"And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." - Mark 11:22-24
I could end this post right now, for those words spoken above by Jesus say it all. Faith and prayer go hand in hand; they work together.
The Lord plainly explained that faith held the secret to having your prayers answered.
I am reminded of the account in Matthew 17:14-21 about how the disciples of Jesus could not cast out the demon from the lunatic son. When the disciples asked Jesus why they failed, Jesus told them in Matthew 17:20 that it was because of their unbelief, and in verse 21, the Lord said, concerning the demon, "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." Evidently, the disciples had not been nourishing their faith; they had not been in prayer (and they did not fast) so their trust and their efforts completely failed. They did not have the power because they did not have a strong faith.
"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." - Matthew 21:22
You need to believe. You need to have faith. So then when you pray, your prayers will be answered. But remember, you need to be specific when you pray. Also keep in mind that prayer is, in many ways, dependent upon the Word of God. God's Holy Word becomes the reason and the inspiration of our prayers.
"If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." - John 15:7
Hebrews 11:1 tells us, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Faith is believing that God will make a way where there is no way. Following is an encouraging and up-lifting song of faith by Don Moen titled "God Will Make A Way":
"The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience, nor does it recognize any obedience that does not spring from faith. The two are at opposite sides of the same coin." - A.W. Tozer
"If you find your life of prayer to be always so short, and so easy, and so spiritual, as to be without cost and strain and sweat to you, you may depend on it, you have not yet begun to pray." - Alexander Whyte
The good Lord wants to fellowship with us. He loves us and desires to commune with us. That word "commune" means with intensity, with passion, and with intimacy. Our prayers should reflect that kind of intensity and intimacy; I can picture that God cares not for many so-called "Ho-Hum" prayers that have no feeling and no depth. Remember He is God Almighty, the Creator, the Sovereign of the universe. Show Him honor and respect, and be in awe of Him when you pray and worship. You can do nothing without Him; your very life depends upon His grace and love. Give God the honor and the glory He deserves and expects.
Following are two short videos (around 16 minutes each) reciting from the works of Andrew Murray. The first one is about the source of the power in prayer:
The next discourse by Andrew Murray concerns Faith:
But what if you are not saved? Then the prayer that God will answer is the one where you ask Him for forgiveness, repenting in all sincerity, and believing with all your very being that Jesus is the Savior and also believing in His resurrection.
If you are living in sin and are disobedient to the good Lord, your prayers will not be answered unless you repent and ask Him for forgiveness and for salvation through Jesus Christ, and do this in humility and in faith.
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." - Acts 4:12
Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." - John 14:6
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3
Many people realize that we are now living in the last days - the end times - and Bible prophecy is now being fulfilled before our very eyes. Soon Jesus will return again to take true believers to heaven with Him. They will avoid the horrific 7 year Tribulation period that follows. Will you be among the true believers that go to heaven with the Lord, or will you be left behind to face the doom and disaster that occurs during the Tribulation?
The Lord loves you and does not wish for any to be destroyed.
All it takes is one step of faith from you and a true repentance.
Jesus is waiting for you with love and outstretched arms of tender compassion to hold you close in His embrace and in the safety and salvation found in Him.
Time is short.
Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us, "(9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
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