G-16. Prayer Lesson 1-The FAITHFULNESS of Almighty God!

 

If you do not base your prayers on the FAITHFULNESS of Almighty God to perform his word then chances are you will not receive many answers to your prayers.

What do I mean by the FAITHFULNESS of Almighty God? I mean that Almighty God is ALWAYS FAITHFUL to perform his WORD! God will ALWAYS do what he said he will do! God is NOT a man that he should LIE!

So let us begin this study in God's word so that your faith will be in the WORD of Almighty God and not in the traditions of men by reading the words of Jesus found in John 17:17 where Jesus is praying to his Father in heaven. And throughout these three prayer lessons, I will have some pointers on how to study God’s word. The first pointer is to follow my examples in my studies to write out or type out the verses you are studying. You can use a notebook or do this on your computer. I will use this shade of highlighting so that you can skim through these studies to easily find these pointers to help you study God's word more effectively. After a while, it will simply become a habit. 

John 17:17.

“Sanctify them through your TRUTH: your WORD is TRUTH.”

 

So then, if there is anything at all in which we can believe and trust, then we most assuredly can believe in and trust upon the very WORD of Almighty God, the Holy Bible!

Here are some verses of Scripture that teach us of God's FAITHFULNESS to His WORD which assures us that we can TRUST that Almighty God will DO what he said that he will DO! Please read Numbers 23:19 which clearly teaches us that God is NOT a man that he should lie and that God will ALWAYS do that which he said he will do! Emphasizing and highlighting words is another pointer to help you remember which words spoke to your heart as you read the Scripture asking God to help you understand the true meaning of His word. Keep in your mind what you just read in this verse and put it together with the next verse of Scripture.

Numbers 23:19.

 

“God is NOT a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: has He SAID, (Or in other words, has Almighty God SPOKEN in His WORD, the Scriptures), and shall He not DO IT? Or has He SPOKEN, and shall He not make it good?”

God is not like man that is capable of LYING, for you see, the Bible, the very WORD of Almighty God assures us that it is IMPOSSIBLE for God to LIE. So now, put God’s word as being TRUTH in John 17:17 together with the TRUTH of God making His word GOOD that you just read in Numbers 23:19 so you will learn to trust that God always stands behind His WORD. If God SAID it in His word then He will DO it. Learning to keep in your mind the Scriptures is another pointer in how to study the Bible. Ask God to bring to your remembrance other verses of Scripture that you have already read in the past AS you are reading God’s word in the present time and STAND on the PROMISE in God’s word in John 14:26.

John 14:26.

 

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”  

So as you read the rest of this study in God’s word ask to remember what you read so that you can APPLY the faithfulness of God performing His word to your life. Stay focused on the FAITHFULNESS of God to DO what He said He would DO. God is not a man that He should LIE. God’s word is TRUTH!

Please read Hebrews 6:11-20 which says.

“And we desire (As it is also my desire) that every one of you are showing the same diligence to the FULL ASSURANCE of hope unto the END:

12. That you be not slothful, but FOLLOWERS of them who through FAITH and PATIENCE inherit the PROMISES.

13. For when God made PROMISE to Abraham because he could swear by no greater, He swore by Himself,

14. Saying, Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.

15. And so, after he (Abraham) had patiently endured, he OBTAINED the promise.

16. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.

17. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to SHOW unto the heirs (Speaking of ALL who BELIEVE are HEIRS) of PROMISE, the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath.

18. That (Or so that) by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to LAY HOLD UPON the hope set before us.

19. Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both SURE and STEADFAST, and which enters into that within the veil;

20. Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Then we read again about the FAITHFULNESS of God to His WORD in Titus 1:2 that teaches us that his word is TRUTH and that God CANNOT LIE!

Titus 1:2.

“In hope of eternal life, which God, that CANNOT LIE, PROMISED before the world began;”

So then, we begin to see this repeated TRUTH throughout the Bible, the very WORD of Almighty God that since it is IMPOSSIBLE for God to LIE, not because God does not have the ABILITY to lie, but RATHER, that by God's CHOICE He simply refuses to lie. In other words, it is God's PROMISE to us that He will NEVER LIE! Therefore, we can be assured that God is ALWAYS FAITHFUL that PROMISED! And we do not have to read words where God specifically states, “I PROMISE” to do this or that. Simply KNOW that if it is written in God’s word as prophecy then God is always faithful to perform His word to bring it to pass just as “IT IS WRITTEN”. Please read Hebrews 10:23 which teaches us that God is always FAITHFUL to fulfill the PROMISES that he has made in his WORD.

Hebrews 10:23.

