Before Prayer There Is Faith

'We catch a glimpse of the tremendous importance of faith and of the great value God has set upon it, when we remember that He has made it the one indispensable condition of being saved. "By GRACE are ye saved, THROUGH FAITH." Thus, when we contemplate the great importance of prayer, we find faith standing immediately by its side. By faith are we saved, and by faith we stay saved. Prayer introduces us to a life of faith. Paul declared that the life he lived, he lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved him and gave Himself for him -- that he walked by faith and not by sight.

PRAYER IS ABSOLUTELY DEPENDENT UPON FAITH. VIRTUALLY, IT HAS NO EXISTENCE APART FROM IT AND ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING UNLESS IT BE ITS INSEPARABLE COMPANION. FAITH MAKES PRAYER EFFECTUAL AND IN A CERTAIN IMPORTANT SENSE, MUST PRECEDE IT.

"For he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

Before prayer ever starts toward God; before its petition is preferred, before its requests are made known -- FAITH MUST HAVE GONE ON AHEAD; must have asserted its belief in the existence of God; must have given its assent to the gracious truth that "God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek His face." This is the primary step in praying. In this regard, while faith does not bring the blessing, yet it puts prayer in a position to ask for it, and leads to another step toward realization, by aiding the petitioner to believe that God is able and willing to bless.'

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 9)

*******

(Eph_2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

Gal_2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

2Co 5:7  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

*******

'Before prayer ever starts toward God; before its petition is preferred, before its requests are made known -- FAITH MUST HAVE GONE ON AHEAD…'

Faith must have gone on ahead before we even begin to pray. We can only pray if we have faith. 

True, a prayer can be made to someone other than God, the TRUE GOD, the Heavenly Father, but the one praying is praying to someone, this is what prayer is.  Prayer is seeking intercession from another. Some people seek intercession from false gods, those people are putting their faith in a false god.  They have faith, just not in the Heavenly Father. We MUST have FAITH first in order to begin to pray.  WE DO believe in the Heavenly Father, and therefore our faith, our belief is in our Heavenly Father.  We petition our Heavenly Father, through FAITH. Prayer and faith go hand in hand.  FAITH MUST HAVE GONE ON AHEAD.

By the GRACE of our GOD, through HIS LOVE ALWAYS!

Faith Grows

'Faith grows by reading and meditating upon the Word of God. Most, and best of all,
faith thrives in an atmosphere of prayer.'

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 8)

*******

Faith growing, don't we all want our faith to grow?  We should. IF our faith isn't growing then it's stagnating, and if our faith is stagnating then it's in danger because we know when something stagnates that isn't supposed to stagnate it's contaminated, not healthy. We need our faith to grow.

Mat_6:30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

LITTLE FAITH.

Mat_8:10  When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

GREAT FAITH.

Faith can grow.

If we READ God's word, if we take time to STUDY God's word, if we PRAY about God's word we are actively involved in our Spiritual life.  Our Spirit life and not our flesh life gives us FAITH, a growing faith.  We have to feed our faith with Spirit food.

Please Lord, help us.

Help us feed our spiritual life, with YOUR spiritual food, so our FAITH will grow in YOU.  We don't want our faith to die. Please LORD we would be like the great people of faith mentioned in Your word, please bless us and help us live towards this end solely dependent upon YOU for all things! Guide us, help us, save us!

All in YOUR LOVE!

Thank You, LORD, thank You!

Every Thing By Prayer

Heb 11:1  Now FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:2  For by it the elders obtained a good report.
Heb 11:3  Through  FAITH we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Heb 11:4  By  FAITH Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Heb 11:5  By  FAITH Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Heb 11:6  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.

Heb 11:7  By  FAITH Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by  FAITH.
Heb 11:8  By  FAITH Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Heb 11:9  By  FAITH he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb 11:10  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Heb 11:11  Through  FAITH also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
Heb 11:12  Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
Heb 11:13  These all died in  FAITH, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Heb 11:17  By FAITH Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Heb 11:18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
Heb 11:19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Heb 11:20  By  FAITH Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
Heb 11:21  By  FAITH Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
Heb 11:22  By  FAITH Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
Heb 11:23  By  FAITH Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
Heb 11:24  By  FAITH Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Heb 11:27  By  FAITH he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Heb 11:28  Through  FAITH he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Heb 11:29  By  FAITH they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
Heb 11:30  By  FAITH the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
Heb 11:31  By  FAITH the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.

