So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.” For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed, and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11: 22-24, NKJV
Heavenly Father, we are truly grateful to be able to able to study Your Word. Please come close to us, and teach us for Christ’s sake. Amen
Today we continue with the theme of prayer. It is so important that we have a good understanding of how to be victorious in prayer. Where would we be without prayer? How would we survive the attacks of the evil one? How many individuals can testify to the fact that they are alive because somebody prayed for them! I have personally, experienced the benefits of being the object of intercessory prayer. Let us take a closer look at our promise for today.
“Have faith in God.” If this was all I said in this entire devotional, this would be enough. Everything else, without this precept, would be in vain. Hebrews 11: 6 reads: “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.” Yes my friends, we can define “faith in God,” as the cornerstone of victorious prayer! It is the ingredient that holds up the entire framework of prayer.
And just as faith without works is dead (James 2: 17), so our prayers if they are not accompanied by our efforts, are also dead. E. G. White said that, we should pray, as if all depended upon God; and then work as if all depended upon us. I believe that is pretty solid, and wise, advice. Let us identify that principle in our promise for today:
“…whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed, and be cast into the sea,’ Now it takes a lot of faith to pray some prayers, but in the end those prayers pay even bigger dividends. This is where our faith in God comes in. How many of us have “mountains” in our lives that need removing? Some of them, the doctors, have told us, cannot be removed. Are you going to take his or her word for it, or are you going to pray, and then go out and seek for solutions, including a second opinion (James 5: 14-16)? Some of our mountains, according to our financial advisers are an impossibility. What is your plan “B?” Are you going to sit and fold your hands, or, are you going to look elsewhere. Perhaps you need to set a realistic goal to get your finances in order (Malachi 3: 8-10; Deuteronomy 8: 18). Do you want a Christian education, but when you inquired, the cost was unusually high, and you do not believe you can attain it? Have you reminded God that He is your Father, and that you are trying to do things according to His will? He has the means *(1 Chronicles 29: 11. 12). Or maybe your mountain is a bad habit. You have done all in your power, and you just cannot seem to break this habit; to the contrary, it seems to be breaking you. Perhaps you need to pray, and try doing all that you do, in God’s power. Remember, “[His] grace is sufficient for you, for [His] strength is made perfect in [your] weakness” (2 Corinthians 12: 9).
By God’s grace, we will continue this topic tomorrow! Until then, be blessed!
*There were some changes made to our devotional for today.