“Let us hold fast the PROFESSION of our FAITH without wavering; (WHY?) (for He is FAITHFUL that PROMISED;)”

Then we read a few verses further down in this same chapter in Hebrews 10:35,36 NOT to cast away our CONFIDENCE which has great recompense of REWARD for those who with PATIENCE endure unto the END to RECEIVE the PROMISE.

Hebrews 10:35,36.

“Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which has GREAT RECOMPENSE of REWARD.

36. For (Or because) you have need of PATIENCE, that, AFTER you have done the will of God, you might RECEIVE the PROMISE.”

So then, what does it mean that AFTER you have done the WILL of God, THEN you will RECEIVE the PROMISE of God? Basically, it means that God did His part first by prophesying His ordained plan of Salvation. Then God placed His own desire in our hearts as we heard or read His word. And NOW, it is our turn to DO His WILL which is our part so that God can continue to do His part and bring His WILL to pass. Please read Hebrews 11:11, which will give us a little insight into this matter of the PROMISES of Almighty God being CONDITIONAL.

Hebrews 11:11.

“Through FAITH also Sara herself RECEIVED strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, (WHY?) because she judged Him faithful who had PROMISED.”

Any time you see the words “FOR” or “BECAUSE” you need to stop and ask yourself the question WHY? This is another pointer of how to study the word of God. Follow my example to make your own comments within the Scriptures that you are studying. Use some of the same examples that I use, such as, writing down the word “because” after the word “for”. In this particular verse Scripture, after the word “because” we see the phrase “she JUDGED him (Referring to her considering Almighty God) FAITHFUL that PROMISED”, but in other translations, it may read FOR she judged him faithful that promised. I say this because we do not always read the word “FOR” and recall that it means BECAUSE. We read over words like “FOR” and “THAT” and it does not always come to our mind that the word “that” means SO that or in order that something will take place.

Now this phrase gives us the very REASON of WHY Sarah had FAITH to RECEIVE the PROMISE of Almighty God! The word “JUDGED” here means to lead, rule, guide, consider, think, regard, count, and esteem. So in other words, Sarah was led, guided, and ruled by her thinking, considering, regarding, esteeming, and counting Almighty God to be FAITHFUL to DO what he had PROMISED to DO. And what God SAID as opposed to God saying “I PROMISE” you, Abraham, that you will have a child, God is simply SAYING what will happen is, in essence, God PROMISING it to happen because it is impossible for God to LIE.

When we esteem something or someone we place them in a higher place of great respect. And when we regard something we look at it ATTENTIVELY and observe it closely. We consider it and take it into account to RESPECT it. This word “regard” shows respect and appreciation for the FAITHFULNESS of Almighty God to fulfill or bring about his PROMISES. In other words, when we JUDGE God's WORD to be TRUTH, then we are moved with CONFIDENCE to fully TRUST and REST in His PROMISES that are found in his WORD. Again, if God SAID it then what God SAID is His PROMISE to us that it will BE just as He SAID. Prophecy by God is His PROMISES that will come to pass. So when God SAID the wage of sin is DEATH then you had better BELIEVE that God MUST keep His word even though God takes NO PLEASURE in the death of the sinners.

Now here is something that I have come to notice through the years when we are close to the Lord and His WORD abides in us, then we find it much easier to TRUST in His promises. But sometimes when we drift away from the Lord there becomes in us a weakness in our faith. We still believe with our minds but our heart has become weak in faith. But when we begin to CONSIDER and place our ATTENTION back on what God has done for us in the past, then new hope arises in us to ATTEND to His WORD once again to stir up the FAITH that is within us. Lamentations 3:18-26 gives us an example of FOCUSING upon God's FAITHFULNESS to renew our strength when hope seems lost.

Lamentations 3:18-26.

 

“And I said, My strength and my hope has perished from the LORD: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood, and the gall.

20. My soul (Or my MIND) has them still in REMEMBRANCE and is HUMBLED in me. (Or the thought of remembering my affliction SINKS in me as a sinking feeling of dread or discouragement. It is humbling to know that there is nothing you can do so that you will seek and trust God to do what you cannot do)

21. This I RECALL to my mind, THEREFORE, (Or for this REASON) have  I hope. (Another pointer on how to study the Bible is to follow my example and write down the words for the very reason after the words like therefore and wherefore. Find out why those words are there “for” by LOOKING for that REASON why they are THERE so that you can apply it to your life. So WHAT is the very reason that we have HOPED? Sometimes the reason is in the verse or verse before the words “therefore” and “wherefore” but this time it is in the verses after the word, “therefore”)

22. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are NOT consumed because His compassion FAILS NOT. (So then, the reason we have HOPE is because of God's mercies and compassion. God loved us WHILE we were yet sinners)

23. They (God's mercies and compassion) are new every morning: GREAT is Your FAITHFULNESS. (Now notice the faith confessions in the following verses)

24. The LORD IS my portion, SAYS my soul, therefore, will I hope in Him. (Our hope comes from BELIEVING that God IS and that He IS the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. The Holy Spirit reminded me of Hebrews 11:6 that without FAITH it is impossible to please God so I wrote it down in my study)

25. The LORD IS good unto them that WAIT for him, to the soul that SEEKS him.

26. It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”

 

 

The word salvation does not always mean being saved from the second death. Our hope of all hope is for eternal life and to NOT perish. But to a sick person in pain and suffering, their HOPE is to be healed. That is the salvation they need in this present world. Healing is also the SALVATION of the Lord. God providing all our needs is the SALVATION of the Lord. For a deeper understanding of the BENEFITS in this present world that come with being saved please read the study “WHAT DOES BEING SAVED TRULY MEAN?”

From reading the Bible I have come away with the view that God has given mighty power to His WORD. Now, what I mean by this is that God is ALWAYS FAITHFUL to stand behind his word, to confirm his word with signs following, or to perform His word. Here are some of the verses that have persuaded me of this TRUTH. Let's begin with Isaiah 55:11, which teaches us that God's WORD will not return unto him VOID, but will ACCOMPLISH the thing that Almighty God sent his WORD to accomplish or bring to pass.

Isaiah 55:11.

“So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: IT (Referring to the very WORD of Almighty God) shall not return unto me VOID, but IT (God's spoken WORD) shall ACCOMPLISH that which I please, and IT (God's spoken WORD of prophecy that come out from God) shall prosper (Or my word shall ACCOMPLISH and bring to pass) in the thing whereto I sent IT.”

 

 

The word “VOID” here means empty-handed, empty, in vain, or without satisfaction. When I read this definition I was reminded of a time when the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart 9 simple words that I will never forget.

 

“My Son did NOT bear those stripes IN VAIN !” 

 

Years ago when I was a welder I experienced what is called “welders eyes”, which is where a person is exposed to the bright light of a welding arc for too long of a period of time and the person's eyes become feverish and very painful as though many grains of sand or needles are scratching and picking their eyes. Sometimes temporary blindness may occur with a more severe exposure of the eyes to this bright light, as was the case in my experience. Now the first time I experienced welder's eyes I was new in the faith and did not know what I now know about divine healing and prayer, so I suffered through it until it ran its course.

Now there is something about experiencing PAIN that causes us to have this memory branded in our minds to help us avoid a repeat experience. However, through unforeseen circumstances, my eyes had once again been exposed to the harmful bright welding arc. At the end of the day's work when I was putting up my welding gear I noticed my welding lens was cracked, and the THOUGHT came to me, “I wonder how LONG that has been cracked?” coupled with the thought of “I hope it was not too long” having in my mind also the memory of the PAIN that I experience before of having welders eyes.

I emphasized the word “THOUGHT” because knowing what I know now I could have headed off or prevented this attempt of the enemy to attack me with welder's eyes, simply by rebuking this fear that came over me at the time of seeing the cracked lens and my mind was being flooded with these fearful thoughts. However, I did not know this at the time, so obviously my FEARS came to pass, much like that of the servant Job. Please read Job 3:25, which teaches us that the things we greatly fear, if left unchecked will eventually come to pass.

Job 3:25.

“For the thing which I GREATLY FEARED is come upon me, and that which I was AFRAID OF has come unto me.”

FEAR is a weapon of our enemy Satan. Please read the study “THE WEAPONS OF OUR ENEMY SATAN” so that you are not ignorant of his devices to fall into one of his traps to be snared. Later that evening while driving home from a visit with my wife's mother my eyes began to water and become feverish. They began to water so badly that I had to pull the car over and have my wife drive the rest of the way home. As I got into the passenger seat, the remembrance of the PAIN of welder's eyes flooded my mind and the THOUGHT came to me, “Lord I cannot go through this again”. It was like the writer in Lamentations 3:18-26, I recalled the pain and misery I experience before. And like Job, great fear came all over me that I was going to go through the pain and misery again.

Then, at the very moment, this thought of FEAR that came to my mind FLED away when the Holy Spirit spoke those beautiful nine little words “My Son did NOT bear those stripes IN VAIN!” I knew in an instant what the Lord meant and was immediately filled will PEACE that I was healed by the STRIPES that Jesus bore for ME! Instantly, the fever and the gritty feeling of grains of sand that was just beginning to come upon me all left my eyes and were replaced with tears of JOY and THANKSGIVING.

