“Faith does the impossible because it lets God undertake for us, and nothing is impossible for God. How great – without qualification or limitation – the power of faith is! If doubt can be banished from the heart and unbelief is made a stranger there, what we ask from God will surely come to pass. Prayer throws faith on God and God on the world. Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God.”
Are you believing by faith for something that is bigger than yourself, for something that only God can do, for some mountain to be removed? Are you stepping out of your comfort zone of what is the normal and asking God for things that are God-sized and not man-made? This is what God wants. Keep in mind that God will do nothing on earth except in answer to believing prayer. Let us believe Hebrews 11:6 which says, “Without faith it is impossible to pleaser Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”.
Are you convinced with all your heart that when you pray, something is released in the heavenlies that would not have been released if you had not prayed? Are you pregnant with the plans and purposes of God and with an anticipation of what God can do if you only believe and do not give up? Alice Smith says the following:
“Effective praying people live lives of continual ‘spiritual pregnancy’. They are pregnant with the plans and purposes of God. We should always approach the place of prayer pregnant with the great expectation of meeting with God and seeing Him answer our prayer. Come to the throne of God with a heart full of faith, for faith is the currency of heaven.”
The question we must ask ourselves is, “How can our faith be enlarged so that we have this currency of heaven? One of the big ways to enlarge our faith is through delay.
Delays Develop Faith
“Faith is often called upon to wait patiently before God and is prepared for God’s seeming delays in answering prayer. Faith does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honored. It takes God at His Word and lets Him take what time He chooses in fulfilling His purposes and in carrying on His work. There is bound to be delay and long days of waiting for true faith, but faith accepts the conditions. It knows there will be delays in answering prayer and regards such delays as times of testing where it is privileged to show that it is made of courage and stern stuff.”
Let us remember that the delays of Jesus are used in the interest of a greater good. Look at the example of Lazarus when there was delay, and Mary and Martha’s faith was tested (John 11). Jesus waited and Lazarus died. This was a seemingly impossible situation. What is more hopeless than death (and this could be not only physical death, but death to dreams, plans, hopes, etc.). Will we believe even in the midst of impossibility? Jesus will come if we hold fast to our faith.
“If Christ delays, wait for Him. In His own good time, he will come and will not be late.”
When starting Intercessors Arise, I ran into many difficulties. I knew what God wanted to do, but obstacle after obstacle came our way. Over and over again I ran into computer problems, and over and over again I had to lay it in God’s hands and pray. The enemy fought hard and finally I made a decision to pray through all the obstacles and wait until God broke through I knew in my heart that He wanted to raise up intercession. Only God could make this happen and He had a perfect timing.
God broke through in a marvelous way and now my faith has been enlarged to believe Him for much greater things regarding Intercessors Arise. I believe that the test of faith was absolutely necessary for what God wanted to do. I encourage you that whatever obstacle you are facing, whatever impossibility you are praying through, don’t give up because God wants to enlarge your faith through the difficulty. Believe that one day He will break through in abundance. Thank Him now for what He will do even when you don’t see it. Remember, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
“Delay is often the test and the strength of faith. How much patience is required when these times of testing come! Yet faith gathers strength by waiting and praying. Patience has its perfect work in the school of delay. In some instances, delay is of the very nature of the prayer. God has to do maany things before He gives the final answer. There are things that are essential to the lasting good of the person who is requesting the favor from Him.”
“Faith that creates powerful praying is the faith that centers itself on a powerful person. Faith in Christ’s ability to do and to do greatly is the faith that prays greatly.” Quotes by E. M. Bounds
“Have faith in God, for assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:22-24
By Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
IHOPKC