Have Faith And Pray

Have faith and pray! My Christian brother, and sisters, you know that "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through preaching Christ" (Romans 10:17, GNT). We get strength from the Lord when we read His Word and receive it in Spirit and truth. Whatever we need, wisdom or revelation, we must have faith and pray. Our Lord is great, and He possesses an abundance of power. Hear the words of the Apostle Mark. Who said: "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours" (Mark 11:24, NLT). This verse says that there is no limit put on prayers to God. Like Paul, "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better" (Ephesians 1:17, NIV). Paul was praying for believers to have divine knowledge and a greater understanding.

Again, like Paul, "I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand" (1 Corinthians 14:15, NLT). We need to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in prayer. The Holy Spirit knows what is in our hearts and how we should pray. The only prayer we should be copying is the model prayer and building on those words. We should pray for what is in our hearts. We need to be careful not to be imitators of the Pharisees, who Matthew describes as hypocrites. So, "Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly, I tell you, they have their reward" (Matthew 6:5, CSB). Have faith and search God's Word, and you will find guidance for prayer and everything relative to your existence.

Take anger, for example. Indeed, anger is one of the emotions on a rampage in our society today. If you are struggling with anger, the Holy Spirit is a counselor and will bring the applicable words in Scripture to your remembrance. If you are looking for directions to the kingdom of God, it is in the Word. "… "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3, ESV). Read the Bible. If you want to know how to treat others, it is written: treat them as you want them to treat you (Matthew 7:12). If you want to know how to treat elders, it is written, "do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father" (1 Timothy 5:1, ESV). If you want to know how to serve God, it is written: "whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward" (Colossians 3:23, ESV).

There is power in prayer and the Word of God. It is written in God's Word that we can put away anger. But if we find it hard to do away with it altogether, Scripture tells us that we should not hold onto anger too long. Pray for the strength to follow God's Word, which says: "Do not let the sun go down on your anger" (Ephesians 4:26). This verse of Scripture tells us to deal with it quickly. If you cannot avoid getting angry, do not allow anger to control you, for it is written, anger does not bring about God's righteousness.

"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry" (James 1:19, NLT). People get angry these days if you look at them the wrong way. Pray for them! People are getting angry with other people about voting, talking, and even walking. Pray for them!

When we abide in the Lord, He orders our steps, making our path straight and giving us power over our emotions, including anger. Now is a suitable time to pray for wisdom and revelation. Scripture tells us that "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD" (Psalm 37:23, KJB). Pray for the character of a good man, one who is willing to put on the whole armor of God and strive to understand the hope and blessings in the Lord.

In Christ are hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge which He is willing to share with those who love Him and keep His commandments. Pray for wisdom! The key to gaining insight is to "listen to advice and accept instruction" (Proverbs 19:20, ESV). Many humans have the gift of wisdom. If you lack wisdom, ask God. Scripture tells us that "Joshua the son of Nun was full of spirit and wisdom" (Deuteronomy 34:9, ESV). King Solomon was considered one of the most intelligent humans who ever lived. "My prayer is that light will flood your hearts, and you will understand the hope given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all God's people" (Ephesians 1:18, CEV). We are born again through the Lord Jesus, who lights our way to eternal hope.