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Pray this over yourself to strengthen your relationship with God
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The Prayer of Faith Explained
James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Effective, Fervent = (Greek) energeo. This word is where we get our English word energy from. It is usually translated “work” but in this context it literally means to show forth your works of faith in prayer.
If there is effective prayer, then we can also conclude that there is ineffective prayer. Effective, fervent prayer starts with knowing God’s will and believing that God’s desire for us is always, “On Earth as it is in Heaven.”
Mark 11:22-24 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
The prayer of faith does not say, “If it be your will Lord.” The prayer of faith knows the will of God before praying. The prayer of faith makes a draw, or demand, on what God has already provided and promised through His word and by His grace.
When praying the prayer of faith, we must believe that we receive the answer at the time of the prayer.
Regardless of what we see or don’t see, feel or don’t feel, we must believe that we have received what we prayed for. This means that going forward we should be thanking God for the answer to our prayer. Our belief that God has answered our prayer is expressed by works. Our words and actions should confirm that we have received the answer. It is by these works that our faith is made alive.
If we truly believe that we have received the answer when we prayed, there should be a change in us. Our hearts will be excited, our hope will be strengthened, and our expectations will remain unwavering until we see the full manifestation of what we prayed for. Faith believes the prayer is answered before it sees the answer, and it speaks and behaves accordingly.
Most Christians pray, and if they don’t see an immediate answer, they stop believing. They don’t speak or behave like they have the answer, so their faith is dead. Dead things do not produce fruit. Just because we don’t see an immediate change in the circumstances we are praying for does not mean the prayer wasn’t answered.
Daniel was praying for understanding and seeking certain answers from God. Look what happened.
Daniel 10:12-13 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
The prayer of faith should be prayed once. As soon as our faith is expressed and released for the answer, our prayers and our conversation should change to reflect our belief that we have already received the answer. If we pray the prayer of faith twice in the same way, it reveals that we didn’t actually believe it the first time we prayed.
James 2:14-17 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
This passage compares faith to the body and works to the spirit. So, by our words and actions (works), we put a living spirit into our faith. If our faith is to be a living faith, then we must have the spirit of faith.
The Spirit of Faith
2 Corinthians 4:13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,
We will speak about what we believe. Our conversation is always a dead giveaway to what we believe in our hearts. Our faith in God is communicated by words and actions. We must pay close attention to both so that we don’t speak against our hope.
Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
Our words have the ability to minister grace or corruption to the hearer, and when our words align with our faith, God imparts His divine influence into our situation to minister to us and bring the answer we are believing for.
Matthew 12:33-37 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The words we speak after our faith is released will determine what fruit grows. If we truly believe in our heart that we received the answer to our prayer the moment we pray, our attitude, our countenance, our words, and our actions will reflect that belief.
Before we pray the prayer of faith, we should look to God’s word and find His will concerning what we are praying for. Then we build ourselves up and strengthen our faith by reading and meditating on God’s word concerning His promises.
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
When God’s will is known and our faith is built up by meditation on His word, we release our faith and believe we have the answer when we pray. If we do not see immediate results from our prayer, we must not let that discourage us. We simply receive it by faith, regardless of what we see, feel, or experience, and begin to call things that don’t exist like they already exist.
Romans 4:17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
God created the universe by faith and with His words called things into existence. We are created in God’s image and in His likeness, and by the precious blood of Jesus, we have the authority to do the same.
All authority in Heaven and Earth has been given to Jesus, and our life is hidden in Him. We are seated with Him in heavenly places, and we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness, including the exceedingly great and precious promises of God. Such as, healing, favor, blessing, provision, wisdom, understanding, the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit, and many more. We are promised these things, but we must obtain them by faith so that we can partake in God’s divine nature.
2 Peter 1:2-4 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
JESUS IS COMING!
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What is Spirit-Led Prayer?
One of the greatest tragedies in the Church is the confusion we have about the Holy Spirit. Even among groups that emphasize the Holy Spirit and His role in the Church, we see different beliefs, expressions, and practices, many of which are contradictory.
The Bible shows the mishandling of holy things brings serious consequences. How much more severe is it when we have the Holy Spirit of God living inside us? It is essential that we rightly divide truth concerning the Holy Spirit.
