Week 14 of 52 Prayers of Faith - Faith is knowing that Christianity is not merely a philosophy but rather a supernatural relationship with the Creator of Eternity

Until my conversion I considered myself a man of science and reason.  I accepted the idea that there was a God and that Jesus was his Son, but I didn't see at as something supernatural.  God was merely a concept we used to explain our existence.  I might have agreed with Thomas Jefferson (who removed all supernatural events from his Bible) and been more of a deist.  I believed there was a God, but I didn't put my trust and faith in Him.

So here I am some 25 odd years beyond my conversion and I know realize that anytime we try to explain away the supernatural aspects of God and our faith in Him, we jeopardize our faith.  We reduce our God to a god, having no more relevance in our lives than the Easter bunny.

I believe that faith demands that we must acknowledge the supernatural in all aspects of our faith.  Our conversion is a supernatural act.  Our baptism is a supernatural decent into Christ's grave and then being lifted into the supernatural resurrection of Christ.  Our life in Christ must embrace a supernatural expectation for his help and his Holy Spirit to abide in us.

We need the supernatural in our lives so that we can live the life that He has prepared for us. He has prepared good works for us to do.  He has empowered us, supernaturally to live a life free from hate, greed and fear, if we will only put our trust in him supernaturally.


Lord our faith in you is not merely a philosophical nor an intellectual act.  Our faith comes supernaturally from You and your Word - Lord, increase our faith.

Week 13 of 52 Prayers Faith is knowing that God is more interested in our character than in our comfort

Faith is knowing that God is more interested in our character than in our comfort - Lord, increase our faith

At the end of the Beatitudes Jesus said that blessed (which really means happy) are we when people revile us and persecute us and say all kinds of horrible things about us for His Name's sake, He goes on to say, "Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven"

That may seem strange to us. We want to be liked and found acceptable, yet if we are to be counted as Kingdom citizens we have to accept that the world may not like us, in fact they may revile us. That is uncomfortable for anyone. But Christ is more interested in the state of our heart than in the condition of our bodies or our reputation in the world, but we are encouraged that their will be rewards for our diligence through persecution.

The Apostle James goes on to say that we should "count it all joy" when we are faced with various trials because we know that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness, which in turn leads us to perfection in our faith. This is character building; becoming more like our Savior as we experience some of what He did.

That is Christ's real goal - our complete redemption and maturity in the faith. If that requires that we have to made uncomfortable so that we can be more like Him, then that is okay. We need to embrace all that our life in Christ requires of us if we are to live up to His good plans for us. He doesn't expect us to do it all in our own strength. He has give us is Holy Spirit that we might live life to the full as He uses our trials to transform us more and more into his Image.

Lord, we know that you are more interested our becoming like You than in our personal comfort - Lord increase our faith!

Week 12 of 52 Faith is knowing that trials and temptations can only make us stronger if we trust in Him

Faith is knowing that trials and temptations can only make us stronger if we trust in Him - Lord increase our faith

The Word of God talks about this topic from two sides. In the Lord's Prayer we ask God the Father to keep us from falling into temptation. Jesus tells us that He has given us his peace, yet blessed are those who face all kinds of trials and attacks from people. The Apostle Paul tells us in one of his letters to the Corinthian church that the temptations that we face are merely common to humans, but we are to persevere and He will give us a way out of it. We are also encouraged in the Word of God that when we face all kinds of trails and temptations that this builds our patience, but we are also encourage that the trials we face will not be eternal, they are just part of life.

When we face trials and temptations, we can either complain or petition God and believe for His help. God's desire is for us to become more and more like him. He wants us to put off the old person corrupted with its evil desires and put on a new persona - one like Him in Righteousness and Truth. Further, God has give us his Holy Spirit to both help us and remind us of God's Truth.

