Prayers : Part 29

Today, we concluded our study of the prayer of faith (Mark 11:24). We also finished the entire series with a discussion of the prayer of thanksgiving.

You Must Line Your Life Up With Your Faith.

The teaching we receive is a very important component of lining up our lives with our faith. All churches do not necessarily provide the right teaching. The traditions, philosophies and religions of the day cause people to teach things that are not in line with what God would have us do. It does matter what you are taught. In the body of Christ, the teaching must be in line with the Word of God. Wrong teaching can destroy a life, but right teaching will make your life all that it should be. Teaching makes all the difference in this world and the next.

Teaching is different from preaching. Preaching is for the world and is intended to inspire and encourage people. Everyone is called to preach according to the Word. You may not realize it, but you preach all the time. When you tell your friend about a new movie you think they should see, you are preaching. It is by preaching that you reach the world, but teaching is what makes all the difference in a person’s life. Everyone is called to preach, but not everyone is called to teach. Ministry gifts are called to teach. In the body of Christ, teaching is the key because if you are taught right, then you will be able to preach right. You have to be taught before anything will happen in your life. Once you are taught correctly, then you can preach to others what God has done in your life.

Jesus spent the vast majority of his time teaching. He sent his disciples to preach. Preaching will get you to take a step, such as coming to Christ, but it won’t change your life. In the Bible, scribes, i.e. religious people, read what was written in the Word of God, but they had no power or authority because they knew nothing about what they read (Matthew 7:28-29). Anyone who is under the anointing must teach as Jesus taught because only instruction changes the quality of a person’s life. Teaching is not meant to convince but it is meant to instruct those who are ready to go. When Jesus taught, the people were “astonished” both at the fact that they were being taught and at Jesus’ teaching. As a result, they remembered Jesus’ teaching and they had something they could talk about with others. Jesus often used parables as a way of teaching (Matthew 13:53-54). Parables are not simply stories. They have a point and are universal. Jesus would teach, often using parables, and then He would leave. Jesus’ teachings would stick with the people because Jesus had power and authority. Jesus knew of what He spoke, so He could make what He said relevant to the people in their time and space.

Once you are in Christ, you don’t need preaching, you need teaching (Luke 4:31-37). You need to be fed the Word of God. Good teaching will always bless you if you receive it. When Jesus taught, the people would follow-up with questions. There can’t be real teaching with questions and answers. As a disciple, you are supposed to ask questions. One person’s question can benefit the entire group. As believers, we ought to seek out good teaching. However, we must judge the teaching by its fruit (Luke 4:32).

In the body of Christ, we should be taught the uncompromising, complete Word of God. God’s power comes through His Word, not through the anointing. Therefore, the teaching we receive must be in harmony with God’s Word. The Word of God is profitable for teaching, correction, instruction and training in how to live in right relationship with God (2 Timothy 3:16). We are created for good work, but we need sound teaching to get there (2 Timothy 3:17). Like Jesus, it is the pastor’s job to get the Word of God out to the people (2 Timothy 4:2-4). Once we receive God’s Word, it is our job as disciples to edify, exhort and comfort one another (1 Corinthians 14:5-6). If the teaching you hear is not in line with the Word of God, you should not receive it because if you have a misconception about God, you cannot be in right-standing with Him. When we live in right relationship with God, we have access to all of God’s inheritance. That is why it is so important that we receive teaching that is in line with the Word of God.

The Prayer of Thanksgiving

The prayer of thanksgiving is one of the only prayers you can offer to Jesus. The prayer of thanksgiving is thanking God for what He has done. It is only giving credit to God for the things that are from Him. We should thank God “in everything,” but we should not thank God for everything because God is not responsible for everything (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; John 10:10).

There are two primary benefits to the prayer of thanksgiving. The first benefit is gratitude. Gratitude is thanking God for everything He’s done. We must be grateful for and content with what we have (Hebrews 13:5-6). Only if you learn to be grateful now can you can boldly declare, “The Lord is my helper. He is working for me. He will never leave me or forsake me. He will never turn his back on me. I have no reason to fear what man can do to me.”

