1) Recognize your own
helplessness and need. Hallesby
testifies, "Helplessness united with faith produces prayer."
Helplessness is the first step in the ladder of faith. Faith requires you to take the initiative, and strange as it my seem, a sense of helplessness, impotence, and total dependence upon God enables you to take faith's initiative.
"The sense of our impotence is the soul of intercession."
Hallesby, Prayer, 34; Murry,Ministry of Intercession, p. 42.
2) Feed your soul on the Word of God. "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:17).
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" (Col. 3:16). The more you read or hear God's Word—the whole Word—the more your faith grows.
There are special accounts of God's mighty works in Scripture and wonderful promises that are special faith vitamins. But all of God's Word is faith building. Read it both extensively and intensively. Read, read, read. Fill your soul with the Word!
3) Spend adequate time in prayer. All forms of prayer help strengthen faith. Intercession for others, prayer warfare, and time communing with God and praising God in prayer are great helps in increasing faith.
4) Read accounts of how God has answered prayer. The biographies of people who were great examples of faith are a strong stimulus to faith. The accounts of great revivals, conversion stories, and accounts of answered prayer for healing, protection, guidance, and the supply of financial and special needs all greatly strengthen faith.
5) Obey God in everything. You cannot trust God fully if there is light God has given you that you have not yet obeyed. Any controversy between your soul and God, any hidden sin, will block faith and effective prayer.
God invited Israel to test and prove him by obeying in tithing and then to see how He would answer and meet their material needs (Mal. 3:10-12). Be sure you are instantly obedient to all the light God gives you.
6) Begin to trust God for specific answers. The more you exercise your faith, the more it will grow. Some have compared faith to a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes. Begin trusting God for smaller specific needs.
When an emergency comes, go to God first. Keep a diary of the answers to prayer you receive, and review it from time to time.
7) Begin praising God. God deserves our praise and always draws near as we praise Him. Build praise into your life whenever you have free moments. Love him and praise Him. Sing silently in your heart praise choruses or praise verses of great hymns. Repeat praise verses from the Bible.
Make praise militant in the face of the Devil. I have seen militant praise cast out a demon that had resisted group prayer and fasting. Praise won a mighty faith victory for Jehoshaphat. He exhorted, "Have faith in the LORD your God," and then started militant praise.
"As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes," and the combined forces of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir were totally defeated without Israel's have to fight (2 Chron. 20:20-23).
(Google image and my emphasis added)
Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana
#59 7 Steps to Greater Faith
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 99, 100)) Zondervan
Elaine W. Miller shared LifeChurch Livonia's video.
This is one of the most powerful comments on our current political climate we have seen yet. Thank you Andy Stanley and Northpoint Church!
Today's Bible verses-
Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is real and that He rewards those who truly want to find Him.”
Matthew 17:20: “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Today's quote-
Poh Fang Chia- "In Philippians 4:8, the apostle Paul tells us in essence,
'Feed your eyes and minds on things that are true,
noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous
and praiseworthy.'
'This is a 'diet' worthy of what Christ has done and is doing in us." (ODB 9/19/16)
Let's pray-
Upcoming posts-
#60 The Prayer of Faith (Part 1)
6th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
The Art of Meditating
8th- Saturday's post by James H. Cagle
#61 The Prayer of Faith
11th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#62 The Use and Command of Faith
13th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
Samples of Jean's crafts
31-day Devotional + my personal story.
A sample verse from p. 31-
"He rose again that we might live
And have New Life inside.
To us we now have found He'll give
His Spirit to abide."
And have New Life inside.
To us we now have found He'll give
His Spirit to abide."
(Published by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. Used by permission).
A great gift for someone who may need help
to prepare for marriage, and for those in a
to prepare for marriage, and for those in a
marriage, wanting some helpful advice.
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