Have Faith and Believe That God Is Working Behind The Scenes | A Blessed Morning Prayer

When you're a Christian, you're either fighting to grow in Christ or you've given up the fight and you're backsliding. And I really can't stress this enough. It's so important to examine yourself and to examine yourself honestly. Where do you stand with the Lord? Are you still in the fight? Are you fighting to pray daily? Are you fighting to read the Word of God and keep it hidden in your heart? Are you fighting to live according to God's Word? Are you fighting to grow in faith and in your relationship with Christ? You see, dear friend, this is a fight we can't afford to lose. It's a fight that we need God's grace in order to win. The Word of God teaches us that faith is absolutely necessary for a believer in Christ. It's by faith that we come to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is also by faith that we live our lives with joy and gladness, knowing that there is an eternity to be spent with the Father above. Hebrews 11 verse 6 says, But without faith it is impossible to walk with God and please Him. For whoever comes near to God must necessarily believe that God exists and that He rewards those who earnestly and diligently seek Him. Matthew 21 verse 22, And whatever you ask in prayer you will receive if you have faith. Ephesians 2 verse 8 says, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God. This underlines just how faith is a requirement for the believer. It is the core of our Christian living. Hebrews 11 verse 1 says, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. The New King James translation of that same verse says, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Pay close attention to how the Bible describes faith. First, faith is assurance, meaning it's a guarantee. It's a declaration of confidence in God's power and in His ability. Secondly, faith is substance, meaning that it's real. It's tangible. Third, faith is conviction. It's a strong or firmly held belief, persuasion, or position in God. There is no doubt. And fourth, faith is evidence. Faith is the proof, the indication, the display of total trust in the Lord. In a court of law, there will always be an argument put forward by each party. Both the prosecutor and defendant will have to provide evidence in order to persuade the court to find the case in their favor. And it's the evidence that persuades the judge and the jury to come to a decision. So if the Bible says that faith is the evidence of things not seen, that means that faith is us presenting our belief as evidence to God. So when you say, Lord, I trust you to be my provider, how strong is your evidence? How strong is the belief that you are presenting to God? When you say, God, I trust you to be my healer, just how robust is the case that you're putting forward? Is it backed by layers and layers of faith? Is it backed by the action of you waiting patiently on God without murmuring or complaining? Is it backed by evidence such as you being able to still have joy and praise in your heart, even though you are still waiting on God to meet your need? Faith is something that we should live with and exercise every single day. Faith should be the core principle that we stand on. Faith in God's word, faith in who God is, and faith in his promises. Real Christianity is all about carrying your cross daily. It's about fighting, fighting against sin, fighting against the devil, fighting against the world, fighting temptations. Christianity is a fight. Now, the Bible makes it clear in James 1 verses 2 through 4, when it says, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience, but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Notice that the Bible says, when you fall into various trials and not if, because trials are an inevitable part of the Christian walk, and trials can do one of two things to you. They can ignite a fire and a desire in you to cling to God, or they'll fill you with doubt and unbelief, and even a strong Christian can easily find themselves backsliding. And hear me, it's a dangerous place to find oneself backsliding. And what does it really mean to be backslidden? Well, traditionally, the word referred to someone that had become an apostate, that is someone who had left the Christian faith altogether. Today, however, it's rarely used in its proper manner, and it's often used to describe someone who has given themselves to some worldly temptation and sin. It's a person who's given up. They've stopped fighting the good fight of faith. They've stopped fighting against sin. And this is a really dangerous place to be in as a believer. The reality is that we're ever going in one of two directions as a Christian. Either we're growing in holiness, or we're slipping into sinfulness. You see, there's no such thing as coasting when you're a Christian. You're either fighting to grow in Christ, or you've given up the fight, and you're backsliding. You can't be on the fence as a Christian. You can't serve two masters as a Christian, because the word says either you'll hate the one and love the other, or you'll be devoted to the one and despise the other. Matthew 24 verse 13 says, but the one who endures and bears up under suffering to the end will be saved. All of those who are truly saved will persevere until the end of their life. This is both a great comfort to the true believer that they'll be saved if they keep fighting right until the end. When you pray, pray for tenacity. Pray for the Lord to strengthen you in your weakness. And now, let's take a few moments to pray together. Lord Jesus, we praise you. We glorify your precious name. And God, we pray right now that our hearts may be found to be verses one and two. As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? Father, I pray right now that you would touch our lives. Lord, set our hearts ablaze for you. Give us a hunger to seek you. Lord, your word tells us that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And so, Lord, our prayer is that your word would live in our hearts and in our minds. Joshua 1 verse 8 says, this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Lord Jesus, may you give us a desire to really study and cherish your word. Help us to meditate on your word so that it may intensify the fire in our hearts. May it intensify the fire within our hearts to serve you. Lord, let it intensify the hunger within us so that we will have a relentless desire to seek you. Your word says in 1 Chronicles 28 verse 9, and you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind. For the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Father, it's our desire to have a revelation from you. It's our desire to have a personal experience of your presence. Lord, help me to trust you like Job did. If I were to lose everything, if my career was taken away from me, if my house and car were taken away from me, I pray that I'd be able to have a trust that is unshakable. I pray that I will always be able to also declare the words that were declared in Job 13 verse 15. Though he slay me, I will hope in him. God, I pray that I might have strong faith to be able to trust you. Give me faith like Moses so that when you speak to me and call me to do your work or when the time comes for me to step into my calling, help me not to doubt. Give me the faith to step out and walk on water. When I think I can't do that or I won't succeed, I pray for bold faith that will say with God all things are possible. Give me faith to truly believe that you are the God of I am and that you will make a way when there seems to be no way. Lord, I pray for a heart of worship like David. I too want to chase after your heart. I too want to worship you in spirit and in truth. Dear God, give me the boldness of the three Hebrew boys, the boldness to remove every idol in my life, the boldness to refuse to bow down to anything that tries to take your place in my life. Lord, help me to be bold enough to remove it. God, give me the determination that the woman with the issue of blood had that if I can just touch the hem of your garment, if I can just be in your presence, I believe I'll be made whole. Lord, I want to be obedient like Noah so that when the naysayers come I may have the strength, the belief, and the conviction to obey you. Father, I pray for wisdom like Solomon so that I may be able to navigate this life so that I may be a positive and godly influence to my family and my friends. Lord, make me a better person. Refine the impurities in my heart, God. Give me divine peace deep within my spirit and soul. Help me not to be restless. Holy Ghost, help me not to fear even when things all around me appear to spiral out of control. I declare that even though my life may bring its challenges, my God will see me through. My God will supply all of my needs. I declare that even though I may come across giants and various enemies, my faith in Jesus Christ will not be moved. My faith in the Son of God will remain sturdy and firm. Lord, I thank you for the assurance that you have given me in John 14 verse 1 where the You believe in God. Believe also in me. It is because of your word that I have faith to keep going in this life. And Father, I pray that your presence may increase in my life. As I decrease, be glorified, be honored, and be praised. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God, my soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind. For the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey his voice, for the Lord your God is a merciful God, he will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers, which he swore to them.