Prayer Builds Faith!

Prayer Builds Faith!

Prayer is the key to building faith. Let me explain.

Faith Comes by Hearing! “So, then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, NKJV). “So, faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself)” (Romans 10:17, Amplified Bible). From hearing and meditating on the message preached by Christ, God will grant us living promises that apply directly to our needs. The written Word of God is “logos” whereas the spoken Word of God to our personal needs is “rhema.” This is only the beginning of God’s revealed message as a promise to a believer. Apostle Paul wrote to Corinthians: “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (I Corinthians 2:9-10). Things that have not been seen or heard and things that could not be comprehended are revealed by the spoken revelation of God’s Word in the heart of a believer. This spoken promise of God is fulfilled in prayer! Prayer Prepares the Heart for Knowing God and Not Losing the Promise! God’s Promises are by God’s Communication to You! Prayer is Your Communication to God! It is not just we receive a promise by the revelation of God, but it is equally important to secure the promise of God by not losing it to a lack of foundation of God’s Word in our lives. Jesus shares the parable of the sower sowing the seed and warns us of the enemy coming and stealing the seed: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it…The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts” (Mark 4:3-4, 14-15). A Word revealed by the Spirit of God must be held by preparing the heart to keep it. Satan may either steal it or cause confusion in your heart to discredit the Word of God, just as he did with Jesus on the Mount of Temptation. Satan twisted the Word, but Jesus used the right Word to protect His calling from His Father. Guard God’s Promise in Prayer! Build the foundation of God in prayer to keep God’s Word! Jesus shares about the second set of seeds falling on the stony ground and His explanation of it: “Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away…These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble” (Mark 4:5-6, 16-17). It is important that we secure God’s Word and His promise by preparing our hearts with a strong foundation of knowing Who God is and What He stands for. It is truth and the whole truth of God from the whole council of God’s Word that prepares the soil of our hearts to keep the promise. Prayer prepares the heart to know God, God’s personality, and His principles as to how God speaks, operates, and fulfills His Word in the life of a believer. Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days atop the Mount of Temptation and overcame the lust of the flesh and the temptation of the world. Many who lack prayer and communication with God lack the power to overcome the temptations of the world as Jesus points out through the parable: “And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop (fruit)…Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:7, 18-19). Prayer prepares you to discern, recognize, and overcome the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, and keeps your heart prepared to germinate the seed of the Word and to bring forth fruit! Finally, the good news – Jesus shares about an honest and prepared heart producing fruit a hundredfold: “But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred…But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept (receive) it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred” (Mark 4:8, 20). Here is another version of it in Luke 8:15: “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience (endurance).” Preparation of the heart is always by worship, prayer, and the meditation of God’s Word. The more we prepare our hearts the more fruit we produce. It is by the fruit that we know how much a believer is devoted to God through prayer and meditation of God’s Word. A praying heart receives the revelation of God’s promise in humility, prepares the heart to have a strong foundation in God, avoids the pitfalls of temptations by the enemy from corrupting the soil of the heart, and produces fruit, thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold! Prayer brings to fruition what God has spoken! I have a dear friend and prayer partner about whom God revealed in a meeting with a Word of Knowledge that he had a cancerous spot in his liver that God would heal. He was told by some cancer specialists that he had multiple lesions of cancerous spots in his liver and that he would not survive. My friend took the revealed word that he had one cancerous spot and went to another set of specialists for confirmation. The second set of specialists confirmed that there was a single but concerning spot in his liver. To my friend, that spot in the liver was the fourth place the cancer had spread, and he was days away from succumbing to stage-4 cancer. He, his precious wife, and John and Hema fought for his dear life for 10 months in prayer, diligent and fervent prayer. His precious wife cried many days in prayer. Please understand, that though the promise was given for his healing, it did not materialize immediately, and we had to seek God for His instructions with obedience all along the way, and surrendering in prayer helped us accomplish just that. Today, my brother is a living miracle, praying and walking with God. The doctors were amazed, and his miracle healing was published in magazines. Today, his prayers are for many others to be healed by God just as he has been! Faith is Trust and Obedience and Prayer Helps Us to Trust and Obey God! While faith is trusting God and honoring God with obedience, it is prayer that helps us to trust God more and obey Him instantly. The more we trust God and the more we obey Him the more we are built up with faith.

Abraham’s life was marked by three important traits: 1) Abraham Believed God: “And (Abram) believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). “(Abraham) did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness’” (Romans 4:20-22). 2) Abraham Obeyed God: “By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. y faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:8-10). 3) Abraham Built Altars Everywhere He Went. Sichem: “Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants (seed) I will give this land.’ And there (Abram) built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him” (Genesis 12:7). Bethel: “And (Abram) moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 12:8). Hebron: “Then Abram moved his tent and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord” (Genesis 13:18). Abraham interceded with the Lord for Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:23-32). Altars of Moriah: “Then (Abraham and Isaac) came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood” (Genesis 22:9). Abraham’s altars in all the place where he moved was an acknowledgment that he belonged to God and God belonged to him. The Old Testament altar was an altar of sacrifice whereas the New Testament altar is an altar of prayer with us offering ourselves as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). Prayer is the indication we believe God and prayer strengthens us to obey God and obey Him fully!

Abraham believed in God without doubting! Abraham obeyed God without question! Abraham prayed to God, interceded with Him for the lost cities, and offered up his blessing (Isaac) to ultimate sacrifice! Abraham was the “Father of Faith” and a “Friend of God” by his walk with God!

Prayer of Faith Changes You and Changes Lives! “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. 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” (James 5:14-15).

The elders carry the “Prayer of Faith” that saves the unsaved and heals the sick. God’s promises are for the healing and the wellness of the body and the soul and the believers that walk with God have not only the assurance of God’s promises but also the authority to command sicknesses and pain to leave. Prayer of faith does not mince words but commands the affliction to flee based on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. In certain cases, the healing may not manifest immediately after prayer, but we must stay the course of believing and acting without doubting God’s Word. It is important to know that the prayer of faith not only heals and restores but also transfers faith to the recipients. Faith Comes by Hearing! Hearing From God Brings a Revelation from God! God’s Revelation Always Includes Special Blessings from God and Instructions for us to Obey! Prayer Helps us to Be Strong in the Lord, Obey Him, and Inherit the Promise! Faith is built up in prayer! Prayer of Faith heals the sick and restores the lost! Faith Moves the Obstacles out of the way and Glorifies God! This Process of Knowing, Receiving, Obeying, Yielding, and Praying Continues with Our Walk with God! Our Life is Enriched with Both the Personality of God and the Principles of God!

Prayer “Heavenly Father, I love You and adore You and bow down before You. I thank You, Lord, for the knowledge of knowing You. I thank You, Father, for saving me by the precious blood of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary. I yield myself completely to hear Your Word, receive it, hide it in my heart, and nurture it to bring forth fruit, much fruit, for Your glory. Please strengthen me, Lord, in prayer as I commune with You, to know You and do Your will in my life. I will follow You, Lord, in all that You have made me, according to Your will. In the Most Wonderful and Precious Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen! Amen!!”