Now, what PRECEDED this experience in my life of RECEIVING healing was a time of DILIGENTLY seeking an understanding of God's WORD through prayer and reading the Bible on this particular subject of HEALING. Looking back I can now see that in nearly every instance in my life that I LEARNED or rather JUDGED God's word to be TRUTH in a certain area. Then the enemy would come along and try to steal this revelation knowledge from me. Later God showed me the TRUTH in his WORD. Please read these words of Jesus found in the Gospel of both Matthew and Mark. I urge you to read BOTH accounts of the parable of the sower sowing seed, but for now, I will just quote Mark 4:3-20 which reads as follows.

Mark 4:3-20.

“Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

4. And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

5. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth:

6.  But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

8. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred.

9. And he said unto them, He that has ears to hear, let him hear

10. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable

11. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables

12. That seeing they may see, and not perceive, and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them

13. And he said unto them, Know you NOT this parable? And HOW then will you know all parables? (In other words, if you do NOT understand and KNOW the principles of SOWING God’s word then HOW will you know and understand the rest of God’s word?)

14. The sower sows the WORD.

15. And these are they by the wayside, where the WORD is sown; but when they have HEARD, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the WORD that was sown in their hearts.

16. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have HEARD the WORD, immediately receive it with gladness;

17. And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution arises for the WORD'S sake, immediately they are offended.

18. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as HEAR the WORD,

19. And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the WORD, and it becomes unfruitful.

20. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as HEAR the WORD, and RECEIVE it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Jesus says in verse 13 something to the effect, How is it that you do not know and understand this parable? This parable is the KEY to understanding all parables, so HOW are you going to understand the other things I tell you unless you first understand this parable of the sower sowing or planting God's WORD into the heart of mankind?

For me, this parable spoke a DESIRE in my heart to PRAY and ask God for me to ALWAYS be that GOOD soil in which the word of God sown in me will always bring forth good fruit. God GIVES us the DESIRES in our heart to PRAY. So OBEY those desires that God gives to you and PRAY those desires back to God so that He can bring them to pass.

You see my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, God is ALWAYS FAITHFUL to PERFORM His WORD. But what some fail to realize is that there is an ENEMY that is working AGAINST God to hinder and sometimes prevent God's word from growing and PRODUCING the fruit or the THING wherein God sent his WORD to ACCOMPLISH. Therefore, without realizing this TRUTH some have blamed God for NOT answering their prayer.

This is WHY we are strengthening our FAITH by reading and meditating upon his WORD. We learn in Jeremiah 1:12 that God is not only FAITHFUL to honor His spoken word, but He HASTENS to PERFORM His WORD. To me, the word hastens speaks of God being MORE willing to HEAL you than you are willing to RECEIVE the healing that has ALREADY been provided for you through the stripes that Jesus bore as part of the atonement. In other words, it is a package deal, so to speak. That is to say, if you are SAVED, then you are ALSO HEALED. For you see, the SAME Greek word “SOZO” that is translated as SAVED also means HEALED, made whole, and placed back into right relationship with God. It also means safety, deliverance, and protection. If you would like to learn more on the subject of healing already being provided for you, then please read the study on my website at AMatterOfTruth.com entitled “WHAT DOES BEING SAVED TRULY MEAN?”

Now one of the reasons I titled this study with the question of what does being saved truly means is because the WAY we RECEIVE our salvation in relation to the forgiveness of our sins is the SAME WAY that we RECEIVE HEALING or the SALVATION of our physical bodies. Most all Christians believe without a doubt that Jesus died for the sins of all of mankind, and yet not all men are saved in the sense that all men have NOT RECEIVED the SALVATION that has ALREADY been provided for them through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

You see my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, that if you are presenting the gospel to someone who does not yet believe in Jesus and they would say to you something like, “Well you do not know the things that I have done and I do not believe that God would ever forgive me”, then you would go to the very word of God and try to persuade them that God is FAITHFUL to forgive ALL that ask of his forgiveness. And if by chance you could NOT persuade them of this TRUTH, then whose fault would it be? Would it be God's fault that they did NOT believe? Would it be your fault that they did not believe? Or would it be their own fault that they would NOT accept the TRUTH of God's WORD and then BELIEVE and TRUST God's WORD unto the END in order to be saved?

But yet when it comes to RECEIVING the other PROMISES from the word of Almighty God some Christians simply do not ENDURE unto the END in order to RECEIVE the reward of what God has PROMISED them in his WORD.

