THE PRAYER OF FAITH
John 14:13-14
Morning Meditation 1/6/2013
"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."
How do we exercise the prayer of faith? First of all it BEGINS with salvation. We must respond in faith to what God has said. We must do it without the benefit of signs. We are a pilgrim people in this world doing the Lord's business until He comes. God's business is not carried on by sight, feelings, or human brain power. It is by faith. Do you know what faith is? Do you know how to exercise faith? Since faith is the connecting link between God and the Christian, shouldn't we be able to explain enough about it that those we witness to will be able to understand with the help of the Holy Spirit in order to be saved?
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." Paul definitely reveals in this passage that there is such a thing as "believing in vain."
God makes it plain that salvation is by faith. Romans 10:8-13, "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Note the following in this passage:
1. Paul wants the Romans to know that faith is not difficult. It is not something that is a way off: "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach." These are Christians in Rome. Evidently the Christians were having difficulty in their walk of faith. The word of faith which Paul preached is the GOSPEL. Romans 1:16-17, "FOR I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST: FOR IT IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. FOR THEREIN IS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD REVEALED FROM FAITH TO FAITH: as it is written, THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." Paul very clearly says that faith is what is exercised for salvation and it is the principle by which the Christian walks. I have had a little problem with the statement where Paul says, "From faith to faith." He is talking in the passage about the saving gospel. I have taught that the way the righteousness of God moves throughout the world is from faith that I exercise in the truth of the gospel for salvation, and then I begin to testify believingly to the unsaved of the saving gospel, and as a result they believe the gospel, and as they believe, it is spread from my faith to their faith.
2. There is also another way to look at this. When I believe the gospel it is at a point of time and that is where the New Birth takes place. There has to be a time and place where faith in the gospel takes place. Once I have been made into a new person (2Cor. 5:17) then I must take up the new principle by which I am to walk. Paul speaks of Spirituality and carnality in 1Corinthians 3:12-15, "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."
3. Any other walk that is not of faith is not walking in the Spirit, and is being done in the flesh and by human rationalism. This is the wood hay and stubble (1Cor. 3:12), and no Christian will receive a reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ that has not walked by faith. To do our work in the Name of Jesus, reckoning upon the power of the blood, and the prayer of faith, have not lost their power.
4. Also in this verse Paul says, "as it is written, the just shall live by faith." The word "just" here is the same as saying, "the saved shall live by faith." So believing at a point of time will save. But it is also a must to live by that same faith to live a power filled life.
When you say live by faith, what does "live" mean? Does it mean spasmodic faith, or, does it mean that one does not live a second out of every 24 hour day without doing it by faith. Is there another way for a Christian to live? Yes, it is called walking after the flesh. This is found in Romans 8:4, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." The words "who walk not after the flesh" mean that if you walk after the flesh there is no way that the righteousness of the law will be fulfilled in us.
Those who walk after the flesh are further identified in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" The first thing you will notice is that Paul is talking about the same thing here as in our text. The Corinthians were walking after the flesh. The second thing Paul said is that they were not Spiritual. The third thing is that they could not take in "the meat" of the word. Anything that was the heavy teaching of the word of God they could not stand. Fourth, Paul called them carnal. Then fifth, Paul identifies what carnality is: "Whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions." When any one of these things is in a local church the people are carnal. The sixth thing Paul says about carnality is that a carnal person, "walks as men." This means that there is no real difference between the walk of a carnal Christian and a lost man. This is worldliness at its worst.
PRAYER IS LESS THAN NOTHING UNLESS IT IS PRAYED BY FAITH
A lot of people think they are praying the prayer of faith if they go to God with words and present a perceived need. I'm convinced unless one lives in the Spirit and walks after the Spirit, he does not have a clue what he needs. I am not saying one is not sincere. James 4:1-5, "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?"
Why couldn't those Christians to whom James wrote get their prayers answered?
1. They were fighting among themselves. Do you know any Baptist churches that do this? I talk about Baptist because that is what I am. If you are of another brand you can apply this, if there is a need. Just recently we had a Baptist church split in our city. You see we don't have enough love to sit down and work our problems out. Love binds us together and covers a multitude of sins. People who fight in the church are as dead as a box of rocks.
2. The fighting's are caused by lust. That means that someone, or some people in the church, have made up their minds to do something a certain way and if there are those who oppose it on the grounds of Scripture, they have absolutely no respect for the Scripture in the matter. I have heard people who were walking after the flesh, stand up in a service where an issue was being discussed, and say, "I don't care what the Bible says we are going to do it our way.
3. The basic problem was they had stopped praying. James said, "Ye have not because ye ask not."
4. The next problem was that some were praying but couldn't get their prayers answered. James said, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." John Gill says of this verse: "because ye ask amiss; not in the faith of a divine promise; nor with thankfulness for past mercies; nor with submission to the will of God; nor with a right end, to do good to others, and to make use of what might be bestowed, for the honour of God, and the interest of Christ: but that ye may consume it upon your lusts; indulge to intemperance and luxury; as the man that had much goods laid up for many years did, to the neglect of his own soul, (Lu 12:19) or the rich man, who spent all upon his back and his belly, and took no notice of Lazarus at his gate; Luke 16:19."
5. It is clear that the Christians to whom James wrote were walking after the flesh and were sinning with no thoughts of changing. I am convinced that people who live like this, will not get their prayers answered.
THE PRAYER OF FAITH MUST ORIGINATE IN THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit abides in the heart of every believer. He is there to teach and guide us into all truth. John 16:13-14, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you."
If we pray the prayer of faith, it must be prayed in truth and the Spirit of truth indwelling us is the one who conveys that truth to us. Have you learned to allow the Holy Spirit to incarnate the word of Christ in your heart? This will take some soul searching. It will take an unqualified surrender. A fellowship will have to be developed between you and the Holy Spirit so that you know when He speaks. And you cannot grieve Him and have that close fellowship out of which comes the prayer of faith.
One must spend time in soul searching by the means of prayer. Then as the Holy Spirit reminds you of things needing to be repented of, you confess and make those things right. When we stand before God, cleansed by the blood of Christ, in harmony with the blessed Holy Spirit, He will reveal His will to us, and that revealed will make us know that what ever the need is we can have it by the asking.
May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
