Usually when we are fearful we are so “in the moment” all we can think about is how to get away from it. We want peace and comfort. We usually seek the path of least resistance. Some good examples of that in the Bible are Jonah, David, Abraham and Peter. Each of them had the opportunity to obey. Instead, they had one of those weak moments, and chose the easy way. Jonah ran as fast as he could to Tarshish. David had his army murder his adulteress’s husband. Abraham lied and placed his wife in harm’s way. Peter denied and stayed in the darkness. They each had a choice to make, but chose a way of disobedience, out of fear.
There are some things we can do, through God, that will allow us to deal with our fears and overcome them. Today we will deal with prayer and true belief.
When anxious and fearful thoughts come flooding in, it can be very difficult to quiet your mind and connect with God in prayer. In the middle of panic or fear, the last thing on your mind is getting alone with God. But, prayer can be very helpful in stopping those confusing and terrifying thoughts. Praying can calm an anxious mind, and fill your heart with peace.
I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.” We do this by keeping our mind on him. In Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
We must learn to keep our daily walk fresh, and commune with God all day. When anxious thoughts, fear, panic, or worry come against you, present your requests to God. Pray and petition him, and as you do, his peace, which goes beyond all understanding, will guide your hearts and mind in Christ. This is more than just a recommendation—it’s a truth that can transform a fearful mind, into a mind of peace. You may say I’ve tried to pray but it just doesn’t work. There are several things about prayer that will help you to obey the command to, “pray without ceasing.” The real key to being able to pray in those fearful moments, is to be prepared way before the moment comes. Have a strong prayer life now. When everything seems ok, work on praying!
Next, you must believe. We must take God at his word. If we can trust him with our eternal soul, we must trust him with the day to day life. We must believe what he says. God tells us he loves us, and will only do what is best for us. Faith is essential.
Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith, it’s impossible to please God”
James 1:5 -8 says “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
We must believe, that God will respond to our prayers. If we doubt, we are like a wave tossed about by the sea, unsettled in all our ways. Here’s how Jesus explains it:
Mark 11:22 – 24 “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that 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. Therefore I say unto you, Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
I John 5:14 & 15 “ And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
The prayer of faith is offered when you know the will of God, you seek the mind of God, and pray according to his will.
I think we’ve all wondered, “God, do you really hear me?” We pray and pray, and it seems like nothing changes. It feels like our prayers are going up, hitting the ceiling, and coming back down to us. We hear a thought in our head, “God does not hear my prayers,” and we think it’s our thoughts. Quietly, we agree with this subtle attack of the devil. The enemy constantly accuses us and lies to us. He is the father of lies, John 8:44. He spews his lies and confusion all over us, to thwart God’s beautiful plans for our lives. We cannot give into this voice that says God does not hear our prayers. God listens.
However, we can thwart the enemy’s lies. Jesus did in Matthew 2:10 and 16:23 in both circumstances Jesus rebukes Satan and tells him to get behind him. In Ephesians 4:27 we are told “to not give a place for the devil” – don’t give him a foothold. Rebuke him immediately. James 4:7 says to resist him. Matthew 13:19 tells us that Satan is waiting for the opportunity to take the word of God away from you. That is why it is so important when you listen to a preacher, teacher, or even read it yourself, that you concentrate on what God is saying. Satan, the wicked one cometh – either inwardly; filling the mind with thoughts of other things; or by his agent, and snatches away the truth. He introduces other thoughts and subjects, when we should be considering what we have heard.
Now there are conditions to answered prayer. He tells us in another passage in James, it is the effectual, fervent prayer, of a person, in right standing with God. Effectual and fervent have to do with energetic, consistent prayer. If we are doing it the way God says, we can be assured he hears us, and will answer us.
Another subtle lie from the enemy is, that we are not worthy enough for God to hear our prayers. It’s just not true! When you receive Christ, you are instantly made worthy. He took our sins and we took his righteousness. II Corinthians 5:21, says it this way, “God made [Jesus], who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God” and in Hebrews 4:16 Now that you are righteous in Christ, “you can boldly come to the throne of grace, in your time of need.”
Know who you are in Christ. Often, we approach God in prayer with a sinner mentality. “Lord, I’m a wretched sinner. Woe is me! I’m not worthy to come before you.” This way of thinking is wrong. Once you receive Christ, you are no longer a slave to sin—you are a child of God!
Galatians 4:7 “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
In Christ, you are a child of the Most High God! You are special! You are cherished, loved, protected and pursued by God. You are his child!
Words carry power. We must be very careful about the words we speak. Words carry incredible spiritual power. Death and life, are in the power of our words, Proverbs 18:21. Salvation comes when we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart, Romans 10:9. Whether good or evil, people speak what’s in their hearts. Jesus said it this way, “Whatever is in your heart determines. what you say. A good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words, from an evil heart,” Matthew 12:34-35.
If you want to experience peace, don’t speak evil, doubting words. If you feel an anxious thought coming, pray something like this, “Father, my body feels anxious right now, but you said that you will give me perfect peace when my mind is focused upon you. Right now, Lord, I fix my thoughts upon you. I trust in you!”
Build your prayer muscle. Prayer is a lot like a muscle. You need to work on it, strengthen it and build it up. Don’t wait till you need it to start strengthening it. A professional athlete doesn’t start working out the day before a big race. It takes months and months, even years, to develop the ability to race well. In the same way, we should pray daily, flexing and strengthening our prayer-time muscle.
I Timothy 4:8 “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come”.
The greatest way to strengthen any muscle is to use it. There is no short cut to gaining strength in any area of our lives, and prayer is no different.
Pray that God would teach you to pray effectively. Strengthening you, so that when panic or fear hits. You can rest in the confidence, that he is with you.
Tomorrow part II
Love todays message, before I even read it, fear and anxiety were in my prayer for peace, God is so good.
Love you and thank you.
I needed this. : )