Heb 11:32  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:
Heb 11:33  Who through  FAITH subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Heb 11:34  Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Heb 11:35  Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
Heb 11:36  And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
Heb 11:38  (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through  FAITH, received not the promise:
Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

*******
'It is not the intellectually great that the Church needs; nor is it men of wealth
that the times demand. It is not people of great social influence that this day requires.
Above everybody and everything else, it is men of faith, men of mighty prayer, men
and women after the fashion of the saints and heroes enumerated in Hebrews, who
"obtained a good report through faith," that the Church and the whole wide world of
humanity needs.'

'Today, as much as at any time, we need men of great faith and men
who are great in prayer. These are the two cardinal virtues which make men great in the
eyes of God, the two things which create conditions of real spiritual success in the life
and work of the Church. It is our chief concern to see that we maintain a faith of such
quality and texture, as counts before God; which grasps, and holds in its keeping, the
things for which it asks, without doubt and without fear'

'Doubt and fear are the twin foes of faith. Sometimes, they actually usurp the place of
faith, and although we pray, it is a restless, disquieted prayer that we offer, uneasy and
often complaining. Peter failed to walk on Gennesaret because he permitted the waves
to break over him and swamp the power of his faith. Taking his eyes from the Lord and
regarding the water all about him, he began to sink and had to cry for succour -- "Lord,
save, or I perish!"

Doubts should never be cherished, nor fears harboured. Let none cherish the delusion
that he is a martyr to fear and doubt. It is no credit to any man's mental capacity to
cherish doubt of God, and no comfort can possibly derive from such a thought. OUR EYES SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF SELF, REMOVED FROM OUR OWN WEAKNESS AND ALLOWED TO REST  IMPLICITLY UPON GOD'S STRENGTH. "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward." A simple, confiding faith, living day by day, and casting
its burden on the Lord, each hour of the day, will dissipate fear, drive away misgiving
and deliver from doubt:

"Be careful for nothing, but in everything, by supplication and prayer, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God."

That is the Divine cure for all fear, anxiety, and undue concern of soul, all of which are
closely akin to doubt and unbelief. This is the Divine prescription for securing the peace
which passeth all understanding, and keeps the heart and mind in quietness and peace.
All of us need to mark well and heed the caution given in Hebrews: "Take heed,
brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the
living God."

We need, also, to guard against unbelief as we would against an enemy. Faith needs to
be cultivated. We need to keep on praying, "Lord, increase our faith," for faith is
susceptible of increase. Paul's tribute to the Thessalonians was, that their faith grew
exceedingly. Faith is increased by exercise, by being put into use. It is nourished by sore
trials.

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that
perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and
glow at the appearing of Jesus Christ."

Faith grows by reading and meditating upon the Word of God. Most, and best of all,
faith thrives in an atmosphere of prayer.'

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 7)
*******

My thoughts-

Luk 17:5  And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

2Th 1:1  Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2Th 1:2  Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2Th 1:3  We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that YOUR FAITH GROWETH EXCEEDINGLY, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
2Th 1:4  So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your PATIENCE AND FAITH in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
2Th 1:5  Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
2Th 1:6  Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
2Th 1:7  And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
2Th 1:8  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2Th 1:9  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2Th 1:10  When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
2Th 1:11  Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the WORK OF FAITH WITH POWER:
2Th 1:12  That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is true, our faith can GROW.

Patience and faith in ALL our PERSECUTIONS and TRIBULATIONS that we endure.

Patience- comprehending that we can't expect any immediate reward whatsoever, that our faith in Jesus is not based on receiving earthly rewards for our belief. Knowing that suffering here and now is our expectation!

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
1Pe 4:14  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
1Pe 4:15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
1Pe 4:16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

We can and must pray always, believing in our God, in our Savior, in the future He came to earth and died to offer to us.  We pray with the comprehension that our lot here and now is to be a trial of our faith. All the men and women of God endured great trials, so why do we imagine that we should not have to do the same. One trial after another the apostles endured until they finally went to their long sleep in death. Most of the apostles suffered horrific deaths. Do we imagine they desired to suffer and eventually die at the hands of others? They didn't want that any more than any of us  want to suffer and be murdered in awful ways. They endured it because they had faith in our Savior, faith that anything they were called to endure on this earth was but a temporary situation, whereas our Savior offered eternity in HIS glory! They believed this so strongly they were able to meet every bit of suffering knowing their eventual outcome would be more than worth ANYTHING and EVERYTHING they suffered.

The reality is our faith in Jesus must grow, must constantly be tested. This is the reality we live in. We can't expect to EVER get to a place where suffering won't have to be endured, not here, not now.

