can know the things that are freely given to us by God. [1Cor 2:9-14] If you meet someone who still holds the belief that it is impossible to know the will of God - then point them to these scriptures. You see - people love to quote 1 Corinthians 2:9 - but they fail to read the rest of it that states clearly - that not only can we know what the 'will' of God is for us (the things which God has prepared for them that love him") - but that God already HAS revealed them to us by His Spirit! As a matter of fact - verse '12' says that one of the primary reasons that He gave us His Spirit is so that we can know these things! An important goal of the Holy Spirit is to open our eyes to the will of God as revealed to us in His Word. "... When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth..." [John:16:13] Jesus said: And, since we know that Jesus is the WORD OF GOD [John 1:1, 14] - then the 'truth' being referred to in John 16:13 is (you guessed it) - the Word of God! RECAP: "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we have the petitions that we desired of him." [1 John 5: 14-15] According to this scripture - if we ask ANYTHING that is in accordance with His will - then we KNOW that He hears us - and we KNOW that we HAVE what we asked for (because He gave it to us). So the solution to praying according to His will rests upon us knowing God's will - right? Test Question: Answer: A LITTLE MORE: I am not going to go into a long study on this - but a careful study of the Greek in Hebrews 1:3 - brings out the fact that the Jesus is the perfect picture or representation of the will of God towards man. And, since we already know that Jesus is the WORD of God (made flesh) [John 1: 1, 14] - then we know (or should anyway) that the will of God is clearly and definitely stated in His Word. One should never be in doubt about the will of God regarding
anything contained in His Word because God has
declared exactly what His will - IS - regarding most subjects including: THE PRAYER OF FAITH: "But let him ask in faith, not doubting. For he that doubts is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed... And let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. [James 1:6-7] According to the description of the 'Prayer of Faith' found in the BIBLE - one must BELIEVE when they are praying that they HAVE received the things they desired (not later when they see them). In other words they must believe
that: Also notice that DOUBT will not only render the prayer ineffective - but that this person should NOT expect to receive anything from the Lord - including the thing they are praying for! Question: Answer: "IF IT BE THY WILL": Let me repeat this because it's important: Many confuse the two - and think that they are praying 'in faith' - yet as we have already seen, faith REQUIRES that there be NO doubt present if one wants results - and if one is uncertain - IF - something is God's will or NOT- then doubts remain - and therefore faith cannot be in operation - so a 'prayer of faith' is not being prayed at the time. True - even a prayer of consecration such as Jesus prayed in the garden should be prayed 'in faith' (believing that God hears you) - AND - we should always maintain the attitude of submitting to God's will (and not ours) - yet the Word of God promises that when we pray a prayer of faith - we can even ask whatever WE WILL and it will be done: ["If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done for you." John: 15:7] As we have already shown, a 'prayer of faith' requires FAITH - [By faith I mean BIBLE faith] - whereas a prayer of 'Consecration and Service' may not necessarily be prayed with the individual KNOWING what the will of God is at the time that they are praying - and basically the individual is praying to FIND OUT what God's will is before they proceed - therefore doubt or uncertainty might very well exist in a prayer of 'Consecration or Service'. We will go into this type of prayer in more detail another study. WHY DID JESUS PRAY 'IF IT BE
THY WILL"? When Jesus said those mighty words "never the less, not my will - but yours", Jesus was NOT asking if it was God's will - Instead, He was declaring Himself to be submitted to Almighty God and that He was willing to do whatever God the Father had planned for Him no matter how difficult or fearsome it might be. POINT: These rights and privileges ARE the declared will of God for His children! We don't have to guess if it is God's will for us - or even to ask if it is His will - if He said it in His Word - then it's ours! But what many do NOT realize is that - just like salvation (eternal life) - every one of these things are received thru FAITH in the Word of God as stated by God in the covenant. In other words - we BELIEVE what God has already said about it - and TAKE it by faith. We don't have to guess about it, or ask Him if it is His will for us to have it! He has already said it is! He has plainly, and definitely stated in His WORD that Jesus died so that WE could have: RECEIVING BY FAITH: How did we receive salvation (eternal life)? Was it not thru the process of LEARNING from God's Word that Jesus had died for us - and that salvation was available BY FAITH because it IS God's WILL for us to have it? So how were you saved? And did God give you salvation? If you answered yes, how do you know? This is the SAME way that we receive ALL the other things that are included in the salvation that God promises us thru FAITH in Jesus Christ His Word. Yet too many Christians are not even aware that the above verse even exists! [Hebrews 6:9] Nor do most have even a hint that there are other things that ACCOMPANY salvation! And it is what God has already said
about those things that clearly declare his WILL for us about those things! SUMMARY: Jesus said clearly: "When you pray - BELIEVE that you HAVE received (past tense) those things you seek and you SHALL them." [Mark 11:24] This type of praying is what the Bible calls: The Prayer of Faith. The Bible teaches us that there are different kinds of prayer - and different kinds of prayer
operate under different spiritual laws. Therefore it is important that we LEARN not only
what the different kinds of prayer are - but also HOW to use them
effectively.
FUSSING ABOUT THIS WILL NOT HELP
US! PRAYER THAT GETS RESULTS: This is why we have made this FREE CD OFFER available to the Body of Christ. In the audio sermon we will explain the fundamentals of faith, what the prayer of faith is, how to use it properly and how to trust the Lord so as to receive your answer every time. Read Part 2:
Different
Kinds of Prayer
Limited Time Only- Full Series: With Your $29 donation we will send you the complete series of 4 CD's that uses the Holy scriptures to teach how you can access the tremendous power available when prayer is offered in the proper way as instructed by the Lord! Prayer That Gets Results: Includes all 4 Audio Messages on CD • Part 1: The Biblical Basics of Prayer: Building a Foundation For Results • Part 2: Different Kinds of Prayer: Discover the Different Kinds of Prayer • The Prayer of Faith (2 CDs): Discover what this powerful prayer is and how it works! Receive this 4 CD set (a $48 value!) absolutely FREE as our way of saying thank you for your support! This offer is for a limited time only so send your love offering of $29 today! To Donate by Mail:
Send your check or money order to: Print This Study Using: In addition to his contributions to this website Reverend W. C. Slyde Moran also has a weekly television show • Online Audio Studies • and an ever-increasing outreach ministry providing free Audio teachings on CD to enable the growth and maturing of the body of Christ.
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