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lundi, mai 27, 2013
Speak to Your Mountain
9:00 PM
I spent much of my life praying in vain for the sick. Only a few of those I prayed for ever got healed. But in the last couple of years I have begun to discover why my prayers were so powerless. I now realize that what I thought was faith was nothing more than wishful thinking. In short, I have learned that there is a difference between the Biblical way to pray and the way I used to pray. I’ve changed the way I pray and the results speak for themselves. I’m not yet healing every one, but by the grace of God I’m on my way! I have had many good teachers but much of what I write here has been inspired by Andrew Wommack’s helpful book, A Better Way to Pray. If you want to dig deeper or if you have questions, I strongly recommend that you get a hold of this book. In Part 1 of this study I outlined five contrasts between the traditional and Biblical ways to pray. Probably the most important lesson I have learned so far, is that Jesus wants us to speak directly to our mountains.
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I
tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself
into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what
he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you,
whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and
it will be yours.” (Mk 11:22-24)
When you are faced with a mountain-sized problem, the temptation is
to run and tell God all about it. But He already knows about your
problem and He’s already provided everything you need to overcome it.
Perhaps you need healing. He has already provided it (1 Pe 2:24).
Perhaps you need finances. Already done (2 Co 8:9). As usual, your
heavenly Father is a million steps ahead of you.Don’t talk to God about your mountain; talk to your mountain about God! Okay, so what do you say? How do you talk to a mountain? Well you could talk about your mighty King whose name is above every name (Ph 2:9). Your mountain has a name. Cancer has a name. Depression has a name. God has commanded that all these things must bow to the name of Jesus (Ph 2:10). Wommack suggests you could pray like this:
“Father, thank You that Your name is above
every name… These things the doctor told me are in my body have names.
You are above them all! Thank You that You are greater, stronger, and
more powerful than all of this.” (pp.33-34)
Notice how we have begun by focusing on our mighty Father and not the
problem. In small groups there is a temptation to gather around our
problems, but in that way lies death. We are to gather around the name
of Jesus. Sometimes this is not easy! When we’ve heard bad news there is
often a battle between fear and faith. We have to strive to enter His
rest. But don’t pray while you are full of fear. Fear will get you
speaking worry and negativity turning your prayers into words of death.
“What he says will happen,” said Jesus. So watch your words and take
care where you put your faith.The best thing to do with your anxieties is cast them on the Lord (Ps 55:22). Fortify your mind by declaring God’s promises to yourself. When I’m battling with a bad report my two favorite words are, “Surely He…” (Is 53:4). He surely did! Praise Him for it. Then when faith has risen in your heart, you are ready to deal with the problem:
“Father, this is so small in comparison to
what You’re able to do. I shouldn’t even have to ask, but the doctor
did say I’m going to die. So since Jesus has already provided my
healing, I’ll just receive it!” (p.34)
Biblical: Faith moves mountains. God has supplied everything you need by grace (Eph 1:3). Faith doesn’t move God to do what He’s already done; faith moves mountains. Praise the Lord for carrying all your infirmities on the cross and then command your mountain to bow to Jesus. Jesus said all authority on heaven and earth had been given to Him (Mt 28:18). He has jurisdiction everywhere and there is no place your mountain can hide from His authority. The problem you are confronting may be the result of a generational curse, bad DNA, bad behavior or whatever. It doesn’t matter. Jesus is Lord. Period. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we are re-presenting His cross-wrought victory and His irresistible authority:
“I have given you authority to trample on
snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing
will harm you.” (Lk 10:19)
Have faith in God and speak to your mountain! “Rebuke with all authority” (Tit 2:15) and send it into the sea.In Part 3 of this study, I want to look at how we can respond when our prayers seem to go unanswered. Stay tuned! ___
A Better Way to Pray
8:34 PM
