CHAPTER FIVE
How to Pray the Prayer of Faith
One of the conditions set forth in chapter one for receiving what God has promised us in His Word is that we must ask. We receive only what we personally appropriate by faith in prayer. Faith is the envelope in which every request to God must be placed. Often you will hear some Christian say "I have asked and asked but still I do not receive." Why is this? This is because many do not know how to pray the prayer of faith. Jesus' own disciples confessed that they needed to be taught how to pray, for they asked, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). There is a correct way to accomplish anything we undertake to do in order to achieve the desired result, but too few realize this is especially true of prayer. Failure to realize this is why many prayers are ineffective and remain unanswered. The Scriptures teach that there are certain essential principles of prayer which we must observe if our prayer are to be effective.
1. PRAY WITH A REPENTANT HEART.
Confession is the first requirement for effective prayer. Remove by confession any obstacle of sin or unfaithfulness which would constitute a barrier between you and the Lord. David said "if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Psalm 66:18). James speaks of the necessity of confession in connection with the prayer of faith for healing the sick (James 5:14-16). See I John 1:8-10; 3:20-22. Unconfessed sin, whether of the spirit, such as pride, selfishness, doubt, hate, etc., or sins of the flesh can constitute a hindrance to your prayers.
2. PRAY WITH A FORGIVING SPIRIT.
Effective prayer stems from a right relationship between you and your brother as well as between you and God. Jesus, after setting forth the principles of the prayer of faith in Mark 11:22-24, then continues his teaching in verses 25-26 saying, "and when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."
3. PRAY IN JESUS' NAME.
It is only through Christ that we have access to the Father, "for through him we...have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Ephesians 2:18). Many ignore this essential requirement by praying to the Father, but neglecting to do it in Jesus' Name. This is not according to Scripture, for we are told: "whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him" (Colossians 3:17). Jesus said "whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you" (John 16:23-24).
4. PRAY ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD.
Obviously God cannot answer a prayer contrary to His will. John says: "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything 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" (I John 5:14-15). This indicates the importance of the first condition for receiving by faith set forth in chapter one, that is, we must base our faith on what God has promised us in His Word. One could not pray for God to reveal to him the date of the Second Advent, for example, since God has already declared this event is known but to Him. Nor could one expect God to forgive him his trespasses if he were unwilling to forgive his brother (Mark 11:22-26). Praying for forgiveness will be in vain inasmuch as it is praying contrary to the revealed will of God. On the other hand, the Christian can pray for the healing of his diseases (James 5:14-15; Isaiah 53:4-5), or God's provision for his material needs (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4: 6,19), since we have this promised to us in His Word.
5. PRAY WITH EXPECTATION.
It should be evident that if we are to pray the prayer of faith we must pray expecting an answer, yet many fail at the most crucial point. We may meet the other conditions of prayer, but we do not receive until faith begins to ask. Jesus said, "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Matthew 21:22). Praying in faith is simply believing that God will do for you what he promises to do in His Word. You can pray with only as much faith as you have in Christ Himself and are willing to trust Him. To the extent you believe Him -- this is the extent of your faith. Thus if we do not receive, it is only because we do not really believe. He will do what He promises to do. Prayer only knocks on the door; faith is the key that unlocks it!