PRAYING WITH POWER part 4

To pray with power we must be certain that we have the mind of the Lord. We cannot receive if we are double minded.
If we try and function with partly our mind and partly the mind of Christ; we will be unstable in all our ways including our praying. Lets look at a verse from James Chapter 1: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.[ James 1:5-8]

The Lord does not just give the believer any old thing that they may want. The Holy Spirit will give birth to the desires of a believers heart. In other words, The Holy Spirit will give the right desires to the believer. God does not grant every thoughtless and selfish request. To ask in faith we must first have ascertained what is the mind of the Lord. Faith cannot go beyond the known will of God. Faith is trusting God. Faith is knowing and believing in the benefits Jesus provided for us by His death upon the Cross. Faith reaches out to God for the answer of God, and then, faith trusts God whatever His answer.

Prayer can be mechanical and weak, or prayer can be powerful and effective. Prayer cannot be powerful without faith.
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." [Heb. 11:6]
Faith believes that God rewards our diligence in prayer. Why? Because the Word says so, thats Why!
If we know God's nature and character then we can pray with bold confidence. We learn about God through His word. Yes, the object of our faith is always Jesus Christ and Him Crucified but we still must read the Word and pray. The Holy Spirit responding to our faith in what Jesus did at the Cross will always produce in us the desires of prayer and Bible study.

Satan loves to fill our hearts and minds with doubts. He loves to weaken our faith. A weak, powerless Christian is no threat to the enemy's domain. That old liar, the devil will put doubts about your salvation, doubts about other believers, doubts about God's faithfulness into your mind and heart. Sometimes these doubts take on the form of worry. How do you gain power in prayer that will defeat worry and doubt and unbelief? You must build your faith. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."[Romans 10:17]

The more you spend time in God's presence, touching Him, and receiving comfort from Him, the stronger your faith will grow. The stronger your trust will grow. But it all starts with the Word. Remember, faith can only go as far as the known will of God.
Remember also that our desires in prayer must be according to the will of God. The only way to insure that is for our desires to be birthed in us by the Holy Spirit. The only way for that to occur is for the believer to properly place his/her faith in the finished work of Christ upon the Cross. That will bring about the help of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian which will always produce proper desires. Again, it all goes back to the message heard and received. It all goes back to the Word of God. " And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us." [1 John 5:14]

It is time to get alone with God. Start meeting God daily for prayer and you will see your faith increased. You will begin to pray with power. When we come to you again, we will continue this teaching.