WISDOM FOR QUICK ANSWERS TO PRAYERS. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. - Joshua 1:8 The period separating the prayer of faith and the manifestation of the answer is a crucial one. But the truth of it is that it all lies within the absolute control of the individual. Joshua 1:8 is the key. His confessions, thoughts, and actions are the principal determinants of whether he will have success and prosperity or failure and want. • CONFESSION This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth. Entire volumes have been written on the power of the tongue. James warned against the unbridled use of the tongue. It is a serious theme in the Bible. This is because nothing gets done until it is spoken. Hebrews 11:3 says, Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. God said something before anything got done. (See Genesis 1:3). God expects us to act like Him, calling into being, things that (at the moment) do not exist, as if, in fact, they exist (Romans 4:17). Faith is the substance of things hoped for. When we act in the faith realm we are seeing the outcome of things without the aid of our natural senses. Thus, the language of the mouth must correspond with the hope that is in the heart. In Mark 11:23, Jesus said, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. You can have what you say. Therefore, it will matter very little if after you pray for something, you talk quite contrary to your expectation. You have what you say, not what you believe. The heart and the mouth must agree. As the Lord put it, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Matthew 12:34 Some people allow wrong teachings to interfere with this level of operation of faith. It has been taught (wrongly, of course), that this is psychology, a manipulation of the mind. They think that it is wrong to continually talk about something you have not seen. That is why they miss it. First, if you wait to see it happen before you believe, that is not faith. You do not need faith to receive what you already have. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Secondly, confession is God’s own system of operation. We have to be wise to these things. That is how He Himself acts. He, for example, confessed, through hundreds of years, right from Adam’s disobedience in Eden, till that glorious morning in Bethlehem, that the Messiah was coming. He told Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, and the Prophets. He was confessing. He was calling those things that be not as though they were. He said, I proceeded forth and came from God. John 8:42 Jesus confessed His Sonship several times. He had to do so to maintain an awareness of His Sonship. Keep the word of God continually in your mouth. • THOUGHT LIFE ...but thou shalt meditate therein day and night,... Meditation means deep, continued thought or reflection, to ponder, solemn reflection on sacred matters, as a devotional act. It means letting your thoughts dwell constantly on God’s word. Your thought life, or the way you think, after you pray, is extremely important. The reason for this is simple. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7 A man is not different from his thoughts. Therefore, let your thoughts dwell on the answer. Doubt is a weapon of the devil, and it is aimed at destroying your faith. When faith is destroyed, there is no basis for reaching out to God. Hebrews 11:6 is straight to the point: Without faith, it is impossible to please Him (God) Faith is the ticket for receiving. Guard your thoughts jealously. Continually cast down imaginations (or reasoning) that are contrary to the word of God. • ACTIONS ...that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein:... Your actions must correspond to the confession of faith you have made. You must do the word. James takes to task those who profess to have faith - without acting on it. He concludes that faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone (James 2:17). James is merely pointing out what must be an inconsistency in a faith which does not produce fruit. If there is faith, then, there will be something to show for it. And this is not only so that men will know we have faith, but God Himself weighs actions too. For the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. 1 Samuel 2:3 Doing the word requires acting out in faith. Faith is a touch. The classic example is provided by the woman with the issue of blood, recorded in Mark 5. When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched His garment. For she said, if I may but touch His clothes, I shall be whole. (Verses 27,28) Of course, a note of caution is necessary here. Action alone will not produce the work of faith, nor must action precede faith. The true position is that where there is action, there must be faith.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 09:00:20 +0000
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