Believing Prayer

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with a little later in the program will tell you how you got moments. First, here's the message, believing God's word and turn with me to the Gospel of Mark. The 11th chapter of the gospel of Mark today were to talk about moving freight. The kind of faith that pray and believe and sees God did great and mighty things free to move mountains that I say that faith is the most powerful force in the universe.

The most powerful force on earth because they lose the manipulatives of God. When we pray our prayers, touch and move the omnipotence of God. So I say is the most powerful force on earth because it enables us to link with the power of God is the key to everything is the key to joy is the is is the key to open doors of blessing upon our lives. It is the key to victory over sin and sorrow and death. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

Faith is the victory and God is looking for men and women Boys and Girls Club students of faith, people who believe and trust in him and that's never more vivid than in the passage that we have in Mark chapter 11 we begin reading in verse 22 and Jesus answered them, have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be taken up and thrown into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will come to pass it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be you prayers a lot of things but prayer at the at the bottom line is asking and receiving is believing and receiving from the heart and the hand of God. All that he desires to give, and we see here if you're taking notes. The first thing is a simple command of very simple command because Jesus says in verse 22. Have faith in God.

Very simple fact just for words, but so powerful.

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Faith is only as valid as the object of our faith.

Faith is substance and faith is evidence is real and is reasonable. You don't have to close your mind and to reality to believe and trust in God. Faith is reasonable. The evidence is in, and it is not only possible, it is certain that we should believe it is a command that we believe in this faith when it says our faith. But Jesus said, have faith in God. We are talking about the God of the universe, the creator and sustainer of the universe. This God without talking about praying to the quote man upstairs.

We're praying to all mighty God, the great I am. The covenant name of God is. I am, and I told you before if you want to know who the IME is and what he can do just say fill in the blank.

I am what ever you need to fill in the blank. I am he is available and through prayer. He is accessible to us in that same creator God is so awesome and and up there and out there has come to us in the person of Christ and made us his children and therefore we can know him and we have a relationship. So the creator God is our father. God and we can pray to him not only as has sovereign, but with the with the with the sympathy of a father who hears us. And he loves us so God is your father and God is your creator, you can come to him with the simple words of faith. Have faith in God faith. As I said is the most dynamic force on earth because it accesses the omnipotent power of God. You say, well, my faith is small is not so much great faith that you need but fate of the great God that you need will say more about that in just a moment, but in Hebrews chapter 11 verse six Scripture says without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

So faith is reasonable.

Faith is real and faith is rewarded according to Hebrews Chapter 11 God honors faith because faith honors God. God honors faith because faith honors God. And when you honor him with your faith in everyone every day that he will reward you openly.

God wants you to know him, love him and serve him by faith he doesn't make us or manipulate us like puppets, but he gives us the awesome choice of choosing faith and trust in him and have a relationship with him through faith best saving faith trusting in Christ and following him. But once you are a believer. Once you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ. There's so much more to believe because the faith that saves is the faith that secures and strengthens and satisfies and sustains.

I love Psalm 81 in verse 10. The last part of that verse. Someone called this the motto of every dentist. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. Jeremiah 33 three calling to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know you have not known. I love that God says just calling to me asked me cry out to me and I will show you and do mighty things in your life which you could not even imagine.

Ask God what for what you need and God says I will meet meet you at the point of your need. Have faith in God. Philippians 419 says my God, my God will supply all of your needs, not all your breeds, but all of your needs according to his riches in glory in Jesus Christ. I'm so glad it says according to his riches in glory, God meets your needs according to his riches in glory. For example, if you asked me for a loan or maybe you need money and you said pastor I can't pay my bills. Will you help me so I reach in my pocket and I shuffle through the money in my pocket and I find 1/4 and I give you 1/4 and say God bless you.

You might say thanks for and go on. But that would be giving out of my well but suppose you asked me for help and I gave you my debit card and the pin number and said, here is whatever you need issue now that would be giving, not out of my riches, but according to my riches, you see that God says, not out of my riches. He doesn't just tip us or give us a little bit, but according to his riches in glory in Jesus Christ and God gives you a debit card you can cash it at the bank of heaven for all of his work, and God said, I will meet your needs, not just a little bit, but according to my riches in glory in the Lord Jesus Christ. What a wonderful promise is a simple command don't limit God because God is limitless and so often. Our prayers are too small because our God is have faith in his great and gracious. Our prayers are too small because our God is too small is what I say nothing lies outside the reach of prayer, except that which lies outside the will of God for your life. Don't shut God out.

Don't sell God short hand they in God, so let me just ask you just pull up a chair real close to you in a couple coffee. What are you believing God to do in your life.

How are you trusting him right now.

Are you praying are you asking are you believing God to do great and mighty things in your life or are you settling too many Christians are less God in their lives is a simple command you have a bold and daring thing, pray and will bold and very thing you're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham in today's message believing prayer when he set aside daily time to connect with God to give you the ability to live a godly life and to fill his plans for you in the coming year and we'd like to help me walk even more closely with the Lord in the year had I sending you pastor grams 180 day devotional moments and the way it's our way to thank you for your gift today to help proclaim the gospel to more people around the world to PowerPoint.

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But then we see a call. Verse 23. A superlative example because Jesus gives us in hyperbole and an illustration.

An example of faith look at it again with me. Verse 23 of Mark chapter 11 truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be taken up and thrown into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will come to pass.