Can you not see that since Almighty God is FAITHFUL in one area of his word, then he will also be FAITHFUL in ALL the other areas as well. God is ALWAYS FAITHFUL to His WORD, the WHOLE WORD of God, and not just bits and pieces of His word that some have decided are true while also deciding that other parts are not true, or they have passed away with the early church. No my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. God's word shall NEVER PASS AWAY! Please read the words of Jesus found in Mark 13:31 that CLEARLY teach us that God's word shall NEVER pass away.

Mark 13:31.

“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my WORDS shall NOT pass away.”

 

 

Then we read in 1 Peter 1:23 that God's WORD shall ABIDE FOREVER.

1 Peter 1:23.

“Being born again, not of corruptible SEED, but of incorruptible, by the WORD of God, which lives and abides forever.”

So we can plainly see that God's word lives and abide FOREVER and shall NEVER PASS AWAY. And that is how FAITHFUL Almighty God is to his WORD. The Bible teaches us that Almighty God even magnified his WORD ABOVE his very own NAME, which shows us how important this character of INTEGRITY is to Almighty God. Please read Psalm 138:2,3 which shows us how to be STRENGTHENED in our soul by KNOWING that God's WORD is TRUTH and that he exalts his word even above his very own NAME.

Psalm 138:2,3.

“I will worship toward your holy temple, and praise your name for your loving kindness and for your TRUTH: (WHY?) for (Or I can worship and praise you for your FAITHFULNESS to be loving and kind knowing your WORD is TRUTH by the very REASON that) you have MAGNIFIED your WORD ABOVE all your name.

3. In the day when I cried (Or called out to you in prayer) you ANSWERED me and STRENGTHENED me with strength in my soul.”

Now, I want you to really think about all these verses of Scripture that we just read in this study and those verses that the Holy Spirit has brought to your remembrance while you were reading this study in his word. I want you to let them be deposited from your mind down into your inner man by considering them CLOSELY as being TRUTH. For you see WHEN the WORD of God is ACCEPTED as being TRUTH in your HEART and becomes the ABUNDANCE of your HEART, then you will have that PEACE that passes all understanding spoken of in God's word. God will give you a WITNESS deep on the inside, a KNOWING that you KNOW without a doubt that God is FAITHFUL that PROMISED and he WILL without fail PERFORM his WORD. For you see my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, in order for us to RECEIVE the PROMISES of God in our lives we must FIRST BELIEVE his WORD is TRUTH not just with our MINDS, but deep within our HEARTS where it must become the ABUNDANCE of our heart. For it is only by the ENTRANCE of God's WORD that brings LIGHT. It is only by God's word ENTERING into our inner man that our inner man or our spirit can SEE those things that are yet unseen by the physical eye, and step number one is to KNOW that you KNOW that you KNOW that Almighty God is ALWAYS FAITHFUL to His WORD! So this is the reason that I urge you to MEDITATE upon these WORDS of Almighty God until they ENTER into your very being and become a PART of you, and THEN you shall PROSPER and have great SUCCESS in ALL you set your hands to do. In closing of part #1 of this series on the study of PRAYER please read Joshua 1:5-9, which teaches us the IMPORTANCE of MEDITATING upon God's WORD day and night and hiding it in our HEARTS.

Joshua 1:5-9.

“There shall not any man be able to stand before you all the days of your life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with you: I will NOT fail you, nor forsake you.

6.  Be strong and of good courage: for unto this people shall you divide for an inheritance the land, which I swore (Or PROMISED) unto their fathers to give them.  

7. ONLY be you strong and very courageous, (WHY?) that you may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded you: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, (WHY?) that thou may PROSPER where so ever you go.

8. This book of the law shall NOT depart out of your mouth; (In other words, the WORD of Almighty God shall ALWAYS REMAIN in your HEART to be spoken or brought forth by your mouth) but you shall MEDITATE therein day and night, (WHY?) that (Or so that) YOU may observe to do according to all that is written therein: FOR THEN you shall make your way PROSPEROUS, and THEN you shall have good success.

9. Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: (WHY?) for the LORD your God is WITH YOU where ever you go.”

 

ALMIGHTY GOD IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL TO HIS WORD!

EVERY JOT AND TITTLE!

KNOW THIS FOR YOUR GOOD!

 

Next in part #2 of this series of PRAYER lessons we will study this principle of CRYING out to God or SEEKING God, which is called PRAYER. To go to part two right now please click on the link “PRAYER LESSON# 2-WISDOM IS THE PRINCIPLE THING!” 

May God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of God.

 

Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ,

Brother Mark.

 

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