Tag: Prayer

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Faith files…part 3

Unwavering Faith

Mark 11:22-24 (NASB)

22 And Jesus *answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

Unwavering faith is sincere and unbending.  To believe God without question.  When you pray with unwavering faith you are to believe as if it has already happened.  The verse in Mark sounds absolute.  But what does “whatever” mean in the context of this teaching?  Does it really mean whatever?  No it doesn’t.  If it did I would have 3 Lamborghinis, a summer beach house in Hawaii, and a Swiss bank account because God knows I’ve prayed for them! James 4:2-3 tells us that we don’t receive what we pray for because we ask wrongly.  We ask for selfish things.  So “whatever” has exclusions. I John 5:14-15 tells us that whatever we pray for things in line with God’s will He hears us and grants them. 

Unwavering faith depends on us having assurance that He will grant the request.  If we don’t know for sure then it is impossible to pray with unwavering faith.  When you pray “not my will but thine be done” it is an admission that we do not know that what we are praying for God will grant.  That’s doubt.  So we must know God’s promises in order to pray with unwavering faith.  God’s promises are found in the Bible.  Some of those promises are:

  • Romans 10:13 God promises to save all those who call upon Him for salvation
  •  Hebrews 12:14, Romans 6:22 God will sanctify all who have been redeemed
  • Philippians 4:19 If we seek first the Kingdom of God He will supply all our needs. Need depends on the goal you are trying to achieve. You will always have all that you need if your goal is to continue to do God’s will.
  • Romans 8:28 In everything God works for good all who love Him.  When our specific requests are denied it is because something is being prepared that is better.  So we can pray with absolute confidence that God will provide what is best for us.

If we pray for these things, we can pray with unwavering faith that they will come to pass.  Knowing this should reshape your prayer life.

Past Series Posts: Intro Part 1 Part 2

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Truth Sessions (Part 3) – Blessings don’t come from prayer…

One of the most frustrating things that happen when people become Christians is that they don’t experience the radical life change and blessings raining down from Heaven as they are lead to believe by what I call the “Slot Machine in the sky” sermons so prevalent today.  Say the prayer and accept Jesus, go to church, tithe (if you want to), be a good person, and pray and God will bless you with health and prosperity.  That is the checklist straight from the “Christians for Dummies” book.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a big proponent of the “…for Dummies” books.  But, there are no shortcuts or clef notes when it comes to God.  He already provided complete instructions called The Bible,  the perfect example in Jesus Christ, and the consummate instructor in the Holy Spirit.

Joshua 1:6-9 NIV

6 “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.

7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

In this text, God was speaking to Joshua just before Joshua was to take over leading the Isrealites after Moses’ death but this instruction is a recurring theme through God’s word and is still speaking to us today.  God’s blessings does not come from prayer even though prayer is of the utmost importance in a Christian’s life.  Blessings come from obedience.  Ephesians 2:10 states that we were created in Christ to do good works which God had already planned for us. Once saved we are remade and re-purposed.  When you get a new job you don’t continue to do your old job and expect raises, bonuses, much less a continued paycheck!  Yet, we apply that logic to becoming reborn in Christ.  Jesus provided the new job discription in Matthew 28:19-20, demonstrated how to do the job in the life He lead on earth, and provided a life coach in the Holy Spirit to ensure we will always have the proper guidance. To unlock the ubundant life we are so desperate to have is not through prayer, it is through obedience…Matthew 6:33

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I don’t know!?

My wife and I had the rare opportunity to spend some focused time with one of our four daughters a few weekends ago. When It came time for dinner I asked her where she wanted to eat.  I told her to pick anywhere.  Her response was “I don’t know”.  After several iterations of me asking and her responding “I don’t know” I all but gave up.  I gave her one more chance and asked in the calmest voice I could possibly muster and her response was “Um, I don’t know…Sonic”  REALLY?!  I gave her the opportunity to eat ANYWHERE and she picks Sonic!  I just got paid so I was thinking Ruth Chris and she’s stuck on Sonic!

Ephesians 3:20 “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Reading this verse I am reminded of my daughter wanting Sonic and how in my life so many times I limit God by my pea brained prayers and shallow faith.  I lose sight of the fact that He has taken the engine out of my Yugo of a life and put a Hemi in it! My desires and prayers are like me asking for Sonic yet He wants to throw me a feast. I trust that He has saved my soul from eternal damnation yet I struggle with trusting Him fully in my daily life. Things that make you go hhmmm…