Lesson 5. The “Effective Prayer” School. Author Mary Alice Isleyb describes in detail what the prayer of faith is.
Have faith in God. For truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be lifted up and cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
Therefore I say to you: whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:23, 24
We know that faith is the key and determining factor in every kind of prayer. But there is a special prayer called the Prayer of Faith. This is the prayer we pray, for example, for our personal needs or the needs of our family. This prayer differs from prayer for other people.
In Mark 11, we see that Jesus taught His disciples that our needs can be met through faith in God.
Through the Prayer of Faith, we are to receive what God is able and willing to give us.
The Prayer of Faith consists in receiving from the Lord the forgiveness and everything He promises in His Word. Its foundation is what Jesus has already done for us through His crucifixion and resurrection.
Every promise recorded in the Bible belongs to us, and we can receive what has been promised through the prayer of faith. It is very important to understand this, because to liveaccording to the Bible—is to live by faith.
The righteous will live by faith. Rom. 1:17
This prayer is an integral part of your relationship with God and of living in victory and success.
The Bible says so much about faith, and the problems of many believers are usually the result of ignorance or neglecting confidence, conviction, and faith in what the Lord has promised.
Therefore, let this prayer penetrate deeply into your spirit and mind, and start practicing it right now!
We must hear the Word of God
I would like to walk through with you the steps involved in the Prayer of Faith, so that you will have a clear understanding of what Jesus says about it. And when you combine these principles with the faith in your heart, you will see results.
The first step is to hear the truth. We must hear the Lord’s promises; we must hear the Scriptures, because they are the power of God for those who believe.
When Jesus walked the earth, people released their faith because they heard for the first time what Jesus was saying. They heard the truth and knew how to believe.
The ability to hear is vital for the Prayer of Faith, for as Romans 10:17 says, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” We must hear not for someone else, but for ourselves.
We must hear the Word of God for ourselves and allow it to transform our hearts with truth.
We find a good example in the Gospel of Mark:
A woman had suffered from bleeding for twelve years, endured much from many physicians, spent all that she had, and received no benefit, but instead grew worse—
Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment; for she said, “If I may touch even His garments, I will be healed.”Mark 5:25–28
This woman was in a terrible situation; all her money had been spent on treatment, but she had only grown worse.
Notice the first words of verse 27: “Having heard about Jesus…” She heard about Jesus. She heard about healings and miracles. When she heard about the great things Jesus was doing, she came and touched Him.
And she did this by saying only, “If I just touch His clothes…” She began to release faith. She heard, spoke, and received. All of this was part of the faith that began to work in her. She came to Jesus, touched His clothes, and was completely healed. So what was her first step? She heard.
We hear the Lord’s promises, meditate on them, and immerse them in our hearts—and faith comes to deal with the problem.
You have the right to everything Jesus did for you and to all the promises of the Bible. We are His children! When we hear and meditate, faith comes into our hearts—and this is precisely the faith that helps you pray for God’s promises to be fulfilled in your life.
I have found the best way to hear the Word is to read it aloud and concentrate on it. There is an answer to every problem you face in the Bible. Focus and find a verse about healing or deliverance, or about something else that concerns you. And the Holy Spirit will lead you to the verse. The power of Scripture will work in your life if you believe the Word.
Receive What Was Promised
The next step is to receive what was promised. When the woman mentioned above heard about Jesus, she could make a choice. She could have said, “Oh, I don’t know what He can do in my situation; I am so sick.” But she did it differently: she heard—and received.What does it mean to receive? It means to take it for yourself. To take it the way a hungry dog grabs a bone. When you are given a gift, you take it for yourself. That is what it means to receive.
As children, we played basketball and were taught how to receive a pass. When the ball was coming, we were not supposed to move away; instead, we had to step toward the pass and catch the ball. The same is true of the Lord’s promises! As soon as you hear one, step forward—and receive it with all your heart!
There are many enemies that keep people from receiving God’s blessings: an incorrect view of the Bible, a wrong understanding of who God is, or thoughts like, “I am not worthy…” You are worthy because you are His child! Jesus made you worthy through His blood. God wants you to understand that His promises apply personally to each one of you and to receive what was promised.
For example, the first chapter of Ephesians says that we have all been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ. Make it personal and dare to say to Satan, religion, and circumstances: “I have received a spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ.” This will break the burden of religious chains if you receive it for yourself. Dare to receive grace as a child receives something from his or her parents—freely and easily. Do it without fear or hesitation!
