Pray, Believe, Receive

The Bible tells us to make our requests known to God in prayer. Then we are to believe that we will receive it, and it will be ours. One scripture even tells us that if we say to the mountain be moved, and if we believe in our hearts that it will be moved, then it will be done – (Mark 11:23). But how many of us believe that if we go tell mount Everest to cast itself into the sea, that it will be done? And when this doesn’t happen, does that make the Bible incorrect? Let’s peel this one back real quick, because it is one of the most common areas where I see Christians struggle in their walk with Christ.

Scripture:
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” – Mark 11:24,25

Observation/Application:  

God’s Will
There are a lot of reasons why our prayers may not be answered, but it all comes down to being aligned with God’s Will. Are the requests that we are making to God aligned with His Word, or are the requests our wants and desires of the flesh? Are we aligned with God’s Will or our will? Are we working toward His Will or fighting against it? Are we putting God to the test, or our requests from the heart? Are we walking in love, and walking in faith, with pure hearts, believing for His goodness? Or are we mad at someone or something from our past that we can’t let go of, and withholding forgiveness? Are we walking in bitterness, envy, jealousy, or fear? The difficult lesson to understand here is that we can’t expect for miracles to happen just because we pray. There is a little more to it than that.

Separation vs Acceptation
Do you think that if we walk around, dishonoring God in everything that we say and do, that He will answer our prayers? Proverbs 15:29 tells us that, “The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” And Matthew 10:33 says, “But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” God knows our hearts. And if we want to be blessed by God in our lives, and through prayer and our requests, then our actions need to be in alignment with His Will and our hearts have to be pure. And we will know His Will, and our hearts will be purified, when we draw closer to Him. Then we can make our requests known to God, and we can know without question that our prayers will be answered.

So how can we know that our prayers will be answered even though it might seem impossible in the flesh? We can know because God’s Word says so. Philippians 4:13 tells us that, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Notice that the Word used in this scripture is “all” things. It’s important to note that it doesn’t say “some” things. And God is faithful. Lamentations  3:22-23 tells us that, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies are new every morning.” And we know that all of our needs will be met because Philippians 4:19 tells us that, “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

God’s Word is the Lamp
We can trust God’s Word because it is perfect. “As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.” – (Psalm 18:30). We can trust God because He does exactly what He says that He is going to do, every time. He always delivers on His promises. Always. So if we want our prayers answered, all that we have to do is align our prayers to God’s Word. Before making a request, reflect on what you are asking for and what God’s Word says about our request? Are what we asking for backed up by the Word of God?  Are our intentions good? Are our hearts pure and are we seeking the Lord with all of our hearts? Or are we putting God to the test by making ridiculous requests like, “God I am praying for a million dollars in my bank in the next 4 hours”?


Image courtesy of: you mee

Adapting a Childlike Faith
Then just have the faith of a child, dare to BELIEVE, and then just start thanking God and praising Him that it is already done! And be ready for our prayers to be answered, be expecting, because God is Faithful! Don’t doubt because our eyes have not yet seen the miracle. Our eyes can deceive us. Just because we don’t see it doesn’t mean that the healing hasn’t happened, that the money hasn’t come yet, that the relationship is not already being restored. We are to “walk by faith and not by sight” – (2 Corinthians 5:7). Let us be bold in our prayers and in our faith! “And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.” (1 John 5:14-15 RSV)

#Pray-Believe-Receive-Keys-To-Successful-Prayer

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for this Word today. We continue to seek you daily, to gain a deeper understanding of your Word, your teachings, and your Will. Let your wisdom penetrate our hearts and minds, giving us understanding and clarity of Your Will for us Lord. Help our unbelief. Help us to pray boldly, and believe boldly. Draw us closer to You Father God. We receive your Son, Jesus Christ, into our hearts, and surrender fully to You. The battle has already been won, and the victory is Yours. And we receive your Promise now Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as we give you all the honor and glory, in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Today’s full reading: Numbers 34-36; Mark 11


Please follow and like us:
Twitter
Visit Us
Follow Me
Instagram
RSS

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published.