In my effort to increase my own faith through consistent prayer… not just when times are hard, but throughout every season of life, I’ve come to find that praying is just about… for lack of a better phrase, “spittin’ bars.”
And no, I’m not talking about creating a rhythmic flow to perform to God when I spend time with Him… or quoting a glamorous prayer that appeals to God. I’m talking about real BARS… the ones that please the Lord. BARS that show God that I take Him at His Word… that I value Him and His will over my life more than any and everything and I know that He will allow it to happen for me.
These BARS are based off Jesus’ teaching to the disciples in Matthew 21, where He curses the fig tree that pretended to be of value, but yet had no fruit to show for it. Not only showing how false teachers claimed to do the will of the Lord, yet did not believe in the One whom He had sent… but also pointing to us when our tree gives a false pretense of what we claim to be… and the faith we claim to have.
Jesus tells His disciples many times through their time with Him that they needed faith to do the impossible. He tells them in Matthew 21:22, “And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
For our prayers to be effective, we have to:
Believe. Ask. Receive.
We have to believe in God… in His character and His Promises. Because, without faith, it’s impossible to please God. And with faith, we can do the impossible.
We have to ask in prayer by faith… because our belief calls us to action and we need prayer to activate and affirm what God has promised.
We have to receive what we believed God enough to ask for… because we have to be actively lay hold to what He has given… and use it according to His purpose.
This brings me to the S… which stands for Stay. Far too often, a prayer is answered and we move on from our sitting post. We lay hold to the promise, and we forget the promiser… or we don’t receive the promise just yet, and we give up on receiving what God is really trying to give us in that moment.
Jesus tells us to remain in Him… another word for stay. Prayer is not just about going to God when you need something… but it’s about spending time with the One who is life… He is all that we seek after. He is the fulfillment of every promise that He has given. When we understand this truth, our prayer life will be second nature just like the breath in our lungs.
I pray this Tov Talk Session blesses you.
I love y’all so much. Peace.
Scripture References
**Matthew 21:22 [Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14, 20-25] The Cursed Fig Tree]
Matthew 17:14-20 [Faith of A Mustard Seed]
Luke 7:1-10 [The Faith of the Roman Soldier]
Genesis 16-18 [Abraham and Sarah]
Romans 4:20-22 [Abraham’s Faith Credited as Righteousness]
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