www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7652610#editor/target=post;postID=4299295215464542146 Traditional way to pray: Pound the gates of heaven with persistent prayer (like the widow) until you get your breakthrough. Biblical way to pray: Ask and you shall receive. Every time. Traditional way to pray: Pound the gates of heaven with persistent prayer (like the widow) until you get your breakthrough. Biblical way to pray: Ask and you shall receive. Every time. God is not an unjust judge who must be badgered into responding. He is our good Father who longs to bring justice quickly into our situations (Lk 18:8). It is a mistake to think that God rewards our praying efforts. Jesus said the pagans pray long prayers thinking they will be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them (Mt 6:8). Instead, have faith in a good God who does not need to be begged or cajoled into blessing His children. Here’s Wommack:
“From God’s perspective, praying an hour a
day has no value in and of itself!… There is absolutely no virtue in
long praying! Jesus normally kept His prayers short. Only twice in the
New Testament did He pray all night. Since both are recorded in all four
Gospels, you might think it was eight. Really it was just two different
occasions… The shorter the prayer, the greater the faith!… ‘HELP!!!’ is
a great prayer!” (p.14)
Study the scriptures and you will never find Jesus begging God to
heal people. Jesus said “everyone who asks receives” (Mt 7:8). What is
the condition for receiving? Asking! How many times do you have to ask
before you’ve asked? Just once! We must settle it in our hearts that
Jesus’ words are true and that whatever we ask for in prayer, we will
receive, and quickly (Mk 11:24). Sometimes there may be a delay in the
manifestation of the healing (more on this later), but God is never the
reason for the delay.Traditional: Pray with hope. Biblical: Pray with faith. Much of what passes for prayer is wishful thinking. “I know God can heal you, I’m just not sure that He will.” Or how about this one, “God wants to heal you, but if He does it now no one will be more surprised than me!” You can pretty much guarantee that these sorts of prayers will change nothing, because they are empty of faith. James 5:15 says “the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well.” If you are not sure that God will answer your prayers, He probably won’t (Jas 1:6-7). You have hope but no faith. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t yet see (He 11:1). Traditional: Pray “if it be thy will.” Biblical: Pray according to His will. How can we pray in faith if we are uncertain about His will? One of the greatest tragedies of the modern church is that so many are uncertain regarding God’s will for forgiveness, healing, deliverance, and provision – despite the emphatic promises in His word.
“Surely He has borne our griefs
(sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and
pains [of punishment]…” (Is 53:4, AMP)
Praying “Lord, if it be thy will, heal this person” is utterly
faithless. He already did! Jesus made full provision for everyone’s
salvation at the cross, and that includes healing. He has already
carried all our sicknesses and by His wounds you have been healed (1 Pe 2:24). As TJ McCrossan said, the real question is not “God, can you?” but “do you believe?”If you want to know the Father’s heart, look at Jesus. He healed every sick person who came to Him (Mt 8:16, 12:15, 14:36). He never gave anyone leprosy to teach them character and neither will He make you sick to teach you things. His will for healing and deliverance is inseparable from His will for salvation. He wants everyone forgiven, healed, delivered today! What’s the hold up? We are! A broken creation eagerly waits for the sons of God to rise up in this revelation and enforce Christ’s victory in every place where the kingdom has not yet come. Traditional: Ask God to forgive/heal/provide/deliver/pour out His Spirit. Biblical: Thank Him that He has already done all of those things! If one tragedy is being uncertain of God’s will, another is being unaware of what He has already done. The cross really did change everything! Jesus is not coming back to wave a magic wand over your problem. He already did everything He needed to do at the cross. Here’s Wommack:
“God has already done everything He’s ever
going to do! He moved once and for all in the death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through the atonement, God has already
forgiven and healed every person who will ever be forgiven or healed. He
doesn’t even have to lift his little finger now to cause a healing or
salvation! As far as God is concerned, the sins of the entire world have
already been forgiven… As Christians, we are to instruct people to
