PRAY THE PRAYER OF FAITH

Daily Devotional: Day 5

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1, NIV).

God doesn’t honor prayer (Don’t be shocked! Read on); he honors faith. Prayer by itself doesn’t change your life. To benefit from prayer, your prayer must be a prayer of faith. This means, if you petition God for anything, believe without doubt in your heart that God has heard you and answered your prayer. Remember, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). The parable Jesus told in Luke 18:1-8 was about the need to pray the prayer of faith. Some erroneously interpret this Scripture to mean that Jesus wants us to pray and pray and pray. They think that Jesus is telling us to pray more. Praying “more” doesn’t hurt. But that is not what Jesus is teaching here. The point Jesus wants to drive home is that, due to a lack of faith, many people give up on their own prayer. When they don’t see immediate results, their faith wavers; then they quit believing that what they asked for will come to pass. It’s this attitude of unbelief that Jesus wants to correct. Jesus is saying that when you pray for something, don’t lose heart if you don’t see instant change.

Don’t quit believing, because your faith is the currency of your prayer. Without faith, prayer is meaningless. God is moved, not by your prayer per se, but by your attitude of faith in his promises. Remember that anyone can pray, but not everyone prays the prayer of faith. At the end of the parable, notice what Jesus says, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). If you think that praying more is the key to being heard, you need to change your thinking. The truth is, the effectiveness of your prayer has nothing to do with the duration or frequency of your prayer. The key is faith. As you exercise faith, you’ll realize that you don’t need a lot of words or a lot of time to get prayer results.

Confession:

God is for me; he’s not against me. By his grace, I’m a new creation through faith in Jesus. I know that the righteous shall live by faith. Through the blood of Jesus, I am righteous. Therefore, I walk by faith, not by prevailing circumstances. I pray the prayer of faith, for I know that my God is faithful, and he shall perform what he promises. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

 For further study: James 1: 5-8; 5:14-18

Have a faith-filled day!

Pastor Steve

Charis Temple (non-denominational church)

Email: charristemple@gmail.com