References from a previous lesson, “Faith, the most precious gift from God” by Pastor Shari Stephens.
Many times, we find ourselves disillusioned with God because He did not seem to answer us, even thought we had faith for a thing. We become confused, grieved and often angry because we don’t understand what happened. Hopefully we can shed some light on this subject.
The Greek word “pistis”, translates to our word “faith.” The definition of the word in the Greek is basically “Divine Persuasion” or God impressing upon us His desires and His Thoughts. The definition went on to mean “warrantee guaranteeing the thing impressed”. This is the original meaning the word the writers of the New Testament used.
How wonderful to think that God will impress His will upon us. This means we can trust in the fact that He will do the thing He is “Impressing”. Isaiah 46:11 says,
“What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.”
Let me try to say that a little clearer. I John 5:14-15 says,
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
Many times, we mistakenly look at God through Santa Claus colored glasses, wrongfully assuming that He is there to fulfill all our desires and wishes. We misinterpret scriptures like, Psalms 37:4
“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Or Matthew 7:7,
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
To get clearer understanding, we must take the whole of scripture in hand for revelation.
James 4:2-4 says,
“…You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”.
Simply asking God is not a prerequisite for receiving what you ask for. There is obviously more involved that that. All of us have experienced praying for things not received. There must be something missing. We must figure out the missing component so that we are not left disillusioned with God. I believe scripture clear in I John that the missing component is “asking according to His Will”.
Its rather simple when you think about it.
- If you abide in him, he will abide in you
- If you Abide in Him, you will know his thoughts
- If you know His thoughts, you will be able to pray concerning the mind of God
- If you pray His will, He will answer your prayers because He want to do these things anyway
Now let’s add scriptural support to this
1) If you abide in him, he will abide in you – John 15:5-8 says,
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
It says if you remain in me and my words remain in you “ask” …. Do you think that someone remaining in the Lord will ask for things not in accordance with his will? I know many of you are saying “but I am in Christ, I do love him, and I do have his word in me, but I still have had prayers not answered.” So let’s add the next, most important matter to this. Remember we are building our case. Layer upon layer.
2) You will know his thoughts – I Corinthians 2:9-12 says,
“However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’— the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.”
Also consider what verse 16 clearly states, “we have the mind of Christ”.
God desires that we know His thoughts and He has given us His spirit that we may know His mind. The spirit allows us to know what He desires, what He is trying to do, what His intentions are for our situation. These is the things that we should be praying over. The word of God tells us in Isaiah 55: 8-9,
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
What a travesty for us to be praying “our thoughts” on a matter and not His. That means we are praying contrary to the will of God. And think, we get made when at God when it doesn’t occur.
3) You will be able to pray concerning the mind of God – I John 5:14-15
Again, let’s read what I John 5:14-15 says now that we know that we can know the mind of Christ on things,
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”
4) He will answer your prayers because He want to do these things anyway – Isaiah 14:27 says,
“For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”
Let’s find ourselves on the side of God’s will in prayer. This will insure that our prayers are answered, that we are a vital part of His purpose in the earth and that we are fulfilled in seeing our prayers come to pass.