“Praying always with all kinds of prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” – Ephesians 6:18
Moffat translation says, “Praying at all times in the Spirit.” We are under a better covenant with better promises, so our prayers are under the authority of a better priesthood as Jesus is our great High Priest interceding in the presence of God for us. In the Old Covenant (also known as the Old Testament) they did not have the Name (authority) of Jesus like we have now. Therefore, they had a greater struggle with evil spirits and demons. But Jesus came and spoiled all principalities and powers making an open show of them, triumphantly. Therefore, prayer in the New Covenant is entirely a different matter, and it has a victorious effect because satan has been defeated. Our authority is now on a higher level that takes on the spirit world with great effect and power.
Matthew 21:21, 22
“21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
Jesus is talking about prayer here; He is specifically talking about believing prayer. He is talking about the prayer of faith. Someone said, “God answers all prayer.” No He does not. He answers believing prayer or if it be thy will, He will. Let me explain, Gods will is His Word and He reveals Himself in His Word – nothing is hidden. Jesus came to unveil Gods plan for your life.
When Jesus said “Not My will”, it was not that He was not going to do Gods will, His purpose was that nothing will stand in the way of fulfilling (completely) His Fathers will. In Luke 22:42 Jesus was consecrating and dedicating Himself to whatever the Father’s will desired. When we pray ‘your will be done’, it is like saying “Lord I want to become a missionary or a pastor.” When we want to change or receive something from the Lord, we have His Word to believe and stand upon. It is Gods will for all of our needs to be met as we receive it by faith!
In Mark 11:22 Jesus said “Have the God kind of faith.” He had just rebuked the fig tree and explains how faith works with believing in your heart and speaking it out with your mouth. And in verse 23 he shows us how to speak to the mountain, “I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” Then in verse 24 He explains, “What things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and ye shall have them.” Then in Romans 10:9-10 it says “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
The things that you desire also pertains to healing and other natural things. When you listen to the devil, he will rob you of the blessings of God that was intended for you. So, your desire is connected to your faith because Gods Word is connected to your faith!
How does faith come? Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” It comes by hearing (consistently, over and over) the Word through confession of the scripture. By reading out loud, you hear the Word as your own spirit hears the Word out of your own mouth – that is how faith comes by hearing. Now, faith works by love acting on the Word! We have Gods Word which are His promises, that these desires can be met – that we can have those things which we desire. Your desires are based on the condition of your heart and your fellowship and walk with the Lord. Keeping your heart tender through repentance, always keeps a soft and tender heart by searching through it constantly.
Whatever we receive from God comes through the exercising of our faith, as we believe the Word for healing, finances and salvation. Remember faith please God – Hebrews 11:6
- The righteous man/woman lives as a lifestyle by faith – Romans 1:17
- For we walk by faith, not by our 5 physical senses – 2 Corinthians 5:7
- The righteous lives by faith because he believes – Galatians 3:11
- Out of His faith, the righteous will live – Habakkuk 2:4
We need to consistently feed our faith on the Word and not other people’s opinions and experiences for our faith to grow and mature and become the strong faith like Abraham. Paul says in Romans 12:3 that, “we all have the measure of faith.” Meaning, it can mature from weak or little faith to become a strong foundational faith from where our prayer life can excel. This is how we will believe to do great exploits for the Kingdom where the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 bear testimony of such a life of faith.
The prayer of faith is a very unique kind of prayer, because it is prayed with desire to see the manifestation of what we are believing for. That means that if my prayer is not manifested, it that I must change my desire to be in line with Gods Word. I might pray for a million oil barrels, that might be my desire, but is that Gods desire for me? Then I must spend more time in fellowship with the Holy Spirit because He know Gods desires for me.
Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
How many times do I pray the prayer of faith? Only once, saying as you pray for yourself, “I believe I receive, and I shall have them.” But the Prayer of Agreement can multiple time Matthew 18:18-20, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” So, it says I must believe that I receive before I have them, meaning it might not manifest immediately in the natural, but by faith I have to say: “Jesus says to me, what things soever I desire when I pray, I am to believe that I receive them, and I will have them. I call those things that does not exist in the natural realm out of the spiritual realm [there it exists] by faith”! Learn to pray the prayer of faith for yourself and receive answers to your prayers. When I understood this prayer, I laid hands on myself (as I got many headaches as a child and as a young man) now for 40 years I am free from all headaches and pain! Glory to God!
Blessings,
Pastor Eugene Leonard
Prayer Harvest Ministries International
