 The way to get real-life results in prayer is to seek God with an attitude that says, “No matter how long it takes, or whatever I have to do, I will not be denied”. This is not arrogance, it’s Godly hunger. It is not about pushing God, but about pushing yourself into God. This is not praying for the sake of praying. This is praying to see the hand of God move. This is desperate hungry praying. This is the type of prayer that gets answers.
Faith takes two things, the written scriptures and the spoken personal word of God. The scriptures show us the general will of God and communicate the conditions that must be met to see His hand move. His spoken personal word reveals His will to us, and let’s us know when we have met those conditions. The goal is to hear God confirm His promise and let Him place His witness into our heart. The promise then comes alive and becomes a reality to us. This reality is ‘the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not (yet) seen’ (Hebrews 11:1). This seeking turns the general promises of God into personal realities. This is when we work the word and the word works in us. Seeking God merges the word of God and the will of God into our lives. We become one with the word. This is what Jesus was referring to when He said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, (you shall) ask whatever you will, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7) This is the process that turns Bible hopes into real life realities. However, this process takes time. There are no shortcuts. God does not respond to part-time seekers. He is only found by those who seek Him with their whole heart. The Bible says that, ‘You must be diligent so as to realize the full assurance of hope, so that you will receive the promise’ (Hebrews 6:11). Growing faith is hard work, for the Bible goes on to say, ‘Don’t be sluggish but be imitators of those who through faith and patience have inherited the promises’ (Hebrews 6:12). Pray till you receive an answer from God, for when you do, you will have the victory. You must persevere until you get to a place where you are ‘fully assured that what God has promised, He is able also to perform’ (Romans 4:21). When you hear Him you have the answer, for Paul says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the (spoken) word of God’ (Romans 10:17). The word translated ‘word’ here is the Greek word rhema and it speaks to a personal face-to-face type of communication. He is not talking about a mere reading of the word. This is deeper. This is God making the word on the page come alive in your heart. The word on the page must become the word in your heart before you can have enough faith to receive from God. Then, and only then, can you speak faith’s victory out of your mouth. That is the only kind of speaking that makes a difference. This kind of speaking will move mountains. Seek Him till you get it. Jesus told us that in prayer we should always pray and not faint. Don’t give up. Seek Him till you hear His voice. Let Him deal with your heart, for as you do, He will speak your answer.  The only thing first century Christians had to do to enjoy the prosperity and ‘Roman Peace’ (Pax Romana) of their day was fit in, but they would not.
The Roman Empire was tolerant of other religions, but only if they were willing to tolerate theirs. After the Roman army would conquer a region, they would stage a victory march where images representing deities of the Roman Empire and those of the local area would be carried side-by-side. As long as they accepted Roman beliefs, they too were accepted and could take part in the Roman prosperity. If they would not accept, the Empire would turn brutal. The Greek word translated ‘gospel’ in the New Testament was first used by the Romans themselves to describe that very Roman Peace. And from Caesar Augustus on, many of the Roman emperors were considered divine and were referred to as a ‘king of kings’ and as a ‘son of god’. Using these terms to refer not to the Roman Empire but instead to the Kingdom of God was an obvious public rebuke. It gives a glimpse into just how aggressive the Holy Spirit is toward the world’s system. And by using these terms in public speech, it showed just how radical, and subversive, the early Christians were willing to be. Their allegiance was to God and God alone. They allowed no room for the things of the world. Of course, there was a cost for this, and they paid dearly for it. But even with this high cost, the Church of that day grew in less than 100 years to include over ten percent of the empire. “…Know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.” James 4:4 The craving of the world is for tolerance. How dare someone judge someone else’s actions in a world where all is accepted? Sin demands acceptance and flies into a rage when it does not get it. Radical Christianity is enmity with the world. History tells us that when the Church is clean, it is radical. When it is overly tolerance, it is corrupt. The Church is not to be radical simply for the sake of being radical. The radicalism arises out of the natural conflict that occurs when the world is confronted by the behaviors and beliefs of Christ. Faith is following what you know in your heart from God. We are not to seek out conflict, but we will find it. The Christian walk is the path of undesired conflict. It is a walk of kindness and acceptance, yet without compromise. “When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, that battle is your calling, and peace has become sin. You must at the price of dearest peace lay your conviction bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.” Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920), theologian, statesman, journalist, and Prime Minister of the Netherlands For an excellent condensed overview of Church history, see Our History: Pentecost to Present a podcast by Pastor Brian Zahnd  The culture and terminology of the Bible is very different from that of ours today. Its expressions, taken from daily life, can be difficult for us to understand. This book, written in 1944, explains many of these phrases by describing the customs involved. There are fascinating insights into a number of areas of life in biblical lands of both yesterday and today – clothing and jewels, feasts, home life, women, peasants, fields, tombs, tents, trades, and much more.