'OUR EYES SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF SELF, REMOVED FROM OUR OWN WEAKNESS AND ALLOWED TO REST  IMPLICITLY UPON GOD'S STRENGTH.'

TRUTH!

Php_4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

BUT IN EVERYTHING… EVERYTHING…  E V E R Y T H I N G… by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our request be made known unto GOD.

Is it any wonder we are told to pray without ceasing, for we are to ever have God before us in all things!

All by HIS GRACE, HIS LOVE, HIS MERCY, may our FAITH increase, praying always, in everything praying.

'Faith is not an aimless act of the soul, but a looking to God and a resting upon His promises.'

'Faith is not an abstract belief in the Word of God, nor a mere mental credence, nor a
simple assent of the understanding and will; nor is it a passive acceptance of facts,
however sacred or thorough.

Faith is an operation of God, a Divine illumination, a holy energy implanted by the Word of God and the Spirit in the human soul -- a spiritual, Divine principle which takes of the Supernatural and makes it a thing apprehendable by the faculties of time and sense.

Faith deals with God, and is conscious of God.

It deals with the Lord Jesus Christ and sees in Him a Saviour; it deals with God's Word, and lays hold of the truth; it deals with the Spirit of God, and is energized and inspired by its holy fire.

God is the great objective of faith; for faith rests its whole weight on His Word.

Faith is not an aimless act of the soul, but a looking to God and a resting upon His promises.

Just as love and hope have always an objective so, also, has faith. Faith is not believing just anything; it is believing God, resting in Him, trusting His Word.

Faith gives birth to prayer, and grows stronger, strikes deeper, rises higher, in the
struggles and wrestlings of mighty petitioning.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the assurance and realization of the inheritance of the saints.

Faith, too, is humble and persevering. It can wait and pray; it can stay on its knees, or lie in the dust. It is the one great condition of prayer; the LACK of it lies at the root of all poor praying, feeble praying, little praying, unanswered praying.'

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 6)

*******

TRUTH!

Faith is REAL.

FAITH is ACTIVE.

It is BY FAITH we please God!

Heb_11:6  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.

TRUTH!

We must BELIEVE that HE IS!
We must BELIEVE that HE REWARDS those who DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.

You don't diligently seek anything if you don't believe in it!  What person would diligently search for something they didn't believe existed? How preposterous it would be for someone to NOT believe in the very thing they are seeking desperately.  What a colossal waste of time to search for something you don't believe is really there.  However, if you believe something of great price is to be found, you search like you've never searched before, don't you?

We must believe our GOD rewards us for diligently searching for Him, for believing in Him! This is FAITH!

Truly our prayers only have any worth at all based solely upon the One we pray to and not our own feebleness. It is God's righteousness, and HIS amazing mercy that is truth.

If we pray without believing we are speaking to only hear ourselves.

Mar 12:38  And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,
Mar 12:39  And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:
Mar 12:40  Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

Jesus said to BEWARE of those who for a pretence make long prayers.

He didn't say that because long prayers are wrong, but long prayers spoken to appear godly are very wrong, they are prayers without any faith in God. Any prayers spoken without faith is worthy of damnation.  WE must pray as the man seeking mercy and healing for his son…

Mar 9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mar 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

LORD, WE BELIEVE; HELP THOU OUR UNBELIEF!

This is our desperate cry as we pray, knowing we believe and not wanting any lack of our own faith to stop us from believing still!

All in the LOVE of our SAVIOR!

'What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them...'

"The guests at a certain hotel were being rendered uncomfortable by repeated
strumming on a piano, done by a little girl who possessed no knowledge of music.
They complained to the proprietor with a view to having the annoyance stopped.
'I am sorry you are annoyed,' he said. 'But the girl is the child of one of my very
best guests. I can scarcely ask her not to touch the piano. But her father, who is
away for a day or so, will return tomorrow. You can then approach him, and have
the matter set right.' When the father returned, he found his daughter in the
reception-room and, as usual, thumping on the piano. He walked up behind the
child and, putting his arms over her shoulders, took her hands in his, and
produced some most beautiful music. Thus it may be with us, and thus it will be,
some coming day. Just now, we can produce little but clamour and disharmony;
but, one day, the Lord Jesus will take hold of our hands of faith and prayer, and
use them to bring forth the music of the skies." -- ANON

'GENUINE, authentic faith must be definite and free of doubt. Not simply general in
character; not a mere belief in the being, goodness and power of God, but a faith which
believes that the things which "he saith, shall come to pass." As the faith is specific, so
the answer likewise will be definite: "He shall have whatsoever he saith." Faith and
prayer select the things, and God commits Himself to do the very things which faith
and persevering prayer nominate, and petition Him to accomplish.

