To pray without faith is a fruitless exercise and to claim to have faith without praying is a lie. The two go hand in hand like your heart needs blood to flow through it and your blood needs your heart to pump it using my limited knowledge of biology.
Where there is true prayer, there will be true faith! We look into Mark 11 and see what Jesus has to say on the topic of faith and prayers.
“So, Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 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. “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”” (Mark 11:22-26)
Jesus said:
“Have faith in God” – The real translation is “Have the God kind of faith”. Jesus is instructing us to have the God faith. The same faith God operates in. He has given us His measure of faith, so you have the Godkind of faith therefore use it.
“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.” – In explaining the God faith, Jesus wants you to say something! In your prayers, in your confessions, in your declarations, in your conversations etc.
- You must speak words of faith and not doubt! Pray faith and not complaint or doubt.
- You must speak words that align with the word of God and not words of the devil and human beings!
- You must speak words that brings life and not words of death!
There is a guarantee that you will have whatever you say believing – good or bad. IF YOU SAY WHAT YOU BELIEVE, YOU WILL HAVE WHATEVER YOU SAY!
“Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
This is not a debate; this is not a maybe situation; this is not a situation of [if God is in a good mood kind of thing] – it is definite.
Whatever things you ask… (1) when you PRAY – so you must PRAY (i.e., say something); (2) believe that you receive them, that is FAITH – so, you must have FAITH! (3) you will have them (you will have whatever things you ask)!
Jesus then added one more condition which has nothing to do with God’s willingness to answer your prayers nor has it got anything to do with God’s ability to answer your prayers. It is on you: It is the issue of “forgiveness”.
Jesus said:
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
Many of us are oblivious to why we are not seeing as many breakthroughs in our lives, it has a lot to do with forgiveness. If you have anything (ANYTHING!!!) against anyone (ANYONE!!!), forgive!
- I have seen many who are sick, poor, and in problems because they refuse to forgive.
- I have seen many who buy (get engrossed on) other people’s offense and hinder their own journeys in life.
- I have seen those who have no genuine personal reasons to be offended at others, especially spiritual leaders, but they are and thereby, have no fruits in their life.
Beloved, if you have anything against anyone, please forgive and bless them otherwise, Father in Heaven will not forgive you for not forgiving others…and your prayers will be hindered.
Beloved, your faith must be in the expectation that your prayers are always answered.
