We pray all the time because we have problems. You pray
because you have an answer. Because truth has been revealed - because Christ
has come. You pray from the position of covenant. And it’s an answer driven prayer not a problem
driven prayer. We get it backwards all the time.3
We think because we prayed there’s faith. No, we prayed
because there’s need a lot of times. We’re not praying because there’s faith.
We’re praying
because there’s need. …A lot of times we pray because we’re a problem driven
people and we don’t realize it. The only reason we should pray is because we
have an answer. We have a promise. We’re not praying because it’s a shot in the
dark and maybe there’s a God up there in the clouds that’s going to hear. We should be inspired to pray because we
have His word - because we know who God is - because we know His heart through
sending His Son. His love has been revealed and established in us.
We’re not driven by the crisis, it’s because Christ has come. So there’s an
answer that’s already been given.4
If you don’t go out believing it’s the will of God, you’ll
pass by lots of opportunities and when you do pray it forces you to just a “hope so”
thing and you won’t release the
authority of the kingdom or the power of the name of Jesus, most
likely. And yet God sometimes sovereignly, mercifully moves when you do this.
Did you ever realize that probably ninety some percent of the time Christians
they pray like this [fingers crossed] because they are driven by the
problem? They’re praying because of what’s wrong to a God that’s
here hoping He moves, when He has already moved through a Son. And we’re to speak to the mountain, “Move!”
And we’re to pray from the position of promise and covenant. He says, “Fear
not.” And we usually pray motivated by, driven by need and fear instead of
faith that works through love… He said, “If you have faith, you’ll say to the
mountain.” You won’t cry out to God. You’ll say to the mountain because you’ll
understand who you are in faith. And you address the mountain and the mountain
moves.5
If you get driven by need, you’re always a step behind.
We get motivated and compelled by love. Need will drive you in fear and
desperation. Love is
where faith is found. And love casts out fear.6
Faith works through love. It doesn’t work because you have a
need. We’re driven by need and we
read our Bibles to find a scripture that addresses our
need and we call that faith. That’s just reducing relationship
to doctrine or a principle by which you’re trying to get desperate help and now
you’re frustrated because where’s the help because I quoted it. Come on. This book was never written to be
reduced to a book of principles that you quote to get answers. It’s not
a magic book. You don’t rub it for a genie in a bottle. It’s an introduction into co-union and communion with the living
God. This is a book that allows you to partake of His divine nature and become
one with Him. It’s all about knowing Him not applying Him. I’m just
being real. Because, see, once I know Him, even in the quandary of not
receiving something that I know is scripturally there for me, I still realize
it’s just something I’m growing into. It’s not a reflection on God, His person,
His character and it doesn’t have to be a reflection on mine like we think.
We’re just growing.7