Matthew 21:22
We all have gotten up early and in limited lighting put on a shirt or blouse only to realize later that it is out of alignment (shirtlop); buttons in the wrong buttonholes? We did everything right, used good techniques, placed each button carefully and through the hole provided, but we had started in the wrong place and therefore achieved an unwanted result.
Have you ever prayed and not felt you had not received an answer or the response was not as you expected? You’ve read scripture about prayer, listened to others pray, studied the prayer practices of people of faith, and set aside some private, isolated time to speak with God and yet nothing. All these are activities that certainly enhance our understanding of prayer yet they may not be the ‘first things” Jesus desires of us when He says He will answer. Maybe we are praying from the wrong starting point. Scripture does speak about our relationship with God in terms of our belief in Him. Maybe we need to examine and reflect upon our believes so that when we talk with God we are starting from the point of belief in Him.
Jesus called us to believe. Believe that God created us to be in a relationshipwith Him and with others. Believe that God made and kept promises and despite our desire to choose a path that offends Him, He will not abandon His plan for us. Believe that God has offered humanity a WAY to reconcile with Him and that WAY is Jesus. Believe that Jesus spoke truths that destroy the impact of sin and open a path to a transformed life for those who believe.
Belief can sculpture our patterns of feeling and acting. It can be the cause and affectof our status as a Christian. It is crucial to a relationship with God. When we believe in Jesus we pray knowing it is not something we do to get on His good side but an acknowledgement that we believe in Him. Belief is essential to hearing God’s answers to our prayers.
Let me share these words spoken by Billy Graham that may help you as you examine your belief:
“It is impossible to believe anything into existence. The Gospel did not come into being because people believed it. The tomb was not emptied of Christ’s body that first Easter because some faithful persons believed it. FACT preceded the faith. We are psychologically incapable of believing without an object of our faith. The object of Christian faith isChrist. Faith means more than an intellectual agreement of the claims of Christ. We are not called upon to believe something that is not credible, but to believe in the fact of history that transcends all history. Faith means surrender and commitment to the claims of Christ. We do not know Christ through the five physical senses, but we know Him through the sixth sense that God has given every man—the ability to believe.”
Believe before, during and after you pray and you will be amazed at what Jesus wants
Blessings
Anton Topilnyckyj
Prayer Coordinator