Life Plan Devotion #118 [Get prayers answered, 7th condition, Part II]

Mark 9:23 "...If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes" (NKJV).

The seventh and final basic condition to answered prayer is: Pray in faith, believing. You can meet the other conditions (pray in the Name of Jesus; pray with praise and thanksgiving; pray without known--unconfessed--sin in your life; pray with the right motive, God's glory; pray from the place of right relationship; pray according to the Word of God), but if you do not pray in faith, believing, you will not see the answer to your prayer. The answer will be an automatic "no."
You know, surely, that "without faith it is impossible to please [God]..." (Hebrews 11:6a, KJV, proper noun inserted for pronoun by author, for clarity). For many believers, however, their faith is merely wishful thinking. They may pray, "Please, God..." but really do not believe that God will "come through" for them. That may be due to a misunderstanding of what faith means, or it may be due to a misunderstanding of who God is.
Jesus talked much about faith. In the future, Lord willing, we will look at many of His instructive words about faith, for great and precious promises are housed therein. Today, let's listen to our Lord, as He shows us, with His words, that blessings (miracles, even) are bestowed according to our faith.
--"Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you..." (Matthew 8:13, NKJV).
--"Your faith has made you well" (Matthew 9:22, NKJV).
--"According to your faith will it be done to you" (Matthew 9:29, NIV).
Some believers think they just don't have the faith needed to see God answer their prayers. I lovingly respond with, "That's baloney!" I am confident in that, because Romans 12:3 mentions "the measure of faith God has given you" (NIV). Notice that God gives each of us "the measure of faith," not a measure of faith. Each believer has the same measure of faith; it's up to each believer to increase his/her faith. We increase our faith each time we stretch our faith to believe God's Word and pray in faith, believing.
Jesus assures you that "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" and "whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24, NIV). In yesterday's devotion, I asked you if you "believe when you see" or if you "see when you believe." Faith believes the answer is "here" when the prayer is spoken. The difference is faith, and faith makes all the difference!

What this has to do with weight loss: The weight-loss journey can be full of wishful thinking. How often have you thought or said, "I wish I could lose weight faster," "I wish this stall would break," or "I wish I was at goal weight already"? Wishful thinking carries no power with it. Indeed, there is a foundation of sadness, discontentment, or even anger beneath it. However, if you line yourself up with the Word of God and the basic conditions to answered prayer, and pray for God to partner with you, to help you lose weight, break that stall, and reach goal weight, for His glory and your health, and believe in your heart that He is who He says He is (Almighty God, with nothing too hard for Him) and can do what He says He can do (even the impossible), and receive His "yes" answer right in the midst of the unchanged present, God is pleased to say "So be it."

Confession:
When I pray, I make sure I am in right standing with God (confessing known sin in my life) and in right relationship with others (by practicing forgiveness). When I pray, I praise God for who He is, and I thank Him for all He has done, is doing, and will do for me. When I pray, I pray God's Word for my situation and request, asking from a heart motivated to give God all the glory. When I pray, I pray in faith, believing I receive the answer right then, knowing in my heart that, in Jesus' Name, it is done!

Life Plan Devotion #117 [Get prayers answered, 7th condition, Part I]

Mark 9:23 "...If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes" (NKJV).

We have looked at 6 of the 7 basic conditions to answered prayer:
1) Pray in the Name of Jesus.
2) Pray with praise and thanksgiving.
3) Pray without known (unconfessed) sin in your life.
4) Pray with the right motive, God's glory.
5) Pray from the place of right relationship.
6) Pray according to the Word of God.
Today and tomorrow, we will look at the final condition to answered prayer: 7) Pray in faith, believing. While each condition we've looked at is important, without praying in faith, you can meet all the other conditions and still not see the answer to your prayer.
Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (KJV). Let's look at the Greek word and definition for each of the main words in this verse. The Greek word for "faith" is pistis. Not only does it mean "reliance upon Christ for salvation," but it means "conviction of the truthfulness of God; constancy in profession of Gospel truth; assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity." The Greek word for "substance" is hupŏstasis (hoop-os’-tas-is), and it means "concrete essence or abstract assurance: confidence, confident, person, substance." The Greek word for "hoped" is ĕlpizō (el-pid’-zo), and it means "expect." The Greek word for "evidence" is ĕlĕgehŏs (el’-eng-khos), and it means "proof, conviction." The Greek word for "seen" is blĕpō (blep’-o), and it means "to look at: behold, perceive, see."
Think of the most recent prayer you prayed, asking God for something. Think about how you worded that prayer. Think about how you felt, when you prayed. Think about the thoughts you had, after you prayed. With the Greek definitions in mind, for the main words, read my personalized version of Hebrews 11:1 ("Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"): Conviction of the truthfulness of God is the concrete essence or abstract assurance of what I expect, the proof of what I don't yet see.
Based on your most recent asking-prayer experience, which of the following applies to you? Think about each question, and be honest with yourself. Do you believe when you see? or Do you see when you believe? There is a difference, and the difference makes all the difference in asking prayer.

What this has to do with weight loss: What is the proof that you are doing well on your weight-loss journey? Is it the number on the scale or tape measure, how your clothes fit, what the mirror shows, or what others say to/about you? What if none of those things were in any way positive? Would you still believe that "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it" (Philippians 1:6, NKJV)?

Confession: When I pray, I pray in faith, the conviction of the truthfulness of God, and I will receive what I expect to receive.