I would like to continue on the topic of prayer this week. Last week I was challenging you concerning motive and attitude toward God in prayer. This week I want to encourage you concerning the prayer of faith. The foundational scripture for this prayer method is found in:

Mark 11:22-26 TPT
Jesus replied, “Let the faith of God be in you! Listen to the truth I speak to you: If someone says to this mountain with great faith and having no doubt, ‘Mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the midst of the sea,’ and believes that what he says will happen, it will be done. This is the reason I urge you to boldly believe for whatever you ask for in prayer—believe that you have received it and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, if you find that you carry something in your heart against another person, release him and forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also release you and forgive you of your faults. But if you will not release forgiveness, don’t expect your Father in heaven to release you from your misdeeds.”

Now let’s marry this verse with the definition of faith:

Hebrews 11:1-3 TPT
Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. This testimony of faith is what previous generations were commended for. Faith empowers us to see that the universe was created and beautifully coordinated by the power of God’s words! He spoke and the invisible realm gave birth to all that is seen.

There is a power of the spoken word if it is spoken in faith. It is literally a creative force. One of the most difficult things to do in the Kingdom is to pray the prayer of faith. Doubt has a strong root system inside us based on sense knowledge. Our senses are telling us something isn’t, and faith is saying it is. Faith is future now!

Let’s look at Hebrews 11:1 in the Amplified.

Hebrews 11:1
11:1 NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. AMP

Notice the beginning words “NOW FAITH is”. I have spent a lifetime wrestling with sense knowledge as I am sure you have too. As I have studied and researched quantum physics over the last several years, I have found it interesting that science has confirmed that all solid objects are held in place and have mass by molecular atoms. Have you ever seen an atom? Me neither. But further, they have discovered particles smaller called Quarks and two years ago through the Hadron Collider in Luxemburg, discovered the Higgs- Bosen particle which was called the “God Particle” – as the center of all matter. So what does that have to do with prayer?

God’s word creates, or causes matter to form to create what He says. The nuclear world has discovered that these particles change behavior and react when they are spoken to. They have even proven that quarks change patterns from dot matrix to wave when they are being observed! So matter even knows and reacts when we look at it through a molecular microscope.

Now it begins to make sense why we should call those things that are not as though they are!

Romans 4:16-18
16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all
17(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed — God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” NKJV

God called Abraham the “father of our faith” he had a barren wife and approximately 30 years later a miracle conception happened and a miracle son was born. This son became the allegory for our salvation! We all want our needed miracles now, but I have found most are a long process, not an instant cure. Abraham became the father of our faith and the example was a lifetime of difficulties! Over and over he had to fight the fight of faith! He had to leave every comfort zone including his home and family and trust God to lead him and walk forward, even when he did not know where he was going. He faced family feuds, famines, brutal kings who stole his wife and then a barren wife who was past the age of conception. At one time he had to go to war with 318 household servants and against 4 of the most powerful kings’ armies in the land! Abraham, according to the book of Jasher was even thrown into a fiery furnace for his faith! Makes most of my battles seem pretty trivial for sure.

The bottom line is when you really stand on a promise of God, (that you are qualified for) and you speak and confess that promise without doubt and refuse to waver, you will receive the fulfillment of it! I have often said that I really can stand in faith for something once I know it is of God, that’s the tricky part for me. Once I know I have the mind and will of God on a matter, I consider it done. So I tend to mostly wrestle with knowing God’s will. I have been learning for a lifetime and will continue to grow in faith not shrink back! I hope you do the same!

• Date - October 2, 2019
• Author - David Chisholm

Ezekiel 22:30-31
30 “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one. 31 So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them in the fire of my anger. I will heap on them the full penalty for all their sins, says the Sovereign LORD.” NLT

This is a scripture that we refer to many times encouraging the intercessors to continue to pray. The Kingdom of God is a judicial system and the laws of the Kingdom are determined by the King. Prayer is our part in governing the Kingdom. Jesus delegated his authority to us for certain tasks and the tasks do not include telling Him what to do, instead it requires us to find His will (not ours) and pray for His will to be done. Why did He set it up this way? I don’t know but it is obvious when one studies the scripture that He wants us to find His will on a matter and pray it!

Jesus taught us to pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is I Heaven. When people get goofy and silly in prayer is when they start presumptuously telling God how He is to run things. I have heard prayers uttered that quite frankly were embarrassing and have prayed a few myself over the years that bore correcting. Here is where I believe some fallacy originated,

Isaiah 45:11
11 Thus says the LORD, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me. NKJV

Back years ago we learned this this and started giving God commands, how did that work out? Now let’s put it in context and look at some other translators.