The American Revised Version renders the twenty-fourth verse of the eleventh chapter
of Mark, thus: "Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for,
believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Perfect faith has always in its
keeping what perfect prayer asks for. How large and unqualified is the area of
operation -- the "All things whatsoever!" How definite and specific the promise -- "Ye
shall have them!"

Our chief concern is with our faith, -- the problems of its growth, and the activities of its
vigorous maturity.

A faith which grasps and holds in its keeping the very things it asks for, without wavering, doubt or fear -- that is the faith we need -- faith, such as is a pearl of great price, in the process and practise of prayer.

Mat_13:46  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

The statement of our Lord about faith and prayer quoted above is of supreme
importance. Faith must be definite, specific; an unqualified, unmistakable request for
the things asked for. It is not to be a vague, indefinite, shadowy thing; it must be
something more than an abstract belief in God's willingness and ability to do for us. It is
to be a definite, specific, asking for, and expecting the things for which we ask. Note the
reading of Mark 11:23:

"And shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he
saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatever he saith." '

Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 5)

*******

Mar 11:22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Mar 11:23  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.
Mar 11:24  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Faith and prayer.


Hand in hand the two go and we need to believe this.

If we pray to a LIVING, LOVING GOD, then we truly believe our GOD, our FATHER GOD hears us, and loves us, and desires that we live in HIS love.  Any parent knows, and any child can comprehend the truth- that loving human parents do their best to do all things for their children's best interests. A truly loving human parent would never deliberately do something to harm their children unless it was a mistake, an accident, something that happened in ignorance through flesh ruled faults. God, our Heavenly Father will NEVER do anything, He will never answer a single prayer that is detrimental to OUR ETERNAL LIFE.

When we ask for anything in FAITH in our loving Heavenly FATHER, we are asking for HIS WILL for us be done, His love, His knowing, His caring, His desire for us to have salvation through HIS Son.  When we ask amiss, we are asking for things not in the faith of our Father, not in trusting His will for us.  If we ask specifically for the saving of a life and that life is not saved, there is a reason for it that goes beyond our desire for that person's life to be spared so they can live longer.

We must pray in specifics knowing that what we ask for in FAITH means asking in the belief of our Savior's desire for us to be found in Him, in His Salvation, be realized truly. The mountain will be moved if it needs to be moved and this we believe because our faith is solely in our SAVIOR, in our GOD.

All in His LOVE!

Take no thought for the morrow

Isa_26:3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS (Excerpt 4)

'When we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," we are, in a measure, shutting
tomorrow out of our prayer. We do not live in tomorrow but in today. We do not seek
tomorrow's grace or tomorrow's bread. They thrive best, and get most out of life, who
live in the living present. They pray best who pray for today's needs, not for
tomorrow's, which may render our prayers unnecessary and redundant by not existing
at all!

True prayers are born of present trials and present needs. Bread, for today, is bread
enough. Bread given for today is the strongest sort of pledge that there will be bread
tomorrow. Victory today, is the assurance of victory tomorrow. Our prayers need to be
focused upon the present, We must trust God today, and leave the morrow entirely
with Him. The present is ours; the future belongs to God. Prayer is the task and duty of
each recurring day -- daily prayer for daily needs.

As every day demands its bread, so every day demands its prayer. No amount of
praying, done today, will suffice for tomorrow's praying. On the other hand, no praying
for tomorrow is of any great value to us today. To-day's manna is what we need;
tomorrow God will see that our needs are supplied. This is the faith which God seeks to
inspire. So leave tomorrow, with its cares, its needs, its troubles, in God's hands. There
is no storing tomorrow's grace or tomorrow's praying; neither is there any laying-up of
today's grace, to meet tomorrow's necessities. We cannot have tomorrow's grace, we
cannot eat tomorrow's bread, we cannot do tomorrow's praying. "Sufficient unto the
day is the evil thereof;" and, most assuredly, if we possess faith, sufficient also, will be
the good.'

*******

Mat_6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Truth!

Jesus speaks ONLY truth!

So our doubting our Savior impedes our faith.  When He spoke the words -- 'Take therefore NO thought for the morrow…' -- did He mean what He said?  Did He mean it?! He had to mean it, He had to.  Take therefore NO thought…  how many thoughts? NONE, not a single one! No thought for the morrow, yet we can't help but think of the morrow all the time, right? Tell me how many time just today have you thought of not only the morrow but several morrows, weeks, months, years ahead. We tell ourselves that we have no choice but to think of the morrow, life forces us too and yes, it does in many ways but perhaps we need to think about tomorrow in the light of God's will and not our own.