But this isn't quite like lifting weights where we make our self stronger through repeated excising of our muscles. rather it is accomplish by our surrendering to God, embracing the circumstances and obeying the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes that means "Stand," girded in God's armor and sometimes it means flee from temptation. The end result is that we gain strength in that we become more dependent upon God.

I know that I am human and prone to failure but God is eternal and perfect. The more I have of Him in me and the more I trust in Him, and the more I am capable of doing through Him. The Apostle Paul says, "When I am weak, He is strong". As a Christian our strength comes from God and not just personal resolve or fortitude. We are fallible, while God is infallible. When we face these difficult situations and listen to his Holy Spirit, we are made strong IN HIM.

Lord, we know that you cause all things to work to the good of those called by You and who love You. Lord, may the trials and temptations we face make us more dependent and thereby stronger in You Lord Increase our faith.

Week 11 of 52 Prayer's of Faith - Faith is Knowing God puts People and Situations in our life to help us become like Him

Faith is knowing that the circumstances and people God allows in our life help us to become more like Him - Lord increase our faith

By now this should be part of your routine. Read the prayer out load, pause, consider it and then ask "Lord, increase my Faith" Continue to repeat the prayer and ponder it as the week goes on; journaling your thoughts and impressions and as the Holy Spirit works in your heart.

Many people just want to live a peaceful life. They want to avoid confrontation, difficulties and worries. In some respects they would just like to be left alone. But God is unwilling to leave us in a sinful slothful state of being. He permits difficult situations and people into our lives to encourage us to seek Him and to give us opportunity to live out godly character.

Graham Cooke refers to those difficult people that God allows in our lives as "grace growers" Graham claims that the fruit of the spirit only grows in poor soil. It is in the daily struggles with our neighbors, fellow workers, peers and family that God gives us opportunity to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Graham goes on to say that if we try to get away from these people that He will, at great expense, fly in a whole new group of "grace growers" to ensure that we are being made more and more into His image.

My personal experience of this was when God put me between the two people that I disliked the most. In fact if you had asked me at the time how I felt about them I would have used the word "hate" to describe my feelings. It was only a few years after my conversion that God put me between these two men, but as soon as I realized my position, I recognized that hand of God at work in my life. So instead of fighting it and complaining about my situation, I embrace it. I was never more happy when that happened. I learned about the better side of these two men, and God gave me a heart for both of them, to pray for and encourage them. As a result my wife and I got to counsel and encourage one of them and to see him reunited with his estranged wife.

My prayer now when I encounter difficult people or circumstances is "Lord what do you want to teach me here?" As a result, every thing we face need not be something to be avoided or fought, but rather these people and circumstances are opportunities to see God move and to grow more and more into his Image.

Lord we thank You for the people and circumstances You put in our life because we know that You cause all things to work for the good of those called by your name and who love you. Lord increase our faith.

Week 10 of 52 - Faith is knowing that Jesus Christ is our Healer

Faith is knowing that Jesus Christ is our Healer - Lord increase our faith

Often when we think of Jesus, we think about the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. He died for our sins that we might experience eternal life with God the Father. But there is other significance to Christ's death. When He takes away our sin, He is also taking away the source of much of our pain. This is a healing work. Many people are burdened down by the consequence of either their own sin, or the sin's committed against them. When we accept Jesus' salvific work on the cross we receive healing.  

The prophet Isaiah tells us that we are healed by his stripes. Basically saying that we have been healed through his torture. On one side that seems cruel, but for us it means relief from all kinds of pain: emotional pain, spiritual pain and even physical pain. To quote the old hymn "There is wonder working power in the blood..." What Christ has done for us is not just granted us a ticket into heaven, He has made away that we might lives lives here on earth that are more heavenly in nature. "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Jesus has made a way for us to experience the more abundant life that He came to prepare for us.