Second, the prayer of thanksgiving causes you to put words in your mouth so that you are talking the solution rather than the problem. Expressing gratitude is the same thing as calling things that do not exist as though they do exist (Romans 4:17). If you start praising God for taking away the pain in your body or for curing the disease in your body, then you will be talking the solution instead of the problem. You must understand that the answers you seek already exist. All of your needs are already met. The Bible says that all of the promises of God are “yes” and “amen.” (2 Corinthians 1:20) In other words, when we go to God with His promises, all He can say is “yes” and “amen.” God has completely equipped us spiritually, mentally and physically for righteousness. Once we truly understand this, we will be more thankful.

Prayers : Part 28

There is only one reason to pray: that is to get answers. We’ve been studying and drawing out through the Scriptures that faith makes prayer work, not the other way around. Once we were born again and came to Christ, God gave all of us the same measure of faith. It is up to us to increase, utilize, and build up that faith. Prayer is the greatest way to build up your faith.

The prayer of faith is a lifestyle, a way of living. In talking about the prayer of faith, Jesus lets us know what the prayer of faith is in Mark 11:24. Living with Christ is not an accessory. The prayer is the transaction, not the manifestation. The prayer of faith works the same way as going to the store without enough money. The payment/currency is the faith for what you want to receive. You won’t go to the store until you have enough to make your purchase – the prayer of faith works the same way. If you don’t believe that you have received your desire at the moment you’ve prayed, then the request is too big for you. If you have prayed and believed you have received, how do you know you have enough faith for your prayer? You'll know because you won't need physical evidence to convince yourself that you have it.

John 20:24-29 -- The account of “Doubting Thomas.” Thomas requested physical evidence and three conditions before he would believe Jesus had risen. This illustration is to highlight that you must line your life up with your faith. You will never get anywhere trusting the five physical senses the enemy has been granted legal right (from us) to manipulate, deceive, and twist. As long as you want to live in the natural (trusting your senses) you’re going to be defeated. You’re on God’s territory when walking by faith, and are guaranteed success. In Christ, you will become immune to negative reports.

Pastor revisits the question from the congregation about turning your back on old friends whose lives contradict a “Christian” lifestyle. We don’t judge or condemn people outside the Body of Christ. Christ has no hang-ups, so as you develop in Christ, you won’t have hang-ups either. Jesus did not say our mission is to convert people or “make” disciples. Jesus called 12 and it was their decision to follow Him. But not all who were called decided to follow Jesus (Luke 9:57-62). If you are the Body of Christ, you’re not supposed to cut people off and turn your back on them, but that does not mean they won’t turn their back on you. Just by living for Christ and becoming a new creation, their conscious may be convicted and they’ll turn from you.
















































.

Prayers : Part 27

This week we continued our study of the prayer of faith, also called petition prayer (Mark 11:24). When you pray the prayer of faith, you must believe that you “receive them” – the thing that you desire – at the moment you pray. The part of Mark 11:24 that says “and you will have them” has nothing to do with believers. Once we pray, our faith is the substance of the things we are expecting and the proof of what we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). It is God’s responsibility to take care of the manifestation.

Last week, we started to discuss the topic of associations. As believers, we severely underestimate the impact that associations have in our lives. The associations of every member of the body of Christ impact the entire body (1 Corinthians 5:1-5). Our responsibility as believers is to strengthen one another in faith and provoke one another to love within the church. If even just one member of the body of Christ is living a lifestyle of sin, it impacts the entire body because “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.” (1 Corinthians 5:6). Leaven is the same as sin. The whole body should have the same mind as God regarding sin – that it’s deadly. To spare the entire body, and the person who is living a lifestyle of sin, the person should be put out from the body (1 Corinthians 5:7-11). However, we should only judge sin within the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 5:12-13). As Christians, it is not our job to judge sinners who are in the world. Our job is to approach people who are in the world in order to bring them into the body of Christ. God will work on people outside of the church and He will have us (believers) bring them into the church when they are ready.