Take Hold of What Was Promised Through Perseverance
Blind Bartimaeus is a good example of a person who took hold of what God had promised by force. In Mark, chapter 10, we see him sitting by the roadside, begging, but suddenly he hears the Good News…
Read what he says in verse 47:
When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
He heard about Jesus and immediately received what Jesus had.
Faith rose up in him, and he cried out, “Jesus, have mercy on me!”
He was persistent and even aggressive, so all the religious people around him became nervous and, as many people do in such cases, began to lecture him: “You’d better not shout so loudly. Be quieter!”
Interestingly, in such cases people use hackneyed, clichéd words, thereby masking their unbelief.
Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus with all his heart, and this provoked indignation among the people around him.
He did it for God. The others seemed to do so as well, but in reality they were glorifying themselves; otherwise, they would not have been offended by Bartimaeus expressing his faith in this way.
Jesus will never accuse you if you cry out from a pure heart. Pay with faith and cry out!
Do not let religious people who are far from Christ stop you. Bartimaeus did not let them. He held on to the faith of Jesus and cried out for Him more and more loudly. As he cried out, he said, “I receive You! I worship You! Jesus, You are mine! What You have promised is for me!” And he received it.
We see that when the woman suffering from bleeding received the Word, she said, “If only I could touch Him!” To the people around Jesus, this seemed impossible, but faith spoke within her. Bartimaeus likewise received the Word. Overflowing with what had struck him, he began to cry out to Jesus.
What did they actually do? They heard, and then they received.
Believe—it really is for you!
The next step in the prayer of faith is faith. It is one thing to receive, but you must unite your faith with what you receive. If you receive something for yourself, believe that it is true.
When I speak about these steps, I do not mean that you must follow them exactly, because they all work together; but you must realize that one of the vital factors is faith.
This is what Jesus constantly speaks about. He wants us to believe. Jesus said to the woman suffering from bleeding, “Your faith, not Mine, has healed you.” Blind Bartimaeus was healed, not because it was Jesus’ faith, but because it was his faith.
When you pray, you must believe. Yet many people, when asking God for something, do not believe a single word of their prayer. This is what Mark 11:24 says: “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it, and it will be yours.”
“All right,” someone will say, “what should I believe?” Believe that what you say in prayer is true, regardless of the circumstances, and your request will be fulfilled.
“Oh, I can’t. I have no faith. I don’t see it or feel it.” That is why you must pray the Prayer of Faith! After all, Christ has already given it to you. It is natural for you to have faith through the Prayer of Faith. Believe: everything you ask for and say will come to pass when you pray. Hear the promise. Receive it. Believe that it is for you today, right now!
Ask God for whatever you want
Petition is the next part of the Prayer of Faith. Let us see what Jesus taught:
Have faith in God. For truly I say to you: whoever says to this mountain, “Be lifted up and cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
Therefore I tell you: whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:23–24
In the Prayer of Faith, you can direct the Word straight at the problem. A financial problem? Illness? Depression? Jesus said to release our faith by addressing the problem as a mountain.
So what can you say to this mountain of troubles that has fallen upon you? You must confront it with the Word of God, because it is stronger than circumstances. You have the Father’s promise, so simply address the circumstances in the name of Jesus! It may seem strange to talk to circumstances, to ordinary earthly things, but Jesus, our Lord, taught us to do exactly that! Trust Him and take authority over the mountain of your problems! Shout at them! Frighten the devil!
Let us look at verse 24 once again: “...whatever you ask for...” God wants you to ask Him for what you want to receive.
Jesus knew that Bartimaeus needed sight; it was obvious that he was blind. Why, then, did Jesus ask him what he wanted? Because asking makes us more specific about what we want, and it is also a way to release faith!
Jesus wants us to believe that we will receive what we ask for, like a child who says he is hungry and whose mother asks what he would like to eat. Tell Jesus what you want! When He asked Bartimaeus, he answered, “I want to see.” James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask.” It is that simple, isn’t it?
This part of the Prayer of Faith may seem difficult for those who do not believe or have accepted false teaching. It is also difficult if you are afraid that God will not give you what you ask for, or if you are too proud to ask. God wants us to ask and to be specific enough about what we are asking for. If, for example, you need money to pay rent, tell Him how much you need and do not say, “Oh, Lord, I so hope that You will give me some money.” This is not the Prayer of Faith; it is unbelief.
