Thursday, October 6, 2016

#60 The Prayer of Faith (Part 1)




Dr. Wesley L. Duewel: The prayer of faith is defined by Fraser as "a definite request...made in definite faith for a Definite answer." (Sanders, Prayer Power Unlimited, p. 64.)


Remember, God had promised Canaan to Israel. God led them by miracle to the borders of Canaan, and God parted the Jordan to help them enter the land.

By miracle, God gave them Jericho, but from then on they had to fight for every additional section of Canaan they occupied. Sometimes praying the prayer of faith is like securing God's general promise.

Then you have to dislodge Satan from his strongholds one by one. The life of faith may often be a life of battles, but it is also a life of victories.

Fraser wrote,

   "We often have to strive and wrestle in prayer....before we attain this great rest, restful faith....However, once we attain to a real faith, all the forces of hell are impotent to annul it. What then? They retire and muster their forces on this plot of ground which God has pledged himself to give us, and contest every inch of it. The real battle begins when the prayer of faith has been offered. But praise the Lord! we are on the winning side." (p. 65 of his book above).

The prayer of faith is a prayer that reaches through, consciously touches
God's throne, and then rests unshakably in the assurance that the answer will come in God's time. Perhaps it can be called a special mighty form of believing prayer.

1) It is prayer totally dependent upon the Holy Spirit. You are sure of being guided in the subject of prayer, conscious of being energized in prayer (praying in the Spirit), and conscious of being quickened in faith during prayer. 

It does not arise from self-interest or self-will. Of course you are interested in the answer, but the Spirit confirms to you that the request is an essential prayer target.

2) It is a prayer totally committed to seeing God's answer realized. You must devote your whole person, your all to God, in a definite, intelligent vow, never to be broken. You must pray with an impassioned desire that commits itself.

Euche, the Greek word used in James 5:15, is a less used word for prayer and can be translated either "prayer" or "vow." Intense prayer in its highest form as a "prayer of faith" commits you to determination like a vow.

3) It is a prayer willing to believe and prevail for God's answer in a situation that is utterly impossible. Regardless of the difficulty of the situation, you require no external confirmation but believe God in spite of appearance. Your eyes are on God, not on the situation (Rom. 4:19-20).
                  (Google image and my emphasis added)

Used by permission of the author and Duewel Literature Trust, Inc., Greenwood, Indiana

#60 The Prayer of Faith (Part 1)
by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
(pp. 100, 101)) Zondervan





Let's pray- Father, we come to You, to learn more about how our faith is an integral part in our effective praying .

   We ask for Your Holy Spirit to guide us as we attempt to touch the Father for specific needs, knowing You do hear us, and You are concerned and will help us pray.

    As it will take time for some answers to be materialized, we ask for help in staying committed to receive answers that are what You want to have happen, how and when.

   When our desire seems utterly impossible, but we feel urged to believe and prevail for Your answer in the situation, may we be encouraged in some way, as we believe that You've impressed us in this matter.

   We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 

Today's Bible verses-

(Ps. 23:6 KJV) "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

(Ps. 71:5 KJV) "For thou art my hope, O LORD God: thou art my trust from my youth."

(Ps. 25:4-5 NIV) "Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."

Today's quote-

Dr. Charles F. Stanley:"Praise is part of a cycle: Learn more of God's character, love him more deeply, worship and serve Him better, and receive spiritual fulfillment. Amazingly, even as we are satisfied, we crave more of His presence in our life. And so we dig into His word for more and begin the cycle again." )Taken from IN TOUCH Daily readings for devoted living  March 2016, p.16)

Our thoughts today-

   Because God is holy, He expects us to be holy. This will help us to understand that we need His help. 

   We tend to forget who we are as born-again children of God, and we tend to focus on the present struggle, as though we can make changes all by ourselves in our actions, thoughts and attitudes. 

   Col. 3:1-5 encourages us to set our minds on things above, not on things of the earth. We can have our hearts and minds healed, as well as our bodies. The Holy Spirit dwells within the true Believers, and is always urging us to submit to God and His plan for us.

   Please keep in mind that if our lifestyle isn't pleasing to God, He cannot bless us. Obedience to His commands, given to us in His Word, the Bible, is all important to prepare us for eternity. Prayerfully seek to know Him, and He'll reveal Himself to you through His Word, through other committed believers, or over the airways.

The following are links to my posts you may be interested in checking out.

Part 1- How CAN We Hear from God? (7 of 21 ways)
Part 2- How CAN We Hear from God? (8 - 14 of 21 ways)
Part 3- How CAN We Hear from God? (15-21 ways)

   We're on our way to the promised land (Heaven), and our greatest need is to have reverence (fear) of Almighty God. (Ps. 25:14 KJV). He asks us to live in His Light, which Jesus lived and told about, and which is found in the Bible. (Ps. 27:1; John 12:35, 36, 46 KJV)


Upcoming posts-

The Art of Meditating 
8th- Saturday's post by James H. Cagle

#61 The Power of Faith (Part 2)
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

Your Friends are Important
15th- Saturday's post by Jean Oathout


WOW!

31-day Devotional my personal story-

Two sample verses from p. 34-


"As God will look into your heart
To know what's hidden there,
You'll find He can take it apart
And open it up bare.

To have His love to come in you
You'll need to clear the way.
Your bitterness and anger too
Are things that cannot stay."

(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 
marriage, wanting some helpful advice.




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