The body of Christ cannot get cozy with sin in the world or in the church. Believers should seek to restore people within the body of Christ who are living a lifestyle of sin. If a person within the body Christ is involved in sin, we should go to that person one on one to restore him to the body (Matthew 18:15-17). If the person doesn’t respond, then we should bring two or three other believers to restore him. If that doesn’t work, we should consult the pastor or other leadership in the church so that they can try to restore the person. If none of these approaches is successful, the Bible says that the body of Christ should treat the person as a sinner and eject him from the church (1 Corinthians 5:7-11).

The members of the body of Christ cannot take a laissez-faire attitude with sin because it hurts both the people who are involved in sin and the entire body of Christ. As new creations in Christ, we should not do the same things we did when we were in the world because the dominion and power of sin over our lives has been broken. As believers, we have to walk circumspectly so that we can please the Father. We must reject sin. To do that, we must submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7). We can’t trust in our own strength or rely on our own minds to overcome sin. God overcomes sin for us, but we have to receive His grace. There is a whole new life to live in Christ, but we can’t live that new life if we are going in the wrong direction.

Last week, a member of Berith asked: Should I be friends with people who are involved in a lifestyle of sin? Pastor Rick responded that the answer depends on whether the friend is a believer or not (Matthew 9:10-13). If the friend is a member of the body of Christ, the person should tell the friend that their friendship has to end because of the friend’s sinful lifestyle. If the friend is not a member of the body of Christ, the person should talk to the friend for the purpose of sharing God’s Word and bringing the friend into the body of Christ. Jesus sat down with sinners, they were drawn to him, and he didn’t shun them (1 Corinthians 9:19). We, as believers, should be so free that we can go to people in the world, regardless of who they are, and minister to them. We cannot have hang-ups or a bone to pick with people in the world. We only become free when we declare war on the sin within us. Once we are free from sin, we can reach out to people who are in the world in order to bring them into the body of Christ.

Prayers : Part 26

We continue in our discussion of the prayer of faith (petition prayer).

Know your inheritance. So there is no lack of confidence.
Faith is your proof. When you have a desire and you pray, you are to believe that you receive. Belief is an incomplete answer. You need to think, talk, and act as if what you prayed is so. Your faith must match the level of your desire. You cannot live under false pretenses or under illusions.
You must line your life up with your faith.

Our associations will influence what we say, speak, and what we do. This is a principle: Spend time with the wrong crowd and you will lose, but if you spend time with successful (peaceful, rich, wise) people, your chances of success (peace, wealth, wisdom) will increase! Who are you spending time with? Just as one drop of red dye will spoil clear water, we also must watch our associations closely. Stay clean.

1 Corinthians 5:6 – a bit of leaven will change the entire composition of the bread. None of us makes it alone. We are to hold one another accountable. Do not be conformed to the world – be unique.

Question from the congregation: Can you please explain how the friends you select will fit into your having a prayerful, Godly lifestyle and how you cut off people but still pray for them if their lifestyle (fornication, homosexuality) is going on? Should I be friends with them?

Pastor’s response: Pray about your friends and who you have in your life. Don’t select your friends; allow God to choose your acquaintances. In order to answer these questions accurately, I need to know if these people are believers or claim to be born again? Do not get comfortable or cozy with [the notion of] your friends sinning either inside or outside of church. The judgment of the Lord starts in the house of God, not the world. You’ll know the tree by its fruit.

After a certain amount of time, your conduct should change. Get the sin out so you can be a new, clean, sanctified person. Preserve what God has done. Confess your sin before God.

Matthew 9:10-13 – Jesus took His disciples with Him to minister to the tax collectors and sinners to prepare them for the work after His departure. Jesus preferred righteousness over sacrifice. Sinners know they’re sinning; it’s the religious folk that think they’re right. Jesus instructed believers to harvest those that are ready, not to pluck and ripen those that aren’t.

