This is not a method. The word of God is not synonymous to “abracadabra.” I’m not trying to find a rabbit in a hat. We’re growing up into Him in all things - coming to a revelation of love, so that love is spontaneously producing faith that releases the kingdom. To where you look at a situation and you see a person’s value, you see God’s love for them and the finished work Christ and God’s Son that came because of their worth to God and the finished work of redemption through His Son and you don’t have to preach all that. And you see that and you speak His name it’s not in vain. Verses reading your Bible and getting all these scriptures and all this teaching in your heart and then you know why it should be healed and you know why it’s the will of God. And you know all of that. And you have the knowledge. But knowledge puffeth up and all the sudden knowledge can take the place of knowing Him and you are just throwing all of your Bible knowledge at the problem - quoting all this scripture. The Bible doesn’t even tell you to quote scripture over the situation. It says, “say to the mountain, ‘Move!’”1
People say, “Let’s pray to see if it’s the will of God. If He heals you it is. If He doesn’t it isn’t.” But when you pray it’s the big “if.” So is there ever faith? So do you ever have the realization of your hope or the evidence of things unseen? No! There are churches today by the score that say, “Let’s pray and see if it’s God’s will to heal you.” And they pray and say “if it be your will.” We’re supposed to know the will of God. When you pray if it be your will you’re making a public testimony and confession you don’t have a clue what God’s doing and wants to do. And we’re supposed to know - “don’t be unwise understand the will of God” - “prove the perfect will of God.”2
We pray all the time because we have problems. You pray because you have an answer. Because truth has been revealed - because Christ has come. You pray from the position of covenant. And it’s an answer driven prayer not a problem driven prayer. We get it backwards all the time.3
We think because we prayed there’s faith. No, we prayed because there’s need a lot of times. We’re not praying because there’s faith. We’re praying because there’s need. …A lot of times we pray because we’re a problem driven people and we don’t realize it. The only reason we should pray is because we have an answer. We have a promise. We’re not praying because it’s a shot in the dark and maybe there’s a God up there in the clouds that’s going to hear. We should be inspired to pray because we have His word - because we know who God is - because we know His heart through sending His Son. His love has been revealed and established in us. We’re not driven by the crisis, it’s because Christ has come. So there’s an answer that’s already been given.4
If you don’t go out believing it’s the will of God, you’ll pass by lots of opportunities and when you do pray it forces you to just a “hope so” thing and you won’t release the authority of the kingdom or the power of the name of Jesus, most likely. And yet God sometimes sovereignly, mercifully moves when you do this. Did you ever realize that probably ninety some percent of the time Christians they pray like this [fingers crossed] because they are driven by the problem? They’re praying because of what’s wrong to a God that’s here hoping He moves, when He has already moved through a Son. And we’re to speak to the mountain, “Move!” And we’re to pray from the position of promise and covenant. He says, “Fear not.” And we usually pray motivated by, driven by need and fear instead of faith that works through love… He said, “If you have faith, you’ll say to the mountain.” You won’t cry out to God. You’ll say to the mountain because you’ll understand who you are in faith. And you address the mountain and the mountain moves.5
If you get driven by need, you’re always a step behind. We get motivated and compelled by love. Need will drive you in fear and desperation. Love is where faith is found. And love casts out fear.6
Faith works through love. It doesn’t work because you have a need. We’re driven by need and we read our Bibles to find a scripture that addresses our need and we call that faith. That’s just reducing relationship to doctrine or a principle by which you’re trying to get desperate help and now you’re frustrated because where’s the help because I quoted it. Come on. This book was never written to be reduced to a book of principles that you quote to get answers. It’s not a magic book. You don’t rub it for a genie in a bottle. It’s an introduction into co-union and communion with the living God. This is a book that allows you to partake of His divine nature and become one with Him. It’s all about knowing Him not applying Him. I’m just being real. Because, see, once I know Him, even in the quandary of not receiving something that I know is scripturally there for me, I still realize it’s just something I’m growing into. It’s not a reflection on God, His person, His character and it doesn’t have to be a reflection on mine like we think. We’re just growing.7
Notes:
1. Prayer of faith - NOT - abracadabra - Bible knowledge - love of God - redemption - (1:03)
2. Prayer of faith - NOT - "if it be Your will" prayers - (3:29)
3. Prayer of faith - NOT - problem driven prayers - vs. answer driven - (:17)
4. Prayer of faith - NOT - problem driven prayers - vs. answer driven - (1:12)
5. Prayer of faith - NOT - fear based - fingers crossed - hope so - lacks authority - (1:27)
6. Prayer of faith - NOT - problem based - fear based - love casts out fear - (:28)
7. Prayer of faith - NOT - principles to be applied - faith works through love - growing - (1:47)
8. Prayer of faith - NOT - ask amiss prayers - wrong motives - get nothing - James 4:3 - quote
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