Prayer of Faith (Bible Reading – Genesis 18:16-33)
The prayer of a righteous man – when he has a firm belief (faith) in his God, he does not have a format nor category of prayer and intercession, yet he can usher in the will of God in his life in various circumstances.
James 5:16 – The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
1. How to be a righteous man?
- It was God’s friendly thoughts concerning Abram that He would not hide from him, but expresses Himself after human manner with deliberation to reveal His plan and purpose and the future.
- The key – Believe.
- Genesis 15:6 – Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
- In the same manner, it was God’s greatest pleasure to reveal Himself to the world in the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ His redemptive plan for the world.
- John 1:12-13 – Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
- Allow the Holy Spirit to regenerate our ‘dead’ spirit, so that the uncreated life of God may dwell in us given through His Son Jesus Christ.
- John 3:3 – In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.
- John 3:6 – Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
2. Understanding of our righteousness in Christ enables us to pray powerfully and effectively.
- We no longer live in the created life of God, but the uncreated life of Christ dwells in us.
- Job 33:4 – The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life
- Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
- Our faith in the Son of God is that He loves us; for our sins, He died on our behalf on the cross; at the same time, we were also died together with Him together with all our fleshly desires.
- Galatians 5:24 – Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
- Colossians 3:3-4 – For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
3. A drastic decision and a drastic action.
- Who do you want to live for?
- Romans 8:5-6 – Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
- I am the decision maker.
- 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 – For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
- Things to demolish
- Satan’s strongholds – ignorance, prejudices, beloved lusts.
- Sets itself up against the knowledge of God – vain imagination, carnal reasoning, high thoughts, proud conceits.