Prayers : Part 25

We continued our study of the prayer of faith, also known as petition prayer. Remember, the prayer of faith only works for you and you alone, not for anyone else. That’s because the prayer of faith is an individual prayer between a believer and God. What makes the prayer of faith work? Faith makes it work. Prayer does not make faith work. You can’t get faith by praying. If you aren’t getting answers to your prayers, don’t blame God. The problem could be that you have a hole in your faith.

Believe That You Receive Now!

The hallmark scripture for the prayer of faith is Mark 11:24: “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” As we have already learned, the key to the prayer of faith is that you must believe at the moment you pray that you receive the “things” you desire. If you do this, the consequence will be that “you will have them.” Stated another way, for a believer, to pray it is to have it. It’s that simple!

Know Your Inheritance.

A key step in the prayer of faith is that you must know your inheritance. To know your inheritance, you have to study the Word of God because it contains all of the promises that we are entitled to as believers in Jesus Christ. You can go boldly to the throne of grace when you understand your inheritance from the Word because you know how to pray in line with the will of God.

Faith is Your Proof.

Once you pray the prayer of faith, believing that you receive at the moment you pray, all you need is faith because it is your proof that you have it. The only difference between having the proof (faith) and having the thing itself is time. Here’s a practical example of how this works. Let’s say Pastor Rick is setting up an office in his home. He needs furniture for his office so he goes to the store to buy it. At the store, Pastor Rick pays for the furniture and he gets a receipt. He’s told that his furniture will be delivered to his home in the future. Immediately, Pastor Rick gets excited! Why is he excited? Because he has his receipt, which means he knows that his furniture is coming! He doesn’t focus on what he can see right now because he has his receipt. So, Pastor Rick goes home and prepares his office by getting rid of his old things to make room for his new furniture. In other words, he acts like he knows that his furniture will show up by preparing for its arrival.

It works the same way with faith. In spiritual realm, your faith is your receipt. It is your proof that you have the thing for which you prayed. If you know something is coming, you have your line your life up for what is coming. You have to do something! Because he believed that his new furniture was already there, Pastor Rick started getting rid of his old things right away in preparation for his new furniture showing up. You have to act the same way with your faith after you pray the prayer of faith. Because your faith is your proof, you have to prepare for the “thing” that is going to manifest in your life. You must act like you know that thing will manifest itself because your faith is your receipt. You have to move out the old to make room for the new. The awesome thing about God is that, while you prepare, the “thing” will show up!

Line Your Life Up With Your Faith

Lining up your life with faith requires that you keep guard over your thoughts. As 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 exhorts us to do: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” Your mind is the determining factor for how far you will go in life so you must measure your thoughts against the Word of God. If your thoughts aren’t right, then you must bring them into the captivity of Jesus Christ. To do this, you must talk the Word (Psalms 1:1-3). You must meditate on the Word. As Joshua 1:8 says “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.” You can’t live your life by what you see and hear in the natural.

You cannot complain while you wait for the thing you prayed for to manifest. You have to speak the Word. For example, you have to speak Matthew 19:26, “With God all things are possible!” Nothing is more powerful in your life than your words. Hebrews 10:22-23 says “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 confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” When you have God’s teaching in you, you will be fully assured. Having a true heart means having a heart sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water. To hold fast to your confession of faith means that you don’t confess doubt or change because of the circumstances, but you hold fast to your faith in God. You also can’t waiver because when you waiver, you cause a hole in your faith. Instead, you have to exercise the faith that you have so that your faith can increase.

You also have to carefully watch your associations in order to line your life up with your faith. Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” The people you associate with will have an impact on you, whether negatively or positively. Proverbs 13:20 says “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.” If you a sharp and you associate with someone who is dull, you will become dull. It only takes a little bit of bad to contaminate something that is good, as 1 Corinthian 5:6 says “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” Associations are either supporting you in what you need to do or they are preventing you from doing what you need to do. The people you associate with should build you up and vice versa. God told us to be witnesses to people. Are you obeying God in your associations? To be serious about lining your life up with your faith, you must be serious about your associations.