Learning How to Pray in Faith

Learning How to Pray in Faith July 10th, 2022

I. INTRODUCTION

A. I was reminded recently how important it is that we learn how to pray in faith. There have been various teachings and emphasis over the last few decades over different topics and aspects of the Christian life. None have probably been as effective to living a life of victory as the teaching on believing God to impact your life and situations around you. We call it learning how to pray in faith!

THE IMPORTANCE OF WALKING IN FAITH

Jesus taught on the importance of faith as a foundational principle in the kingdom of God. We will experience more of His kingdom activity and Jesus’ provision for us and will enjoy our relationship with Him more as we believe for more. God releases more blessing according to our faith.“Jesus said to them, “...if you have faith and do not doubt...even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen.” (Mt. 21:21) “Jesus said to him—If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mk. 9:23)
The prayer of faith includes prayer with confidence—in the authority of Jesus over sickness and the works of darkness, in the blood of Jesus to qualify weak people to be vessels to release His power, and in His desire to bless His people.“And the prayer of faith will save [heal] the sick, and the Lord will raise him up...” (Jas. 5:15)
Some believe for very little and therefore experience little of God’s blessing because they have not learned how to operate in faith. If we believe for a lot and only get part of it, we will still experience much more than when we believe for little. The purpose of this teaching is to help us reactivate our faith to believe God to operate in our lives.
One of the ways that causes our faith to grow is to read the Word (the Bible). Not only do we read the Word, but we must study the Word, meditate on the Word, speak the Word out loud and making the Word the foundation of all we do in life.“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17)“For the Word of God is living and powerful [active, operative], and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12)“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1Peter 2:1-3)

RECEIVING OUR PRAYER REQUESTS: TWO WAYS (MK. 11:24)

A. Jesus described how faith operates. He indicated that we receive our prayers in two ways. First, we “receive” them in the spirit realm (v. 24b), and then we “have” them in the natural (v. 24c) when we see them with our eyes. We need to be aware of the distinction between the spiritual and the natural realms to understand how prayer works.

“...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 [in the spirit], and you will have them [in the natural].” (Mk. 11:23-24)

Faith is the substance and evidence that goes beyond what we see or feel with our natural senses. Faith is the substance, or title deed, of what we already possess in the spirit. Faith is not physical evidence, but it is evidence given by the Spirit.1Now faith is the substance [title deed] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen... 3...the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (Heb. 11:1-3)

The spiritual realm is invisible, and yet it is more powerful than the natural realm (Heb. 11:3).

IV. PRINCIPLES IN PRAYING IN FAITH

Step One: Verbalize our requests to the Father. A foundational principle of the kingdom is that God releases more blessing if we ask for it. This means verbalizing our prayers, not just thinking them.“...in everything by prayer...with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God... (Phil. 4:6). “Yet you do not have because you do not ask. (Jas. 4:2)God knows all our needs (Mt. 6:32) but requires that we ask Him for them—asking causes us to connect with His heart and to recognize specific blessings from God as His answer to our prayers.

Step Two: Receive your requests in the spirit realm. When Scripture states that God hears our prayers, it means that He approves of our requests. When we pray according to God’s will, we know that He approves of the request, so we receive it in the spirit realm with confidence.14Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 Jn. 5:14)

The Father has already given us every spiritual blessing that exists in the heavenly realm (Eph. 1:3). These spiritual blessings include the indwelling Spirit; the right to use Jesus’s authority; the promise of God’s provision, protection, and direction to do His will; and more.“Blessed be the God and Father...who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (Eph. 1:3)

Step Three: Engage in faith that you have received what you asked for. Jesus spoke of the necessity of continually believing that we have received the “title deed” (in the spirit realm) to our prayer requests as the condition for receiving them in the natural realm.24“Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them [in the spirit], and you will have them [in the natural].” (Mark 11:24)

Step Four: Ask with persistence (Lk. 11:8), or remind God of His Word (Isa. 62:6). We are to remind the Lord consistently of what He has given us in the spirit realm. We thank Him for what we have received in the spirit as we ask Him to release it in a greater measure in the natural realm.
6“...you who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves; 7and give Him no rest until He establishes [what He promised]...” (Isa. 62:6-7).

Step Five: Praise God for the answer!!!