Isaiah 45:9-10
9 “Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’? 10 Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’ Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?'” NKJV

Now lets look at verse 11 in some other translations:

Isaiah 45:11 Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Would you question Me about things to come concerning My children, and concerning the work of My hands [would you] command Me? AMP

Isaiah 45:11
11 This is what the LORD, the Creator and Holy One of Israel, says: “Do you question what I do? Do you give me orders about the work of my hands?
NLT

Isaiah 45:11
11 Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands?
NRSV

This is why I hate proof texting the scriptures, most of us don’t read Hebrew, Greek, Chaldean or Aramaic so we need to look twice at what we believe the scripture says and why it says it. The will of God is known concerning many things and not known about many things. I have heard well meaning believers pray and it sounds like a boss telling an employee what to do. Then when their will isn’t carried out by the Lord they accuse Him of not answering prayer!

I always like going back to a few basics I learned from Bible college about prayer. A scriptural prayer is offered:

1. To the Father
2. In the name of the Son Jesus
3. In faith believing
4. According to the will or word of God

John 16:23 Covers 1&2
23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. NKJV

Mark 11:22-24 #3
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. NKJV

1 John 5:14-15 #4
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. NKJV

The other thing I learned which fits this framework is:

Pray about what you pray about before you pray it!

In other words, be serious and seek God’s mind and you will see your prayers answered!

• Date - September 25, 2019
• Author - David Chisholm

Ephesians 6:11-20 TPT

Put on God’s complete set of armor provided for us, so that you will be protected as you fight against the evil strategies of the accuser! Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms. For they are a powerful class of demon-gods and evil spirits that hold this dark world in bondage. Because of this, you must wear all the armor that God provides so you’re protected as you confront the slanderer, for you are destined for all things and will rise victorious.
Put on truth as a belt to strengthen you to stand in triumph. Put on holiness as the protective armor that covers your heart. Stand on your feet alert, then you’ll always be ready to share the blessings of peace.
In every battle, take faith as your wrap-around shield, for it is able to extinguish the blazing arrows coming at you from the Evil One! 17–18 Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken Word of God.
Pray passionately in the Spirit, as you constantly intercede with every form of prayer at all times. Pray the blessings of God upon all his believers. And pray also that God’s revelation would be released through me every time I preach the wonderful mystery of the hope-filled gospel. Yes, pray that I may preach the wonderful news of God’s kingdom with bold freedom at every opportunity. Even though I am chained as a prisoner, I am his ambassador.

Back in the 1980’s, there was a strong movement and emphasis on spiritual warfare and deliverance. The charismatic church manifested the militant side of the Lord’s nature and the reality of the unseen world was realized by many. As with all doctrines, too much of one thing usually ends up with some error and this was no different. However, error does not erase the truth and the truth is told clearly by the Apostle Paul in this passage of scripture. We are in a battle that involves the unseen realm. The average Christian does not engage in warfare the way Paul described in Ephesians 6.

Principalities affect the principles of a culture. The first thing we need to realize is that all these evil spirits are operating with the permission of God.

There is not a demon anywhere that does not have permission to be there. We actually give the devil permission to operate in our personal lives when we yield to the influence of the spirit. It is not that the devils have more power than us, we yield our authority to them when we do their desires, which are in alignment with our fleshly or carnal nature. Remember what Jesus said to the disobedient:

John 8:39-47
39 They answered and said to Him,”Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.
40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
41 You do the deeds of your father .” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father — God.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father , you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?
47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.” NKJV

What is the source of the new doctrines of “inclusion” and “grace” (perverted grace) that seems to provide an escape from repentance and permission to continue a life of sin after receiving the Lord? These new doctrines are designed to please men.

Galatians 1:6-12
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men ? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.
11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. NKJV

The source of these doctrines are from the principalities we call religious spirits. They are continually working to pervert the word of God and twist it to please men and not God. The Lord visited me in a dramatic way back in 1984, and told me that “religious spirits work to produce false security in the hearts of His people.” This can be through the deception of self-righteousness through dead works, or the twisted truth of “sin is no big deal for a believer”. Thank God there seems to be a new release of the power of the truth from the Spirit of God! Some leaders are waking up from the deception and are beginning to speak the truth about the false security that so many have been living in.

We have to dress for battle as we confront the rulers of this dark world because the battle is real! I encourage you to look again at your armor and check to make sure a spirit of deception has not convinced you to take a piece of two off!

Be blessed!

• Date - September 18, 2019
• Author - David Chisholm