In this lesson, we will address the practice of praying in the Spirit and define what exactly praying in the Spirit is. While some limit praying in the Spirit to praying only God’s written word, others say that praying in the Spirit is only praying with other tongues. Still, others reject praying with other tongues altogether. Our lack of agreement reveals our overall lack of understanding.
Effective spiritual warfare requires an understanding of praying in the Spirit, so let’s bring clarity to this from God’s word.
We must first understand that praying in the Spirit is any prayer under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit. Look at our instruction in Ephesians.
Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Our instruction is that all prayer and supplication are to be done “in the Spirit.” The prayer of salvation, prayers of sanctification, prayers of dedication, prayers of intercession, prayers of repentance, the prayer of faith, prayers of thanksgiving, and yes, praying with other tongues. They are all to be prayed “in the Spirit.” Supplications are specific requests. They are also to be prayed in the Spirit. So, what does that look like?
Everything God does is relational. Many of us have allowed our devotional time to become mechanical and lifeless, not relational at all, just religious and dead. We run through a prayer list and read our daily devotional, never spending time in silent reverence so we can connect with the one we are talking to. Having a daily devotional is commendable. Having a daily devotional and never actually connecting intimately with your Father is tragic. Praying in the Spirit requires communion, not just conversation.
com·mun·ion – the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.
If all we do is pray from our limited thinking, our prayer life will lack the authority to bear much fruit. I am not saying that praying with our natural understanding is wrong, but let this be a launching point, a positioning of the heart and mind to a place of stillness and quiet so we can be receptive to the influence of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians makes it clear that we need both.
1 Corinthians 14:15 (NKJV)What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.
Praying should be viewed as a partnership. It starts with natural understanding, but as we approach God, coming into step with the Spirit to partner with Him, we should expect supernatural utterances to come from our lips. Praying in the Spirit requires us to connect our thoughts and attention to the Holy Spirit inside us, praying out and praying into what rises in our hearts. Spirit-led prayer requires dependence upon His leading and a willingness to follow even when it doesn’t seem to make sense.
Although we are to come boldly to the throne of grace, we should approach with humility. After all, we have an audience with the King of the universe. Hearing His voice and sensing His direction becomes easy when we have a humble heart. Humility gives us a higher perspective and brings us to the place with the most extraordinary light. It is the place of greater sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Humility brings His grace to the scene, and our prayers become filled with His divine influence and direction.
James 4:6 (NKJV) But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
We partner with God in prayer, recognizing that we are here for His good pleasure. We pursue His will, plan, and purpose even when we pray for ourselves. We provide the vessel in this partnership, and He fills it with His divine will and purpose. We then pour out the mystery of His will with our prayers, inviting His influence and expecting His involvement. When approaching prayer with an expectation of partnering with God, we are more likely to have a listening ear than simply a running mouth.
A mindless recital of prayer should become a thing of the past. Effectual, fervent prayer should become a lifestyle of supernatural engagement that partners with God to shape our future and impact the world around us.
James 5:13-16 (NKJV)s anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
When we find ourselves at a place in prayer with the perspectives described above, we are praying in the Spirit, whether in a known or unknown tongue.
Praying in tongues
There is more confusion over praying in tongues than any other type of prayer. Praying in tongues is a New Testament doctrine. I see no scriptural evidence of it ending or being “done away with.” However, I continue to see a lot of misunderstanding and unbiblical demonstration throughout the Church, which needs to be addressed. First, I will share my personal experience with the baptism of the Holy Spirit
On November 7th of 1988, I was born again. a few weeks after my conversion, being completely unchurched and having had no exposure to any teaching about praying in tongues, I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues while alone in my bedroom.
I was reading the book of Acts for the second time. I saw that there was more available to me than what I was currently experiencing, so I prayed, “Lord, if there is more of You available to me, I want it.” The Lord then baptized me in His Holy Spirit.
When the Spirit of God came on me, I felt power like electricity all over my body, and it felt like my tongue was as big around as a soda can. I could hear these crazy-sounding words and syllables in my head but resisted saying them out of my mouth because this was all too strange. When I finally yielded to what was happening inside me, I said a few sentences in an unknown tongue and then stopped because it freaked me out. I could not deny that I had a genuine experience and felt the power of God all over me. I just didn’t understand what happened.
No one taught me, no one prayed over me, and no one laid hands on me. I simply saw it in His word and asked for it. God is good!
