faith

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us – whatever we ask- we know that we have what we have asked of Him”

1John 5:14-15

I love this verse. We believe in prayer but this passage reminds us of the importance of approaching prayer with faith. Just because we pray doesn’t mean we are praying in faith. In actual fact sometimes I think the more we pray we can pray ourselves out of faith. There is a point where we can say Lord you have heard me and I know I have asked according to your will so I have what I I have asked you so I’m am going to just thank you I already have it. Faith has to be activated in us at some point otherwise in ends up just been unbelief. Imagine your child asking you for something and you say yes and then your child keeps coming back every 5 minutes asking and begging and whining for that thing again and again. We would think something is wrong with our child wouldn’t we. There must be a point where thanksgiving takes place before it happens That’s real faith.

This quote from Watchman Nee is one of the best definitions of I have seen on faith

What is faith? Faith is when you are brought to the place whereby you can claim from God that something has already been done even though it appears it has not. If faith precedes ones work such work is living. If works precedes one’s faith it is dead.

Maybe a lot more thanksgiving needs to accompany our prayer life. After all we are commanded to enter into his presence with thanksgiving. He’s the God who is always with us and in us.