Strange Scriptures That Perplex the Western Mind – Barbara M. Brown (Free Book)  It is okay to stand safely behind God and shout out defiant words of faith at a Goliath. That’s not weakness; it’s strength – God’s strength. DS Cairns once wrote a book called, “A Faith That Rebels.” In it, he stated that faith in God is open rebellion toward the world’s system. He is absolutely correct. Once you take God at His word, you remove yourself from the world’s system and you become a traitor to this world. Faith in God stands in open defiance to the controlling forces of fear and intimidation that this world uses so freely. Don’t worry about their trash talk; respond with faith talk.
Just make sure when you do that you are standing on the sure footing of God’s word. Take your time; do it right. Take His word and seek Him till it gets deep in your bones and soul. Wait on Him till the word comes alive in your spirit. Don’t move until you hear His personal voice, and you feel the faith of God flowing into your heart. Then when you know you have the wind of God at your back, go out in the open, stand there seemingly alone with your little five stones, and do some real damage. The real victory comes not in the field but in the closet. That is where faith, strength, and victory are fought and received. Fight the good fight alone in your prayer closet and the victory will be assured later in the public light of day. We all know that only God can do miracles. How then did Jesus accomplish His miracles in the Gospels? It is clear from scripture that when He was born of a virgin (in His Incarnation) He emptied Himself of His inherent divine outward powers, and surrendered His divine will to that of the Father (Philippians 2:5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11). He was still 100% God, but now He, as God, was also 100% man. The scriptures are clear that He, acting as a man, could do no miracles. Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” John 5:19 If only God can do miracles, Jesus would have had to momentarily transcend His humanity to accomplish them, and the above verse would not be true. If Jesus remained human during the miraculous, then there is a way for other humans to do the miraculous. Either this is true or the humanity of Jesus was somehow different from our humanity. In the Incarnation, He took on everything but our sin, and that He took on at the cross. He is both our example and our substitute, and as our example, He showed us how to walk in the supernatural. This is exactly what Jesus meant when he said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” John 14:12 God is pleased to work through non-divine individuals, and He does this through the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus actually told His disciples that it was more advantageous for the Holy Spirit to be in them than for Him to be next to them. “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. John 16:7 This empowerment started on the Day of Pentecost and continued on through the rest of the New Testament. A believer’s work in the miraculous is the work of the Holy Spirit within them. We can now say what Jesus said during His walk on earth – “We can do nothing of ourselves, it is the Holy Spirit at work within us, He does the miracles.” Our walk of faith is intended to reproduce His walk of faith. Yes, only God can do miracles, but God does them through us.  Running to a Goliath is not an academic exercise. Don’t try it at home on your own. Either you’re in crazy God-Faith or you’re not, and you better know which.
