Jesus released power in His earthly ministry through words. At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus said, “Lazarus, come forth,” and he did. At the city of Nain, Jesus stopped a funeral procession and said, “Young man, I say unto thee, arise.” The boy was raised from the dead. Matthew 8:16 says Jesus cast out the devil with His Word. Psalm 107:20 says God sent His Word and it healed the children of Israel.
Words carry power. The very forces of life and death are powered by the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the importance of speaking right words. When faith words are spoken, they must be backed by corresponding actions. James 2:17, The Amplified Bible, says, “So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).” God’s Word instructs us to be doers of what it says and not hearers only. In applying faith, two elements are involved: words and actions. Real Bible faith demands action.
You have to act by faith, not according to your feelings or reasoning. Faith is based on eternal truth and is more dependable than the evidence of your physical senses. According to 2 Corinthians 4:18, we are not to look at things which are seen,but at things which are not seen. The things which are visibleare temporal, or changeable. The things which are invisible are eternal—they never change. Don’t focus your attention on what you perceive through your five physical senses. Keep your heart fixed on the Word of God. Then what you see will come in line with the Word.
To believe God’s Word, rather than physical circumstances, is to talk and act the answer instead of the problem. Acting on the Word puts faith in motion. You cannot expect results from your prayer without the operation of faith.
An incident that occurred during the ministry of Jesus is a fine example of faith in action. Jesus was teaching in a private home. The crowd was so large there was no room for anyone else. Some men had brought a sick friend to Jesus to be healed. They could not reach Him because of the crowd, but they refused to be denied. They knocked a hole in the roof and lowered their friend into the room on a stretcher!
The owner of that house thought as much of his roof as you think of yours. How do you suppose he reacted when they tore that hole in his roof? But these men had only one thing in mind—to reach Jesus. They put aside their own dignity and refused to fear the owner of the house or the people around them. When they lowered the sick man into the room, Luke 5:20 says Jesus saw their faith. The invisible force of faith
became visible through their actions! In response to faith, Jesus forgave the man’s sins and healed his body.
What Jesus did 2,000 years ago, He will do today. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Once you have prayed, hold fast to your confession. Refuse to speak contrary to the Word of God. Do not allow circumstances to sway you. Act as though it were already done.
When you apply your faith accurately, according to God’s Word, you will get results. You will experience Hebrews 4:16 for yourself. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” It does not say, “Come and hope to get.” It says, “Come and obtain!”
A very misunderstood concept, throughout the religious world, is that it is extremely difficult to get God to answer prayer at all—much less answer all prayer. That is a lie of Satan and absolutely contrary to the Word of God. When you believe God’s Word in your heart, and pray in line with His Word, you have every right to expect your prayer to bring
results. Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:21-22).
If God will answer the prayer of a sinner to be saved, He will certainly answer the prayers of born-again believers who come to Him in faith concerning their lives.
