The Prayer of Faith Part 3

1. Hear the Word of God
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17). As we hear the promise of God and meditate upon it, plant it in our hearts, faith starts to come regarding the reception of the promise. This is the very faith that will be released when we pray the actual 'prayer of faith'. The answer is conceived in the believing heart before the prayer even passes the lips.

2. Receiving the promise
As faith develops we must receive the promise we are meditating upon, and personalise it. Jesus for example did not just die for the healing of the world in a general way, He died and received the stripes on His back so I could be healed; "I am healed by His stripes". Apply this principle to whatever area you intend to pray for. Find the promise of God in the Word, and make it your own.

3. Believe it is true for you
This is the most vital step. We have developed faith in our heart through the Word, and received it as a promise for ourselves. We now must believe that it is so. We are no longer 'hoping' that it will one day belong to us, it actually belongs to us right now. Hebrews 11:1 says:

"NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]."
(Heb 11:1 AMP)

Someone with the title deed actually owns the property they have the deed for, even if they have not yet seen the property. It is theirs, because the deed declares it so. They no longer hope for it, it belongs to them. It may even be some time before they actually set foot in the place, but nevertheless, even during that waiting period, the house or property is theirs all along. God's promise is the title deed to the manifestation of the promise. When we believe and receive it as such, we pass from merely hoping to possessing the promise in the present.
Jesus said 'believe you receive when you pray', not 'when you finally see and set foot in the property'. When we pray we receive.

Just because we cannot necessarily see or feel the answer right now is beside the point. It is only in the natural that we don't have it at present. In the spirit it is ours right now. To bring that reality in the spirit into the natural realm, God has given us the prayer of faith. Faith reaches into the unseen realities of the spiritual world, and pulls them into the natural realm.

The Prayer of Faith Part 2

Jesus taught His disciples:

"For assuredly, I say to you, 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. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11:23-24 NKJV)
"And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.""
(Matt 21:22 NKJV)

This kind of prayer has several steps.
They are as follows:

1. You must hear the Word of God
2. You must receive the promise
3. You must believe its true - for you
4. Ask God for what you want (based upon the promise believed & received)
5. Stand in faith until the answer manifests

Next time we will look at each of these prayer keys in detail...

The Prayer of Faith- Part 1

Faith is required for all forms of prayer, so in some ways to classify a particular prayer as 'the prayer of faith' is a little contrived.
Lynne Hammond rightly points out in 'the Master is Calling':

"Some people have tried to separate the prayer of faith and put it in a category all by itself. They've said, "This particular kind of prayer is the only one in which you release faith." But they're mistaken. Every kind of prayer requires faith. It doesn't matter whether you're praying the prayer of faith, the prayer of agreement, worship, intercession, supplication, or any other kind of prayer, if you're not releasing faith you're not going anywhere."

In many ways the prayer of faith is simply a confident request made of the Lord, based upon His promises, which is requested and received by the believer by faith. We include it here because the Scripture has much to say about this simple yet profound form of supplication.
Mary Alice in Effective Fervent Prayer says of the prayer of faith:

"The Prayer of Faith is based on asking and receiving according to the promises of God in His Word. It has its foundation in everything Jesus has already done for us through the cross and the resurrection."

The promises of the Bible belong to us through Christ, and can be received in our lives by praying this prayer.
Next time we will look at just how to pray this powerful form of prayer.

Prayer that God Wants to answer

The following are some of the supplications the Father's heart longs to respond to:

For Ourselves

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;" (Phil 4:6)

For God's People

"praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--" (Eph 6:18 NKJV)

For All men and those in authority

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence." (1Tim 2:1-2 NKJV)

For Labourers for the harvest of souls

"Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."" (Matt 9:37-38 NASB)

For The outpouring of God's Spirit and revival

"Ask rain from the LORD at the time of the spring rain -- The LORD who makes the storm clouds; And He will give them showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each man." (Zech 10:1 NASB)

For National restoration and revival

"In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplication, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies." (Dan 9:2-3,17-18 KJV)

For The Spiritual needs and progress of others
NB: The words 'prayers' and 'pray' in the following verses literally means 'earnest requests' or supplication.

"Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;" (Eph 1:16 KJV)
"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;" (Phil 1:9 KJV)
"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;" (Col 1:9 KJV)
"Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." (Col 4:12 KJV)


Be assured, if you pray for any of these things, God is eager to meet your supplication!