Aggressive God-Faith is not for academics, they’re too passive and indifferent. For them the things of God are an intellectual exercise – just something else to put down on paper. Paul says that the ‘merely intellectual person’ cannot know the things of the Spirit of God, for they are spiritually discerned. God is a spirit, and He put His Spirit into us so that we would have the power to overcome the world. This faith, works by love, which is passionate, fiery, and at times, a little crazy. I love Bible doctrine, but most theology is all talk and no action. Faith is relational and active. Faith takes a stand and does something. OK, so you can quote a bunch of obscure Old Testament verses, and you can throw out pithy Bible statements. But can you cast out demons? Can you heal the sick? Will you go to the dangerous hard places? Does your heart burn to turn the world right side up? Does that even make sense to you? If not, please stick to safe academic Bible issues, and do not attempt mountain moving, world-changing, salvation spreading, do or die crazy God-Faith. This kind doesn’t trust and try. It trusts and does. The God kind of faith doesn’t just try the things of God; it walks out in the open with nothing but the things of God. Those who trusted their God staked everything on Him. They were all in! Faith begins where the will of God is known. You have to know before you can go, and you have to know before you can do. If you don’t, you won’t go anywhere, or do anything. You have to know Him, and you have to know exactly what He is saying. Crazy God-Faith is built upon crazy God-Hearing. And, by the way, “There’s no crying in baseball.” Faith is not random or vague. Just as a particular seed is specific, so faith is specific. There is no such thing as ‘non-thing’ faith. God created things and faith for things. Therefore, I say unto you, whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them. Mark 11:24 Religion is theoretical and passive. Faith is not make-believe. Faith is for real people with real needs in real situations needing a real God. Faith is aggressive, measurable, and focused. God expects results and so should we. His word is not to return to Him void, but must first do that which it was sent to do (Isaiah 55:11). There is a specific expectation resident in each of God’s promises. You’re not fully in faith until you’re believing for something specific. Go ahead. Believe for something. Seek God on its behalf, till you receive His witness in your heart. Then pray for it in faith, and wait for it with patience. When you receive it, your life will change. Do it again. This gives glory to God (John 14:13-15). This is being fruitful (John 15:16). This is the walk of faith. See also – “All Things Are Possible” – Really, What Things? S t. Athanasius (c. 297 – 373) was a member of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325 A.D., and he wrote this book on the Incarnation. It is still read today and is a classic of the faith. It is a short wonderful read. Jesus was fully God and Fully Man. We grasp His Deity but His Humanity is more difficult to understand. However, it is His Humanity that speaks to us on how we are to act and believe. Did He carry out His miracles as God or Man? Your answer will go far in deciding whether you believe miracles are still viable today. He told His disciples that He could do nothing outside of the work of the Holy Spirit, and that they who believe in Him would do greater miracles than His. How can this be? He took on humanity to the point that His own family did not know nor believe that He was truly God. This is astounding. We will never fully understand His Incarnation this side of Heaven but this book will help. Wikipedia – St. Athanasius The Nicene Creed, or Symbol of Faith, was written by the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325 A.D., with additions by the first Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.): We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate from the virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic (universal) and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. There are two kinds of confession mentioned in the Bible. One is to confess your past sins for God to forgive and cleanse you (1 John 1:9). The other is to confess (speak out of your mouth) the word of God as a type of meditation to build faith (Proverbs 18:21, Psalm 39:3). Speak the following out of your mouth and receive grace and strength to walk clean of heart before Him. Actively expect His grace to work in your life. You will appreciate that you did when you stand before Him at the end of time. Your heart is the only place on earth where faith can grow. “I am dead to sin but alive to God through Jesus Christ my Lord.” Romans 6:11 “Sin shall not have dominion over me, for I am not under the law but under grace.” Romans 6:14 “I have been made free from sin, and have become a servant of God. I have fruit leading me to holiness, and in the end, everlasting life.” Romans 6:22 “There is therefore no condemnation applied to me because I am in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2 “I keep my body under control and I bring it into subjection.” 1 Corinthians 9:27 “I am crucified in Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the body, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. I will not frustrate or make void the grace of God.” Galatians 2:20-21 ‘Because I walk in the Spirit, I will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16 “God has raised me together with Him and made me sit together with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6 “I am confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in me will continue it until the return of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 Keep your heart clean by controlling the words of your mouth. Jesus said that it is not what goes in a man that defiles him, but rather it is what comes out of him, that is, the words of his mouth (Matthew 15:18). Make your mouth agree with what the Bible says, not with what the world makes you feel. | |
