A Prayer Of Faith

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for ALL people. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants ALL people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for ALL people...." (1 Timothy 2:1-7)

Paul instructs us to pray for "all people" because God wants "all mankind to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth".

I have heard the phrase "prayer of faith" all my life. But what is that prayer? 

It is asking God for what He wants - not what we want.  If we pray for what God wants we can rest assured that it will be answered for God gets what He wants!

Unanswered prayer is simply not what God wants at the time. There is nothing wrong with praying for your wants and those of others. It gives us peace to place our wants in the hands of our Father. We are encouraged to do so by Paul.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

But praying for our wants is not a "prayer of faith”.  That only comes when one is "enlightened" with "the spirit of wisdom and revelation" as God reveals to us in His word what He wants.

"Making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him... I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened..." (Ephesians 1:16-18)

God "wants all people to be saved" and asking for that is the prayer of faith that will be answered.  

All other prayer is just asking our Father for stuff we want, like all kids do.

We are to bring It...not offer it!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God, bringing salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)

"bringing salvation to everyone who believes". What does that mean?

Let me illustrate it this way.  If a benefactor gave me a new car it would be good news.  But that good news would only have power if someone brought it to me and I believed it was mine.  The title was transferred to me as a free gift from my benefactor. It is mine whether I accept it, believe it, or even know about it.

Salvation is a free gift from God. It was given to me, and all others, by the "grace of God".  It is ours right now.  We did not earn it and we cannot lose it.  This good news (gospel) is the power that brings salvation to us...the knowledge of that salvation.  And when we believe we have peace and joy.  

The bad news of sin brings shame and death to us all, but the good news of the grace of God brings salvation to "all people".

”For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord…the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people…we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people…teach these things and encourage the believers…” (Romans 6:23; Titus 2:8-15)

Bring it!

What Is Your God's Batting Average?

”Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." (1 Timothy 1:15)

When I was a kid playing peewee baseball I read a book entitled "The Kid Who Batted 1000".  I loved that book but of course batting 1000 over a baseball career is impossible.

So how about God?  In the game of salvation, what will be God's career batting average?

"...John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world...he is the atoning sacrifice for our sin, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world...we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world." (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2; 4:14)

I heard an evangelist say that about 10% of mankind will make it to heaven while the other 90% will be eternally separated from God...or worse. His god has a poor batting average and will not make the big leagues.

God, the real one, informed John and Paul of His success rate in the game of salvation...

"God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him..For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive... so that God may be ALL IN ALL..we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.  Command and teach these things." (John3:17; 1Corinthians 15:22, 28; 1 Timothy 4:10-11)

God sent Jesus to "take away the sin of the world" by becoming "the atoning sacrifice...for the sin of the whole world".  Therefore he is "the Savior of the world" and "those who believe...teach these things".  

For a religious institution, a 1000 batting average is impossible...and so they settle for 1 hit out of 10.  But not God, He goes 10 for 10...every time.

"Who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Luke 18:26)