This is how you should pray in this situation: “Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for Your promise to meet all my needs. You are Jehovah-Jireh for me. Father, I ask You for financial help. I need $500 to pay the rent this month. I thank You for it. I ask You for this because You are Jehovah-Jireh, and You said that You would meet all my needs. I believe that in Jesus Christ I have everything I need. I ask in faith, and I believe that I receive it now in the name of Jesus.”
I command the mountain of financial need to be cast into the sea in the name of Jesus. I command poverty to leave me in the name of Jesus. I refuse to accept lack, poverty, or anything else I do not need. I stand on the promise of God and thank You, Jesus, for the victory. In the name of Jesus, I already have it because I pray in faith, and I thank You for it in the name of Jesus.” The Bible calls this the Prayer of Faith.
Accept Nothing but Victory
The final step is persistence. Give no place to anything except victory, except a complete breakthrough. This final part—thanksgiving and persistence—may be one of the most important.
When you prayed, you believed that you already had what you were asking for. What should you do while you are waiting to actually receive it? Thank God and stand firm for what you asked for. Worship and praise are also very important in the Prayer of Faith, because we pray, believe, and receive before we actually see the answer. That is why this prayer is called the prayer of faith.
When you pray this prayer, there must be conviction in your spirit; then faith is released. Meditating on the promise before prayer will help convince you. Until it manifests, continue reading it and repeating it to yourself. This is your confession of faith. Very soon, you will be able to make a confession of faith—that is, to pray the Prayer of Faith confidently. And this should not be done occasionally (no prayer should be offered only from time to time). You need to pray continually.
At the same time, you should not ask for something again and again. It is enough to pray once, release faith, and know that you already have what you are asking for. But continue to stand in faith, give thanks, rejoice, and refuse to accept anything but the answer. Stand in faith!
Through faith and patience you inherit what was promised (Heb. 6:12). It may take days or even weeks, but do not give up! Jesus has heard you, and your faith is working. Let it work! Do not panic. Stand your ground until you see the answer, like a dog that will not let go of a bone. Do not give up!
You must pay the price by faith! You can do it! Jesus said so! Circumstances may be stronger, but continue to stand in faith. If faith is released from the heart, everything will surely change!
If circumstances are “shouting,” you can say in response:
“Thank You, Jesus, for my victory!”
I remember the story of a woman who developed a tumor on her arm. Desperately wanting the tumor to go away as soon as possible, she once said to the Lord:
“My husband will pray for it.” Before going to bed, her husband placed his hand on hers and said, “I curse this tumor in the name of Jesus.” He did it without enthusiasm because he was tired and wanted to sleep, but he released his wife’s faith. She went into the living room and said, “Lord, I believe that when my husband prayed, I was healed, and I will dance until it falls off my arm.”
She began to dance because, as she prayed, she believed in the work of the Holy Spirit. She danced and danced, and later, looking at her arm, she saw that the tumor had disappeared!
Of course, it does not always happen so quickly. Sometimes you need to stand in faith for a long time; but I tell you—God honors your faith, and it will come to pass. Circumstances must change—this is what Scripture says.
We must say: “The Word of God is true. His promises are for me. I believe it and stand on it. I believe and refuse to accept anything else in the name of Jesus!”
Thank You, Lord, for my miracle! Thank You, Lord, that You have met my need! I do not know where or how it will come, but it is mine. No matter how long it takes, I will stand on the Word of God in the name of Jesus. I praise You, Father! Hallelujah!”
Remember, when circumstances are against you, answer: “Hallelujah, this does not belong to me!” When sickness is against you, shout in response, declaring your healing, and thank the Lord. When you have no way to pay the bills, go home, lay them on the floor, and dance on them. When depression oppresses you, rise up against it: “No, I am well! I am filled with the glory of the Lord!” Strike it in the face with all the strength of your praise.
Keep believing, thanking, rejoicing, and releasing faith. Sometimes it is hardest to praise God in the middle of the battle, but that is precisely where the victory lies! People will laugh at you, mock you, and persecute you, thinking you are crazy. Just follow the Bible and be unconventional! This is an expression of your faith, and it pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, please God, not people! God is with you!
Hear the promise, receive it, believe, ask, and then stand in faith, thanking and praising the Lord until you receive the answer. You will see that everything God has said is true. You can have victory in every area of your life. Use what God has given you: pray the Prayer of Faith.
End of lesson.