All our prayers must be in light of God's will.

We truly cannot have tomorrow's grace now, and we cannot eat tomorrow's bread, and we cannot pray today the prayers meant for tomorrow.

We have to believe that we live now, pray now, trust now. The faith we have right now is a faith that believes in the reality of a very loving Savior, an all loving Savior. To live believing in our all loving Savior means that we KNOW, we BELIEVE that all that happens will be according to HIS plan for us.  Every single thing that happens is by HIS design. Do I mean that He designs for us to suffer? Yes, but the suffering is not senseless as we often believe. We can't comprehend the how's and why's and so we believe it's meaningless, it's pointless, and therefore all that remains is that it is cruel and we doubt God's love calling Him a cruel Master, an unloving Master. We say that a loving God would not allow this horrific suffering, this real torture, we say this because we cannot fathom the whys of it all. All we choose to comprehend is the awful pain, the agony emotional, mental, physical suffering. Our belief has to comprehend that our GOD knows why it is happening even when we don't and never learn why. God's design is for us to be HIS.  The pain and suffering isn't meant to drive us away from Him, but to move us ever closer to Him in FAITH, in His grace, HIS LOVE.

Our daily bread- spiritual and physical- we must PRAY daily. Every day we need this closeness with our SAVIOR, our LIVING, LOVING SAVIOR.

Yes, we must pray for the future, but live in today not allowing the anxiety of trying to live in the future overcome us.

Please, LORD, bless us, keep us in YOU! Teach us to live in today with YOU, believing in YOUR truth that we aren't to take thought for the morrow. All in YOUR LOVE!

Doubts Can Destroy Faith

THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER  By E.M. BOUNDS (Excerpt 3)

'Among the large and luminous utterances of Jesus concerning prayer, none is more
arresting than this:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall
he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My Name, I will do it."  John 14:12,13

How wonderful are these statements of what God will do in answer to prayer! Of how
great importance these ringing words, prefaced, as they are, with the most solemn
verity! Faith in Christ is the basis of all working, and of all praying. All wonderful
works depend on wonderful praying, and all praying is done in the Name of Jesus
Christ. Amazing lesson, of wondrous simplicity, is this praying in the name of the Lord
Jesus! All other conditions are depreciated, everything else is renounced, save Jesus
only. The name of Christ -- the Person of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ -- must be
supremely sovereign, in the hour and article of prayer.'

*******

We need to believe this is a reality, not a fiction.

JESUS says to us-

'HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME'  Believes!

Believes- Accepts As True!

Those of us who accept as true the existence, the reality, of our SAVIOR, the only Begotten Son of God, will belong to Him!

The WORKS that our SAVIOR performs we will do!
GREATER WORKS we will do- imagine that!  Why greater? Because our SAVIOR will be WITH the FATHER in His GLORY.

Whatever those of us who accept our Savior as a reality, as being TRUE, ask HIM in HIS NAME, HE WILL DO! And the Father will be glorified by this!

This is truly FAITH, full faith, real faith!  And all this ASKING of our SAVIOR is PRAYER!

Some will be quick to start a running list of all the things they've asked of God in the Savior's name and not had come to pass. To these I say- God answers ALL prayers but in HIS way, NOT OURS!  He answered that prayer when you asked for more money for something you truly need, something you suffered over because the money never came for it. His answer was to perhaps desiring your faith to grow, not lessen.  We allow doubt to replace faith all to often and as we talked about already, doubt can destroy faith.

Yes, God knows you wanted your loved one to keep living, but He also knew that it was best that the loved one begin their long sleep. He knew what was best and we don't have to understand it at all. When we believe we should be that understanding we are truly saying we should be God, because we know better than God, and that is wrong!

After the initial grief, the awful shock and sorrow we truly need to seek forgiveness for our presumptions and fall at the feet of our LOVING Savior and cling to Him, believing that truly all things will work together for good to us if we LOVE HIM.

Believing! Knowing He is TRUTH, that He is TRUE!

Comprehending all our doubt is Satan induced and Satan encouraged. Satan will feed our doubts about our SAVIOR because he knows doubt kills faith!

Please, SAVIOR help us to believe wholly in YOU! Keep us from the evil of doubt!

BY YOUR LOVE, BY YOUR GRACE!