Prayer Results
What is it that you are praying for today? How long have you been praying for this answer?
When we pray, the answer is already there. God already saw the prayer answered before you were ever born. He considers it a done deal, a finished work. So, what is the problem when our prayers don’t seem to get results? We have many reasons, most, if not all, which are plain religious excuses. We hear such reasons as: Well, in God’s perfect timing. It is not the time yet. Or how about this one? God is a sovereign God and He knows best. Or, He’s doing a work in me because He may not think I am ready to handle what I am praying for? Or, God is testing me to see if I will have patience. Or, I am just hoping and praying that I am praying right. Or, maybe if that prayer were answered, I would be in pride and not humble. Or, He sees that I would not do all the work He has called me to do if I had that which I am praying for.
These answers all sound good at the time. But they are all just plain excuses for us to justify the reason nothing is happening. But if you as a faith person look at each of these few excuses I have listed, you will see that there is no faith involved in any of these answers. And without faith, there will be no results.
I saw this morning that true faith is knowing what God knows and seeing what God sees and seeing the way God sees. You and I must understand that God sees everything finished, a done deal, a finished work, a finished product, not a future event that happens. His Word is Good News. News is a report of that which has already happened. You have already been healed. Your loved ones have already been saved. Your children are already disciples taught of the Lord and walking in His perfect will. Your marriage is already taken care of. Your finances are already in order.
So how do we get from “I hope so” to “I know so.” What is the difference between the two places of prayer? Earthly hope isn’t sure that it will happen but the person is praying, hoping that God in His mercy will look down on them in pity and answer their prayer, because they are praying so earnestly. Now there is a Bible hope that earnestly and intensely expects that prayer to be answered. The difference between Bible hope and faith is that faith sees and knows that that prayer has already been answered. It is a done deal. It is finished. So, how do we get from Bible hope to Bible faith? We have the answer very clearly spelled out in God’s Word. Rom. 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. But we can’t stop there. Faith comes but we must do something with our faith when it comes. Faith works by love. And God’s love is nothing like the human concept man has tried to attach to it. God’s love is His very self, His very nature, His very insides. We must study God’s love until we get what it means. There is such a vast area of understanding His love. Find every scripture on love and begin to meditate on it until God reveals Himself to you in His fullness. Then you won’t ever worry about a prayer not being answered because you will know Him so well that you will trust Him so completely that you will pray and see results.
Another thing about prayer that we must understand is that prayer that brings results is prayer that is led by the Holy Spirit of God. We don’t just see a need and start praying fervently. What is God saying that we are to do? Are we to meditate on the scripture for a while before we just go helter skelter into our prayer closet and blanket the atmosphere with what I “scatter-shot,” “fear-filled,” desperate praying. This where I see people miss it so much. They have not been taught to wait upon the Lord and get His direction for the prayer. I am going to say something that will shock a lot of you. Need does not dictate prayer. The Spirit of God leads you into the prayer with the right scripture and the right way to pray.
Prayer that is not scripture-based will produce little if any results. If I were to ask you today, what scriptures are you standing on for this prayer to come about, could you tell me?
As with everything with God, prayer is to be led of His Spirit, based on His Word, and prayed in faith.
When we pray, the answer is already there. God already saw the prayer answered before you were ever born. He considers it a done deal, a finished work. So, what is the problem when our prayers don’t seem to get results? We have many reasons, most, if not all, which are plain religious excuses. We hear such reasons as: Well, in God’s perfect timing. It is not the time yet. Or how about this one? God is a sovereign God and He knows best. Or, He’s doing a work in me because He may not think I am ready to handle what I am praying for? Or, God is testing me to see if I will have patience. Or, I am just hoping and praying that I am praying right. Or, maybe if that prayer were answered, I would be in pride and not humble. Or, He sees that I would not do all the work He has called me to do if I had that which I am praying for.
These answers all sound good at the time. But they are all just plain excuses for us to justify the reason nothing is happening. But if you as a faith person look at each of these few excuses I have listed, you will see that there is no faith involved in any of these answers. And without faith, there will be no results.
I saw this morning that true faith is knowing what God knows and seeing what God sees and seeing the way God sees. You and I must understand that God sees everything finished, a done deal, a finished work, a finished product, not a future event that happens. His Word is Good News. News is a report of that which has already happened. You have already been healed. Your loved ones have already been saved. Your children are already disciples taught of the Lord and walking in His perfect will. Your marriage is already taken care of. Your finances are already in order.
So how do we get from “I hope so” to “I know so.” What is the difference between the two places of prayer? Earthly hope isn’t sure that it will happen but the person is praying, hoping that God in His mercy will look down on them in pity and answer their prayer, because they are praying so earnestly. Now there is a Bible hope that earnestly and intensely expects that prayer to be answered. The difference between Bible hope and faith is that faith sees and knows that that prayer has already been answered. It is a done deal. It is finished. So, how do we get from Bible hope to Bible faith? We have the answer very clearly spelled out in God’s Word. Rom. 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. But we can’t stop there. Faith comes but we must do something with our faith when it comes. Faith works by love. And God’s love is nothing like the human concept man has tried to attach to it. God’s love is His very self, His very nature, His very insides. We must study God’s love until we get what it means. There is such a vast area of understanding His love. Find every scripture on love and begin to meditate on it until God reveals Himself to you in His fullness. Then you won’t ever worry about a prayer not being answered because you will know Him so well that you will trust Him so completely that you will pray and see results.
Another thing about prayer that we must understand is that prayer that brings results is prayer that is led by the Holy Spirit of God. We don’t just see a need and start praying fervently. What is God saying that we are to do? Are we to meditate on the scripture for a while before we just go helter skelter into our prayer closet and blanket the atmosphere with what I “scatter-shot,” “fear-filled,” desperate praying. This where I see people miss it so much. They have not been taught to wait upon the Lord and get His direction for the prayer. I am going to say something that will shock a lot of you. Need does not dictate prayer. The Spirit of God leads you into the prayer with the right scripture and the right way to pray.
Prayer that is not scripture-based will produce little if any results. If I were to ask you today, what scriptures are you standing on for this prayer to come about, could you tell me?
As with everything with God, prayer is to be led of His Spirit, based on His Word, and prayed in faith.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 7:00 AM
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