The Prayer of Faith

JAMES 5:13-18

WHAT IS FAITH?
Mark 11:24 … “ whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (John 14:12-14)
Heb 11:1 … “now faith is the substance of things hoped for… and the evidence of things not seen.” Heb 11:6
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” – Rom 10:17

WHAT IS THE PRAYER OF FAITH?
Association with the dramatic or miracles:
Historically… the focus on “the prayer of faith” has been on mountain-moving prayer by which we simply “claim” things from God with confidence that we will receive them because we believe that He will give them. Matt 17:20-21; 21:21; Mark 11:22-24
Discuss James 1:5–8; 4:2–3; 5:13–18

THIS IS THE PRAYER OF FAITH I
When you ask God to accomplish what He has promised in His Word. That promise is the only ground for our confidence in asking. Such confidence is not “worked up” from within our emotional life; rather, it is given and supported by what God has said in Scripture.
Otherwise, everyone will ask for frivolous stuff and expect God to answer (that’s the philosophy of word of faith movement).
This is just what Elijah did (even though he was an ordinary man like any of us); he asked based on the written word – Deut 28:15, 22-24

THIS IS THE PRAYER OF FAITH II
To pray a prayer of faith, we must be sure that what we ask of the Lord is provided in His word. If God says it, that settles it. The Bible says: “And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:14). So our prayers must align with his promises. For example, if one prays to God for healing, healing is a promise in God’s word. He said “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree…” (1 Peter 2:24).

HOW MUCH “FAITH IS NEEDED TO PRAY THE “PRAYER OF FAITH”?
There can be a great deal of confusion on this point, because we often think of Faith in terms of quantity, when instead we should think of quality. While it does take Faith to begin to pray at all, the “Prayer of Faith” needs a higher degree of quality to persevere until the answer comes. It takes a better grade of Faith to persevere in prayer than to just begin praying. “Do I have enough Faith to expect God to answer this prayer?“

HOW MUCH “FAITH IS NEEDED TO PRAY THE “PRAYER OF FAITH”?
As far as QUANTITY is concerned, any Faith is enough Faith. Luke 17:5-6; Matt 17:19-20
God is no respecter of persons when it comes to faith, because we all have been given a measure of faith – 2 Cor 5:7; Acts 10:34; Rom 12:3
While there are no levels in the quantity of Faith possessed, there are levels of QUALITY, i.e., “strong” versus “weak”. Rom 4:19-21
You build strength in Faith the same way you build strength in muscle – by exercise. The way you use Faith, the areas of life in which you apply Faith, the advantage you take in the opportunities the LORD lays before you – these are the means by which Faith grows strong. Heb 11:6.

EXAMPLES OF THE PRAYER OF FAITH

ARE ALL PRAYERS OF FAITH ANSWERED?

EXAMPLES OF THE PRAYER OF FAITH?
It is: Faith that acts (there must be an action attached to it – don’t get caught up in the moment or in what you are going through and refuse to cry out in faith for help);
Faith that asks (kneels before the Lord);
Faith that endures (or stays before the Lord)
This is the prayer that gets answered in God’s timing.
Mark 5:21-43

EXAMPLES OF THE PRAYER OF FAITH
James 5:13-18
Elijah – shutting the heavens; against the prophets of Baal;
Prayer of Jabez 1 Chron. 4:10
Jonah’s prayer for deliverance Jonah 2:2-9