InEssence

The most elementary principle of faith, and, in my opinion, the key to all others, is the law of sowing and reaping. Abundant, persistent, sowing (if the field is maintained) produces a bumper crop.

If you sow faith toward God you will reap a reward by the Spirit.. Jesus said, "Your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly."

In order to receive from God, one must sow faith! James 1;5-8 reads, "If any of you lacks wisdom, should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt , because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all he does." Brethren, herein is contained the most basic principle of answered prayer. Unadorned faith.

In Galatians 3:5 Paul questions all who will ever employ a "carrot - stick" theology, "Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?" Brethren, this is a question worth looking at! Do you believe what you have heard?

Persistence

Another faith principle is found in Isaiah 62:1,6,7, "For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. I have posted watchmen on your walls O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You reminders of the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth." Here we find that persistent diligence is enjoined. God ordained intercession day and night until the answer He had already established came. God's priesthood worked three 8 hour shifts, every day. Remember, God's dealings with Israel are windows into spiritual reality. Faith perseveres in prayer.

Knowing His Will

1 John 5:14,15 reads, "This is the confidence 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."

What do we truly believe is according to His immediate will? If that is settled than we know that He hears us! We receive His will.

The following are some questions to ask yourself: What do you truly believe is God's will in any specific situation in your life. In your family's, friends' or fellowship's lives? When you have determined what you believe, pray along those lines!

The Problem of Presumptuous Prayer

Praying with presumption is taking the promises and principles of God's word and divorcing them from His purposes.

When this prayer is not absolutely riddled with selfishness, we can charitably call it "Overextended Faith." Do not overextend your faith. Extend your faith to the limit of, but not beyond, what you truly believe. This is abiding in Messiah and being a responsible steward of your relationship with God.

We see examples of this with Jeremiah's confrontations with the attitude of Judah (Zion theology) and with a false prophet the extrapolation of that false theology: “We can never fall, God’s temple is here!”).

Overextended faith demoralizes the believer. It alienates the believer from a] the true degree of faith he has, b] the witness of the Spirit, and c] God's purposes.

Some alternatives and ways of avoiding "overextended faith" are, a] having an overarching understanding of the sweep of scripture and praying in line with that, b] hearing the current "word," of the Spirit, and c] subordinating impressions to the scripture and the brethren (remember the two or three Jesus spoke of ?).

Faith is the Friend of Relationship to God.

Faith in the "trustworthiness" of our Active God is the foe of fear! The Gift of Faith is produced by the Holy Spirit through our spirit/soul and body. Our entire humanity (the image of God) experiences it and releases it and then "the waters part!" God acts salvifically in situations where - apart from faith - things would remain the same.

The gift of faith is informed by the Scriptures:

The Word is the wood,
The quickening of the Spirit is the spark,
Faith is the flame!

Praying according to God's will, as revealed in the Scriptures, is a sure guide to fellowship with God. Presumption comes through having one's own agenda. We must remain faithful to God.

Sealing Petition With Praise

You know your faith is real when it can be truly accompanied with thanksgiving! (Philippians 4) This is necessary because the enemy comes to steal the word of the Kingdom, the promise God has made plain to you.

Do you believe you will receive what you have asked? Then thank Him for the answer. Praise Him for the Divine Characteristics that make the answer sure.

It is good to memorize, quote, pray, and speak (in conversation at "relevant times") the verses that have made faith real to you. This strengthens your heart and is part of using the Sword of the Spirit, the rhema of God. {a definition of rhema: the spoken logos (word)}

There is a pattern given in Hebrews 13 - "Because God has said, ... So we say with confidence, ... " Find what God has said, respond verbally. Hebrews 13:15 encourages us to give thanks verbally, "The fruit of our lips, giving thanks." When we vocalize, the entire man -- spirit soul and body -- is involved. The entire man is the image of God.

When Peter walked on the water. His confidence in Messiah needed to be maintained. When God's image, in Jesus's name (standing in redemption), offers thanks at the end of prayer, the faith that energized prayer is maintained and guarded. This is important so that the answer may come. Maintain your confidence to the end until your answer comes.