When we accept God's forgiveness through the blood and sacrifice of Christ, we are empowered to forgive others. Being able to forgive others heals our hearts in ways we could never have imagined. Yet while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. In his example we can see how forgiving others frees us from emotional and relational pain and also sets those whom we have been unwilling forgive free from our unforgiveness. Consider the "Lord's prayer" - we are asking God to only forgive us as much as we are willing to forgive others.

In accepting God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ, we also accept (or are required to accept) his Lordship - His rule and reign in our lives. That grants us spiritual freedom. As long as we resist Christ's authority in our lives, we make room for other spiritual forces to create havoc in our lives; powers of wickedness in the heavenly realms. This also we must take by faith, that Jesus is Lord of all and though his Lordship we receive freedom from oppression from those dark spirits. Looking at Jesus example, He healed many people by casting out unclean or demonic spirits. His followers have been give authority to cast out spirits that are harmful to us.

Jesus has also made a way for us to receive physical healing. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit gives gifts to men and women so that we might help one another. One of those gifts in the gift of healing. We are promised that one of the signs of those who are his true followers will be that they will lay hands on the sick and the sick will recover. Jesus doesn't want us to live a broken defeated life. He came that we might have abundant lives. I personally have experienced miraculous healing and have felt things leave my body while being prayed for.

Lord Jesus, you are our healer you are the one who heals his children and who gives authority to heal to his followers - Lord, increase our faith.

Week 9 of 52 - Faith is knowing that Jesus Christ is the one who baptizes us with fire and the Holy Spirit

Faith is knowing that Jesus Christ is the one who baptizes us with fire and the Holy Spirit -Lord increase our faith

Again I encourage you as you embrace this prayer of faith that you weigh it in your heart, meditate upon it and even journal it. Say it out load as our brains are stubborn, they only believe what they hear. Remember your expectation is that through this meditation that God will hear and answer your prayer.

This weeks prayer is important because it embraces the supernatural side of our faith. Some times we are temped to think of Christianity as merely a philosophy. On one side it is a philosophy in that it dictates how we view the world, but on the other side it is a supernatural, life altering encounter with The God of All Creation and He doesn't want to leave us unarmed, unaware or unprepared.

The Holy Spirit is important in that He resides in every believer. He empowers the believer to do more that is humanly possible. First the Holy Spirit is a seal that says we belong to God, second, it is the Holy Spirit that grants us gifts so that we can be a blessing the family of faith. All spiritual gifts serve to help others. They are not for our personal benefit outside tongues which in one manner edifies our own spirits. Another reason we need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit is so that are minds can be opened to the deep spiritual things of God that are revealed in the Bible and only available to those who are reborn. He reminds us off all that the Lord Jesus has taught us when we need it and the Holy Spirit works in both believers and pre-Christians by convicting us/them of sin and righteousness.

Lord, we thank you that You baptize us with your Holy Spirit and empower us to live the life You did. Lord, increase our faith.

Week 8 of 52 Prayers of Faith faith is know knowing that Jesus Christ is our soon and coming King

Faith is knowing that Jesus Christ is our soon and coming King - Lord increase our faith

Our faith in Jesus Christ encompasses the past the present and the future. What He has done in the past affects our present and He has promised his return. There is a day that all Christians can look forward to when the King returns.  

When Jesus was on the earth the Jewish nation was waiting for a king who would restore Israel to it's rightful position among the nations - no longer a occupied land ruled by a foreign and pagan people. Jesus was not what they were expecting, but He is who God had planned for all people. God's heart is that all people would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, repent and enter into his rule and reign.  

Until He returns we are called to be ambassadors of that Kingdom, ministers of reconciliation until in the fullness of time He returns. Jesus is our soon and coming King. We must take this by faith - faith in the Word of God, and faith that Jesus is who He says He is and that He will keep his word and return for us.

As usually I encourage you to journal this prayer and meditate on this in the coming days and consider what it means to you to believe by faith the Jesus is coming again.

Lord Jesus we believe that You are our soon and coming King - Lord, increase our faith.