Page 77 - The Prosperous Way _ (APRIL 2024 v3)

THE POWER OF FAITH

The Holy Spirit can also speak an audible word directly into our hearts.
I believe this direct word from the Spirit has the greatest impact on our
faith. Therefore, more than anywhere else, position yourself in a place
where you can hear God for yourself. In whatever way that you know
how, find your way into God’s presence: Through reading a portion of
the Scriptures each day or getting alone in your prayer closet with God
or going for a “prayer walk” with Him. Then simply wait to hear His voice,
knowing that He will speak. It may be by an urgent impression in your
spirit, or a quiet voice within your heart, or Scripture that comes alive as
you read. Position yourself to hear God’s voice, wait for Him to speak
into your situation and keep faith and hope alive in your heart.

THE PRAYER OF FAITH

Jesus describes the power of the prayer of faith in this way.

“Have faith in God. I tell you, the truth, if anyone says to this
mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in
his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done
for him. I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you
have received it, and it will be yours“ (Mark 11:24).

A prayer that is prayed from a place of faith is powerfully effective.
However, it is only when we know that what we pray is in accordance
with His will that we can have that unwavering certainty that we will
receive—which is “faith.” Hence, 1 John 5:14 says this: “This is the
confidence that we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything

according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us,
whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

So, when we pray in accordance with the promises in the Word, we can
know that what we ask is God’s will and be confident that He will carry
out His will. This is why Jesus tells us, “If you remain in me, and my words
remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” (John
15:7). Therefore, to pray effectively, we must centre our prayers around
God’s promises and principles as revealed in His Word. We can
personalize the Scriptures and pray them, almost word for word, over
our life. For example, we can pray and declare the promises of
Deuteronomy 28:3--14; that God is able to make us the head and not
the tail, a lender and not a borrower, our cupboards will always be filled,
our business will be blessed, and so on. We can pray God’s principles;

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