In this chapter, I want to introduce you to two keys that will guarantee you answered prayer every time you pray! These are the ninth and tenth steps to one hundred per cent answered prayer. I will like to describe these steps as the “Failure-proof” keys.
9. THE NINTH STEP TO ONE HUNDRED PER CENT ANSWERED
PRAYER IS: HAVE FAITH EVERY TIME YOU PRAY.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Mark 11:24
Jesus taught great lessons on faith throughout His ministry. He often emphasized that people were getting blessed because they were using faith.
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Hebrews 10:38
God is saying that if you draw away from faith, He will not be pleased with you. There are those who think that faith is not so important.
They tend to draw away from the faith message and faith people.
They feel that there must rather be an emphasis on patience, gentleness, holiness and on the other qualities of the fruit of the Spirit.
I strongly believe that these qualities are important and play a special role in the Christian life. However, the importance of the fruit of the Spirit to the Christian experience should not make us play down on the importance of something like faith. The fact that the
heart is important does not make the kidneys any less important.
Both are necessary, and have special, unique roles to play.
Faith is a very special virtue which has a role in every Christian’s life. The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
It is interesting to note that the Word of God does not say: “Without love it is impossible to please God.” The Bible does not say:
“Without peace it is impossible to please God.” The Bible is very clear on this fact: WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE
GOD!
Abraham’s faith in God was considered to be an act of righteousness. Abraham believed that El’ Shaddai was able to give him a child at an old age. Abraham had his faults. He lied about his wife and surrendered her twice to unbeliever kings for their pleasure. In spite of his lying and cowardly behaviour, God was very pleased with Abraham because he had faith.
Maybe by your standards, Abraham would have been disqualified.
But he was a great man in God’s sight. His greatness was a result of his faith.
And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore IT WAS IMPUTED TO HIM
FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Romans 4:21-22
God is happy, impressed and pleased when you believe in Him.
When you believe that God will heal you, you make Him happy.
When you believe that God will prosper you, you make Him excited.
When you believe that your breakthrough is on the way, God is so pleased with you. When you have faith that you will live long, God is provoked to extend your life. When you believe that God will give you increase and abundance, you excite the deep parts of El’
Shaddai. You make Him pour out the milk of His blessings into your life.
From today, never doubt any part of God’s Word. Accept that you are the champion He is speaking about. Flow with the message of prosperity, healing and abundance. Always remember that God is happy when you believe in Him.
God is not a God of poverty. Since I came to know the Lord I have not decreased. I do not read about decrease, failure, setbacks and limitations in the Bible. I see only abundance, promotion and deliverance from my enemies. I see God lifting me up every day!
God did not bring you to Christ in order to demote and disgrace you.
He brought you to Christ to lift and establish you in an abundant life.
Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
Jesus Blessed the Faith People
Under the ministry of Jesus, several people experienced personal breakthroughs. Who were they? And why did they receive these miracles?
You will remember what Jesus said about the woman with the issue of blood. This was a woman who had suffered for twelve years without any breakthrough. She came up to Jesus and received an extraordinary miracle. What was the secret of her breakthrough?
Jesus gave the answer in Mark 5:34:
…Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole…
Mark 5:34
Blind Bartimaeus received his sight miraculously. He was a noisy fellow who disturbed the service. But Jesus took notice of him and healed him. What was his secret? His secret was faith in God!
…thy faith hath made thee whole...
Mark 10:52
The sinful woman who poured an alabaster box of ointment on Jesus’ feet also received a miracle of forgiveness. Jesus said to the woman:
…Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Luke 7:50
Remember the ten lepers who were healed with only one coming back to say “thank you”. Jesus said these same words to him:
…Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Luke 17:19
Two blind men came to Jesus and asked for the mercy of God.
Jesus touched them and healed them. What did He say to them?
…According to your faith be it unto you.
Matthew 9:29
Have you noticed that Jesus never said, “Thy love hath made thee whole.”
