Prayers : Part 23

We continue in our study of the prayer of faith. Prayer was given as a means to an end so God can supply and bring His covenant to existence on earth. We found out that we should be confident in Him through our prayer. We ought to know what to pray, addressing our situations with faith. Believe when you pray that you receive (Mark 11:24). Believing that you receive is a lifestyle. You have to forego looking at illusions. Our example last week was of the pilot flying by the instrument panel and not by what he or she sees. Trusting the five senses will inevitably lead a pilot (and us) to crash and burn.

Anonymous question from the congregation: …I know that God will never give more than I can bear… I am a young adult with two children. I work full-time and go to school also… I’m starting to feel overwhelmed with school and work, and I prayed for an answer as to whether or not to quit my job and attend school full time and believe that God will make a way for me. How will I know when I receive my answer as to what choice I should make?

Pastor’s answer: First of all, be sure to listen to this Prayer series in its entirety. We have to build our lives on the infallible Word of God, however we will put fault into it if we don’t establish ourselves. Get the Word of God in you. Know (experience) the Word. Satan knows the Word better than most believers, so be certain you know the Word exactly, not adding or taking away from it. I’m assuming the question is based on 1 Corinthians 10:13. I submit the choice is rooted in temptation.
1 Corinthians 10:13 – God doesn’t tempt people. With the temptation, God makes the way to escape so you can bear it. God has made the preparation and is in it with you. God will keep stuff off of you above what you can’t bear.
Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-3; James 1:13, 14 – Satan will always question the Word. Eve thought she knew the Word, but added her own spin to what God decreed.
I am unclear on what specifically the person asking the above question prayed for. First of all, you have to make the choice. God will give you wisdom if you pray for it. You can’t run your life looking for a sign. Answers don’t come right out of the sky. A Pastor’s job is to teach you to search the Scriptures for your own answers. How else will you learn God for yourself? The only way you will know is by the peace of God in your spirit (Colossians 3:15). You go by faith, not by what you can figure out (Philippians 4:7), and the peace will remove uncertainty. Life is sweet when you receive your plan from God! If you are serious about a life with God, a victorious, overcoming life, you need to quit everything in your mind right now. Repent from doing your own plan. From now on, ask God what you should be doing. A lot of you have stuff stealing your time, your intention, your money, and your energy. Jesus says we are to take His yoke and allow Him to show the way. He has made the preparations and the way of deliverance. Lining your life up with your faith is a life of priorities and begins with the Head: God, your man of God, your family.
Hebrews 4:9 – those that love and follow Him won’t get fatigued or overwhelmed operating in God’s rest.
John 10; Hebrews 6 -- if you have some other plan, you’re ripping yourself off. If you are sick, overwhelmed, disappointed, or short on time, fire yourself from all activities that do not put God first. Lay it all before Him so that He can build your life.

Prayers : Part 22

Prayer that God Always Answers
Part 22

Prayer is our lifeline, it is our supply. Faith is a lifestyle – you need the life to back up faith, otherwise there is a hole to allow the enemy access to steal and destroy. We continue in our discussion on the prayer of faith. Mark 11:24 is simple and to the point. Jesus said whatever thing you desire (KJV) is yours if you ask.

It is necessary to know your inheritance to ask for what you want. Your inheritance covers every aspect of provision you have in your life: spiritually, mentally, and physically. You have to believe that you receive your desire and that your prayer has accomplished a transaction. Your job of holding on to the confidence (faith) is a lifestyle.
Faith is your proof. (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is your substance, materiality, and evidence of what you can’t see but expect from God.

Today we will talk about lining your life up with your faith. How you act in the natural ought to be revealed in the spiritual. Faith people don’t deny what is around them – they ignore it and meet it with their faith (2 Corinthians 4:18). Shortsightedness will prevent you from seeing anything eternal.
There is more than meets the eye than to rely on your five senses. Everything you see, feel, taste, or smell is a lie and an attempt to remove you from your faith if it has not been ordered or ordained by God.

The word “illusion” defined – 1) an erroneous perception of reality. 2) An erroneous concept of belief. 3) The condition of being deceived by a false perception or belief. 4) Something such as a fantastic plan or desire that causes an erroneous belief or perception. You can count on a counterfeit to come your way when you pray the prayer of faith. It is the enemy’s tactic because every lie has some twist of truth. Pilots are trained to ignore every impulse and illusion and learn to fly by instrument flight regulations (IFR) and not to trust their natural senses. Mistakes are costly.

To line your life up with your faith, you must address your thoughts, words/conversation, associations, and teaching.
Thoughts (2 Corinthians 10) –– measure your thoughts against the Word of God to see if it contradicts your faith. Speak the Word (Psalm 1:1-3). What does the Word say?
Words (Proverb 18:21) – what you have been speaking is the sum total of what you are living. Ask for what you have faith for.

Prayers : Part 21

Today, we continued our discussion of the prayer of faith, also known as petition prayer. A hole in your faith can keep you from getting answers to your prayers. One hole that you could have in your faith is failing to line up your life with your faith.

The Power of Faith is Authority

The power of faith is not our own beliefs or knowledge. In Matthew 8: 5-13, the centurion captured the attention of Jesus because he knew authority. He put his faith on display by telling God what he could believe for. He declared the answer before it manifested. In other words, the centurion flowed in God’s authority. Because he did this, his servant was immediately healed.

Lining up your life with your faith is about being under authority.

Like the centurion, we are called to flow in God’s authority (John 14: 23). If we do this, God will make it come to pass (Psalms 37: 5). There is only one authority, which is God. People who claim their own authority are outside of the realm of God (Matthew 8: 10-12). We can’t pursue our own plans. We must pursue God’s plans. Obedience to God is the only way to come under His authority. “In the name of Jesus” is about authority (2 Timothy 3: 1-5). There is power in the name of Jesus because His name is authority. You should only base your life on something that has power in it.

We either flow in God’s authority, like the centurion, or we don’t. There are no steps to take and no formula to follow. You are either in faith or you are not. Think of faith as being a staff, i.e. a cane or a pole. Envision your entire body resting on the pole in your abdomen (feet off the ground) – this is faith. God is the pole. The pole is either going to hold you or it’s not. The power of faith is God’s authority over any other authority. Authority comes from God. Authority is the power of faith. So, if I am in faith, then I am in God’s authority.

How do faith people talk? They don’t lie about their circumstances. A true confession of faith is about meeting your circumstances with faith. For example, if you are sick and someone asks you how you are doing, you should say: “I am having a challenge right now, but I believe that God has healed me and I have the victory!”

We have the resurrection power of Jesus inside of us. However, it only works if we use it (2 Corinthians 4: 7-18). Whoever is going to have the last say is whoever you put your faith in. Will you put your faith in God or man? As people of faith, we should let God have the last say.

Our mouth is a major key to our faith. If you believe, you have to talk in line with your faith. When you are experiencing trouble, you have to confess your faith in God. You should praise God in the face of your difficulties. If you are in faith, you will talk as if the things you see are an illusion unless they line up with your faith. It is when things look the bleakest that they will turn in your favor, but only if you live a lifestyle of faith.