Here is my concern from over 30 years of observation. Many who claim to have the baptism of the Holy Spirit speak a sentence or two in “tongues” and repeat the same things. This is the limit of their so-called “prayer language.” I have also seen people repeatedly give “messages from the Lord” by tongues and interpretation but use the same few words in tongues, maybe changing the order of the words a bit. However, the interpretation is always different.
I am not saying these people have not been baptized in the Spirit. I question their understanding and their expression to the body of Christ. I believe that some things are out of order.
Are they being done with an understanding that they are handling holy things and representing a sacred God? Is it being done in fear of the Lord? Are these things edifying the Church? It is a serious thing to speak publicly and claims these words are from the Lord.
My understanding of scripture is that praying in tongues should be limited in public unless accompanied by an interpretation. 1 Corinthians 14 addresses this issue.
1 Corinthians 14:22-25 (NKJV) Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe. 23 Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. 25 And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.
How we represent God in any setting is a serious thing. We are responsible for being an example to others to the best of our ability. We are all at different places in our journey with the Lord. We should not be too quick to follow others’ examples unless we are confident that they represent the Holy Spirit well. We can all grow in our understanding, humility, and fear of the Lord. Let us not put God in the tiny box of our limited experience. Instead, let’s ask Him to elevate our experience and understanding to match what the Bible teaches.
We partner with God in prayer, recognizing that we are here for His good pleasure. We pursue His will, plan, and purpose even when we pray for ourselves. We provide the vessel in this partnership, and He fills it with His divine will and purpose. We then pour out the mystery of His will with our prayers, inviting His influence and expecting His involvement. When approaching prayer with an expectation of partnering with God, we are more likely to have a listening ear than simply a running mouth.
A mindless recital of prayer should become a thing of the past. Effectual, fervent prayer should become a lifestyle of supernatural engagement that partners with God to shape our future and impact the world around us.
For more teaching on Spiritual Warfare, CLICK HERE.
Thank you for visiting truthpressure.com. I hope this has been a blessing to you.
JC
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Sacrificing Our Authority In Prayer
I learned a very valuable lesson about authority in prayer and I would like to share it with you.
During a prayer meeting at our church a faithful member of the prayer team came forward with a typed out prayer for our president that she said the Lord gave her the day before. She was allowed to read the prayer and we agreed with her. It was a very moving, scripture based prayer that was loving, considerate, compassionate and powerful. It immediately got the nod of approval of all in the room. It was a prayer that inspired confidence and faith in all who prayed it. This lady had obviously heard from the Lord.
As those in the group were commenting about how powerful it was, the Lord spoke to me directly and said, “Why didn’t you pray for your previous president in this manner?” I immediately knew what the Lord was talking about. I remembered the many times we lifted this former leader up in “prayer” and I was reminded of some of the opinionated requests, the tone, the attitude, and the complete disregard for this man as an individual and a leader of our nation. We weren’t praying out of love for our president, or even love for our country. We were praying against him, not out of love, but out of selfishness and self righteousness. Our motives were wrong, our heart was wrong.
I shared what the Lord had showed me and the entire prayer group received it and we all repented before God.
When praying for yourself, or others, its important to consider your motives for praying. This may seem overly simple, however there are some areas in our thinking and believing that can be ever so slightly off kilter, and therefore making our prayers ineffective.
Luke 18:9-14 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
This is a powerful example of sacrificing authority because of selfish pride. The Pharisee presented himself as better than “other men.” Notice in verse 11 that “he prayed thus with himself”. In other words God is not even listening, he is praying to sound spiritual and be heard by others.
Although this sounds terrible, it gets much worse!
James 3:14-16 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
When we pray from a place of bitterness, envy, and selfishness we become a landing strip for every evil work. We actually invite demonic activity into our life and have absolutely no effect on what we are praying for.
Lets look at the rest of this passage in James to see where our heart needs to be when we pray.
James 3:17-18 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Prayer that is made from a place of love, mercy and compassion is a prayer that is heard and answered by God. Prayer made from a place of selfishness is not heard by God, but is an invitation to demonic influence.
Pray for people, never pray “against” people. Praying against a person is an invitation to confusion, demons, and every evil work. It is earthly wisdom learned from the fall of man and perpetuates the enemy’s agenda.
If we check our hearts and motives before we approach God with prayer and make sure we are praying from a healthy place of love for the person, we can be confident that our prayers are effective.
Thank you for visiting truthpressure.com. I hope this has been a blessing to you.
JC
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