By Wesley Witcher
Jesus was a little upset. He was just days away from His crucifixion when He entered into Jerusalem. He went into the temple, looked around and saw some things going on that shouldn’t be done in the House of God. It was getting dark, so He left and went back to the town of Bethany. Early the next morning, He gathers His disciples together and goes back to the temple in Jerusalem. On the way He sees a fig tree. A few fresh figs would be a perfect breakfast on the run, so He stops at the tree and gets sadly disappointed. No figs, nothing but leaves, go fig-ure. He gets to the Temple hungry and unhappy. He started kicking people out, turning over tables, and literally cracking the whip in the House of God. Then He quoted scripture “My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?”(Mark 11:17) Evening comes, and He leaves again. The next morning they pass by that fig tree. Peter pipes up and says “Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst has withered”. (Mark 11:21) Jesus took the opportunity and taught a quick lesson on prayer:
“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, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11:22-24)
Praying is one thing, but praying with FAITH gets things done! James even says “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise them up”. (Jarne,5:15) Faith is the key component to effectual prayer.
Here are a few things the Bible has to say to us about faith:
To every man is given a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). You can increase your faith (II Corinthians. 10:15).
Faith cometh by hearing (Romans 10:17). You can become faith-less, or you can become full of faith like Stephen (Acts 6:5). You can have little faith (Matthew 6:30).You can have great faith (Matthew 8:10). You can be weak in faith (Romans 14:1). You can be strong in faith (Romans 4:20). Your faith can grow exceedingly (II Thessalonians1:3).
Faith can be lost (Luke 8:25). Faith can be found (Luke 7:9) When you are fearful it is a sign of little faith (Matthew 8:26). Your faith can be seen by others (Mark 2:5). Your faith can make you whole (Mark 5:34).
You can purify your heart by faith (Acts 15:9). You can be established in the faith (Acts 16:5). You can be sanctified by faith (Acts 26:18). You can walk by faith (II Corinthians 5:7).
You can abound in faith (II Corinthians 8:7). You can live by faith (Romans 1:17).
You can even move mountains by faith (Matthew 17:20). You can receive the Holy Ghost by faith (Galatians 3:14).
You can quench all of the fiery darts of the wicked by using your shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16).
We need to continue in the faith (Colossians 1:23). Be steadfast in your faith (Colossians 2:5).
Some will depart from the faith (I Timothy 4:1). Others will have great boldness in the faith (I Timothy 3:13).
Some will deny their faith (I Timothy. 5:8). Others will cast off their faith (I Timothy. 5:12). Many will “fight the good fight of faith” (I Timothy. 6:12). Some will err from the faith and pierce themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy. 6:10).
Like Paul some will finish their course and keep the faith (II Timothy. 4:7). Many in the end will hear Him say “Well done thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
After reading all of these scriptures and seeing what God can do it definitely will increase your faith.
The above article, “Believe When You Pray,” is written by Wesley Witcher. The article was excerpted from the Oklahoma District Beacon.
The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