believe and receive what God has already done for them through the
atonement.” (p.4)
It’s pointless asking God to do something He’s already done. Look at
the way Jesus prayed and you will see there was very little asking and a
whole lot of thanking and commanding. Jesus has given us clear
instructions. He said: “heal the sick” (Mt 10:8). He didn’t say “pray
and ask God to heal the sick.” No, you heal them. The problem with that
prayer meeting I mentioned above was that we spent all of our time
asking God to do something He had commanded us to do. We were passing
the buck and denying the finished work of the cross. So how do we heal
the sick? A good place to start is by thanking and praising Him for what
He has already done.Traditional: Talk to God about your mountain. Biblical: Talk to your mountain about your God! So much of what passes for prayer is complaining to God about our problems. The doctor gives us the sentence of death and we repeat his death-dealing words in prayer. This is not wise:
“Most people who think they’re praying are
really just griping, murmuring, and complaining. They are releasing the
power of death into their lives through their negativity in prayer. God
is not pleased with that!” (p.23)
God doesn’t need to be informed about your problems – He already
knows! When we are faced with a mountain-sized problem, the average
believer says, “God would you move this mountain for me?” But Jesus told
us to speak directly to our mountains and command them to be cast into
the sea (Mk 11:22-23).So how do we speak to our mountains? I’ll look at that in Part 2 of this study.
8:25 PM
http://escapetoreality.org/2011/03/13/dealing-with-unanswered-prayer/ We need to rest in Jesus’ promise that whatever we ask in His name we shall receive (Jn 14:13, 16:24). “Ask me,” says Jesus, “and I will do it” (Jn 14:14). What is the key to doing the works and greater works of Jesus? It is simple faith in Jesus Christ (Jn 14:12). But sometimes we pray and there is no immediate manifestation. The sickness lingers. Does that mean God said no? Not according to Matthew 21:22 and John 16:24. Let God be true and every man a liar! God’s faithfulness is the one constant in the equation. He is the Rock on which we stand. Traditional: Sometimes the answer is no Biblical: God is faithful! Some people will tell you that God hasn’t answered your prayers because you are not doing enough works. They’ll say you’re out of fellowship with Him or you haven’t pounded the gates of heaven or you haven’t confessed all of your sins. Others will try and manage your expectations with doctrine based on their experience rather than His word. Listen to these sorts of people and I guarantee it’ll neutralize your faith. A Better Way to Pray:
“When I minister healing to someone, I’ll
pray for them two, three, four, or more times. I don’t care! I’m willing
to pray for them until I rub all the hair off of their head! However,
I’m not going back to God and saying, ‘Father, it didn’t work the first
time. Let it work now, please!’ No! I believe it happened because God is
faithful. He gave, but something’s wrong with our receiver. So I work
on it. If the devil withstands one dose of the Holy Spirit, I’ll shoot
him again! Just like Jesus did with the blind man of Bethsaida (Mark
8:22-26), I pray until I see the answer manifest. You need to get this
attitude that God is faithful and He’s already met your need before you
ever had it.” (p.125)
Understand that we’re not fighting to get the victory; we’re fighting to enforce
the victory that Christ has already won. Satan and sickness were
disarmed at the cross (Col 2:15). That’s why we’re called to stand
rather than advance (Eph 6:13). We’re not taking ground, we’re holding
ground that’s already ours through Christ. So stand firm and declare
God’s word over your circumstances. Your tongue holds the power of life
and death (Pro 18:21), so proclaim life and grace and health and freedom
over your situation.
Faith is for moving mountains. Faith is for healing the sick, raising
the dead and otherwise demonstrating the gospel. To be specific, faith
is for doing the works and greater works of Jesus:
“The person who trusts me will not only do
what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the
Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can
count on it.” (Jn 14:12, MSG)
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wilkommen
The name's Karen. Currently residing in Singapore But her heart belongs in Baguio City She yearns to go to America where her relatives and frens live. Born on the 15th June She's a yellow fanatic. A friendly lass with a good heart. Really. =p Do tag my board yea? EVERYONE'S WELCOME!! ^_^
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