Jesus never said, “Thy holiness hath saved you.”
He never said, “According to your patience, be it unto you.”
Why did Jesus not say, “Thy good character hath made thee whole”?
Please do not misunderstand me! I am not saying that these things are not important! I am saying that it is the people’s faith that impressed Jesus. Jesus pointed out over and over that it was their faith that had brought the breakthrough. That is why the Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God.
Have you ever thought of those men who broke through the roof of somebody’s house in order to bring their paralyzed friend to Christ?
Perhaps they were experienced thieves who were used to breaking into people’s homes. Perhaps they were men who were used to jumping the queue and cheating others. But the Bible tells us that Jesus noticed their faith and immediately responded to their needs.
And WHEN HE SAW THEIR FAITH he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
Luke 5:20
Jesus did not dwell on the wrong they did by jumping the queue or removing the tiles from somebody’s roof. He saw their faith. Jesus sees your faith. God sees your faith. It is time for you to rise up and believe things in the Word of God. According to your faith, it shall be done unto you!
When you exercise faith in prayer, God responds in the same way that Jesus responded to these men. He is so impressed with your prayer. When you believe that you have received, you please God!
In order to exercise faith, you must believe that you have received what you are praying for. This means you will not have to pray over and over for the same thing.
Begging and crying is not the same as praying with faith. Many Christians just cry and cry in a spirit of hopelessness. God is not against crying. But He is against faithless weeping. Trust God, He wants to give you the desires of your heart.
Receive answers to your prayers at this very moment, in Jesus name! From today, you must believe that you have received what
you are asking for.
10. THE TENTH STEP TO ONE HUNDRED PER CENT
ANSWERED PRAYER IS: PERSISTENCE.
Persisting in prayer is a guaranteed way to get one hundred per cent prayer results. Jesus gave two vivid examples of how persistence gives one hundred per cent answered prayer. I want you to read them carefully.
And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet BECAUSE OF HIS IMPORTUNITY he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
Luke 11:5-8
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Yet BECAUSE THIS WIDOW TROUBLETH ME, I will avenge her, LEST BY HER CONTINUAL COMING SHE WEARY ME.
And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Luke 18:1-8
Persisting means repeating! It means you will tirelessly go to the Lord in prayer. It means you will shamelessly cry to the Lord until He responds. Persistence brings results even in the natural.
Sometimes I receive a phone call, but I am unable to answer because I am too far from the phone. As I approach the phone, I have often thought to myself, “If only this caller would persist, I will answer the phone.” Sometimes by the time I get to the phone, the person has given up. There are some who call back. There are some who keep calling until I answer.
This principle of persistence brings results in many spheres of life.
The principle of persistence works in prayer as well. I did not say it, Jesus did!
Jesus said very clearly that you would get results if you pray and pray and pray! The reason why you will get results is because you keep praying.
Someone may ask, “Does the principle of persistence not contradict the principle of faith? After all, when using the key of faith you wouldn’t have to pray more than once!” What you must understand here is that there are different ways of expressing faith.
Praying once is one expression of faith.
Praying over and over about the same issue, with a determination never to stop until you get an answer is also another expression of faith.
Each of these two expressions of faith is valid. Each of these two expressions of faith brings results. Each of these two expressions of faith was recommended by Jesus. Each of these two expressions of faith can make God answer your prayer.
There are many Christians who can testify about how they prayed persistently until God answered!
There are also many others who have great testimonies about praying once and receiving answers. Jesus did not teach on only one of these styles of prayer. He taught both methods and guaranteed one hundred per cent results in each case.
You can liken faith and persistence to killing a cat in different ways.
You can beat it, drown it, poison it, shoot it or decapitate it. All of these methods will lead to a hundred per cent result – a hundred per cent dead cat! Decide today to use any of these two keys. Both of these keys are failure proof. “Faith” prayers work all the time.
Persistence works all the time. God has given you two assured methods for receiving 100 per cent answered prayer.
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