Faith, part 5

If we are going to “fight the good fight of faith,” we must be people of prayer. Praying is how we engage in the battle for faith. When life is more than we can handle, we pray. When we enter into the closet of prayer, there we find peace and security. Paul said to pray in the Spirit at all times. That can mean many things, but it primarily means to enter into the spirit of what you are praying for, in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. If you are up against an overwhelming battle, then your prayer has to be filled with energy; you must be engaged. You are not to just sit back and wish things were better. You will have to fight in prayer. 
 

Hebrews 5:7 “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.” This is an earthly picture of how Jesus prayed. He prayed with loud crying and tears. He was up against all the evil in this world. He couldn’t just sit back and mouth a nice prayer filled with all kinds of high-minded theological nuances. Charles Finney used to say, “benevolent thoughts do not constitute prayer.” 

There may be many times when prayer has a gentle tone to it. If you are simply in the presence of God – loving Him and worshipping Him – that is quite different from the type of prayer Jesus modeled for us here. 
 

James 5:16 “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” The word for “effective” is the Greek energeo. We get the word energy from it. So, it’s the energized prayer of a righteous man that accomplishes much. Not all prayers offered by righteous people are effective. Many times we pray with doubt. We can simply mouth prayers without any heart or passion. The effective prayer, is energized. Then, James goes on to explain what an energized prayer is like.
 

James 5:17 “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” He had a nature like ours. He could have just as easily given up, rather than pray. But he prayed earnestly. Then he prayed again and watched God move a second time. Within his prayer he prayed again. 

I feel that too many of us are allowing a defeatist attitude determine our lifestyle. God wants us - He longs for us - to fight for our faith. He wants us to pray with determination; He wants us to pray effectively, energized. He wants us to pray earnestly.

What are you believing God for? Don’t let go of that. God will grant it, if only we will hang on to our faith – realize that His promises are true – that He cannot lie – but we must believe. END