In review of Mark 11:24 it says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (NIV).
God can do the impossible. God will answer my prayers, but not as a result of my positive mental attitude. I need to: 1). be a follower and believer; 2). not hold any grudges against others; 3). not pray with selfish motives and 4). have my request be for the good of His Kingdom. To pray effectively, I need faith in God, not in the object of my request. If I focus only on my request, I'll be left with nothing if my request is refused. Jesus prayed, Yet I want your will to be done, not mine. My prayers can often be motivated by my own interests and desires. Jesus prayed with God's interests in mind. When I pray, I should want his will above mine. Consider, are my prayers focused on my interests or God's.
God’s promises are better than any human promises. Before I even receive what he has promised, I can say, “Thank you, God, that what you said is going to happen, will happen.”
There’s a great example of this in God’s “Hall of Fame” in Hebrews 11. Remember how Joshua led the Israelites around Jericho, where the walls fell down? How did they fall down? Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days” (NIV).
The people of Israel were going into the Promised Land, where the powerful city of Jericho was located. God promised he was going to let the Israelites into the city and then gave them his plan: “I want you to go and march around Jericho for seven days. Then on the seventh day, I want you to march around the city seven times, thanking me for the victory that’s going to come.” And when they did that, the walls just fell. God did what he promised!
What if I’d been one of those people marching around the walls for seven days? Would I have been looking at the walls, getting more and more worried and wondering how God could ever bring them down. But a lot of the other people who marched around had faith instead. And every day they looked at the wall and thought about what God could do and thanked him in advance.
This is the kind of life that God wants me to live, the thanking-God-in-advance kind of life. Jesus talked about it in Mark 11:24: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (NIV).
When I ask God for something, if I don’t believe, why even ask? It would be just an empty exercise. But Jesus said that if I pray and ask God for something, believe he’s going to do it. Thank him in advance for what only he can do. And then look and wait for how he answers my prayer.
In summary, whatever I ask for in prayer, believe that I have already received it, and it will be mine. God will answer my prayers, but not because of my positive mental attitude. I need to believe, not hold any grudges, pray with selfless motives, and be a request for the good of his Kingdom. Have faith in God, not in the object of my request. Want his will above mine. Before I even receive what he has promised, thank him in advance. Consider the example of Joshua and the walls of Jericho. Have faith that God will do what he promises and thank him in advance.
Father I admit that many of the things I ask for have been selfish in nature. I do not spend nearly enough time praying for your will and your Kingdom, nor thanking you in advance. I pray this morning that I will keep what you have spoken to me about in mind. With the power of the Holy Spirit, help me to be thinking of advancing your Kingdom and praying for it. I do ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my activities, my leadership and my interaction with others. I want to serve, give and be of assistance to others. I pray these things through your Son Jesus name, Amen.
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