It will be done for him. Now course throwing a mountain into the sea is humanly impossible not talking about physical mountains, but spiritual amounts. Anything that is an obstacle standing in our way. Spiritual. It it could be a broken relationship. A mountain of a failed marriage. It could be a financial mountain, the bills that you cannot pay the amount the bills with wheat we use language like this, I got I got amount of bills to pay. It could be a mountain on obstacle that is holding you back spiritually in some way some bondage in your life that that stands in the way of what God really wants to do in your life you're thinking I really want God to work like I really want God to answer my prayers.

I really want God to do something in my life but but God.

What about that mountain.

Jesus is saying in a superlative way in a supernatural way. If you pray and say to the mountain be thrown into the sea and do not doubt you will have what you asked in Matthews version of this story. Matthew tells us that Jesus said if you have faith the size of a grain of mustard seed, you shall say the mountain be removed and it shall be removed say what my faith is all not all that big is not all that great.

But Jesus is saying here that the least amount of faith in a mustard seed is very small is about the size of a flight of pepper on your eggs this morning is that small Vista little thing but it's not pepper is succeed in this, there's life in the seat is not static faith… Act you plant a seed of the gross. So what Jesus is telling us here in in hyperbole and exaggeration. If you will, on the mountainside that the least amount of your faith is bigger greater than the most difficult object that you face in life and so you say to the mountain and do not doubt this is planting your faith and watching your faith produces now if you want faith to move mountains. Let me give you several simple things I got for as to how to grow your faith and help your faith to encourage us. I mean I need to grow my faith.

My faith has been stagnant static. I want my faith to be vibrant and victorious how I do that number one God's word saturate your heart and your mind with God's word.

This book, the Bible is a Facebook the inherent inspired word of God.

I guarantee you if you will commit your life to saturating your mind and your soul or spirit with God's word faith will build don't know stand around and say okay God hit me with faith.exactly come on Walmart no commit to God's word and his promises and his precepts in the principles of God's word will build a living, vibrant faith in your life.

That's why we start with little children teaching them God's word and growing them up in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and so on. So a lot more I can say about that.

But if you want to believe start, we hereby have a quiet time every day devotional time when you want to call it that you open God's word and allow God's word to speak to you come to worship each week and learn the word of God given a small group is the Bible the Bible the Bible that will help you to believe believe believe. Secondly, prayer, faith is a gift from God and therefore you can ask him in prayer and pray and ask God for your faith, and when your faith is small and when you're struggling you can be like that man in the New Testament who came to Jesus and said, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. We all have doubts and fears. We all have questions that we cannot answer the things that I don't understand, but when I pray and believe God's word.

Then my I doubt my doubts and I believe my beliefs and I don't exchange what I don't know for what I know, because now I know the word of God. But when we pray we are believing you not pray you not believe. Believing expresses itself in asking and receiving. Thirdly, the fellowship of God's church.

Romans chapter 1 and verse 12. That is, that we may mutually be encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. We are encouraged and equipped by the faith of a when you get around me and I get around you as God's church in the community of faith.

Our faith is increased. And maybe I'm running on low. Maybe I'm I'm coming in here today like someone you on empty and you get around people of faith and people pray for you are pray with you or you see or hear a testimony or sing a song of faith that you're in the community here you're in the covenant of the church and in together your your family and so you see how that works. We are to encourage today already Justin in the worship of Christ and in the witness of the gospel in the teaching of God's word and that and seeing friends in the hallway and being together that mutually bills our faith. I think you get all separated and isolated in the world.

You can even lose your faith, or abandon. So that's why we keep showing up why we keep worshiping him why we stay in the church and when crisis comes, especially when crisis comes in your hurting and you can't even take another step. People are there to hold you up and lift you up there three kinds of people in the world. Those who beat you down.

Those who pass you by and those who lift you up in the world. People will beat you down, even in religious circles, people may pass you by. But God's people will pick you up and that's what faith does.

It enables us to grow in one final thing, there's the exercise of faith we exercise our faith.

We learned in James chapter 2 verse 17 that faith without works is why faith works faith is active, but we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, don't wait on a perfect faith. Just start using the faith you have.

Because faith is like a muscle, you will use your muscles illusion. And if you don't use your faith. You lose your faith and not in an eternal sense because were secure forever in Christ, but in the temple since you just lose your faith. You go down because you're not using the faith that you have. Start where you are. Develop a growing faith exercise your faith obedient thing we have seen that work many times noticed Jesus said say to the mountain that sounds crazy doesn't it talking to the mountain.

Jesus is teaching the principle of public profession of faith. Faith. While it is deeply personal, is never private is always public. Jesus said confess me before men call upon me that outward. Don't worry about putting God on the line you have to worry about God's reputation, trust God and believe God and speak in faith. So you gonna mountain your face a failing marriage or a broken relationship for mountain of bondage to sin or a mountain of a child on going in the wrong direction. Whatever amount whatever obstacle amount of bills you cratering financially got a mountain what you give up giving that if your believer not if you dare to believe what you gonna do is speak to the mountain and call them victory and cry out to God who can do anything but fail. Jesus said if you pray like this, you asked me anything, master, spiritual application here. Verse 24 what a promise.

Whatever you asked for. Believe that you have received it and it will be yours.

Whatever you asked for. Believe that you received it and it will be yours. Note the three tenses here present tense whatever you ask.

That's asking past. If you have received asked whenever you asked is present, past that you have received it in the future it will be you because sometimes our prayers are analogical and an unreasonable and crazy prayers. But the fact is, God says you pray in faith and believe and trust in me, and do not doubt that in my own time in my own way. I'm going to answer your prayer. Sure there times that God says no.

Aren't you grateful for the times in your life when you prayed something, and God said no you look back. Mrs. Billy Graham. Ruth Graham once said, I think God for unanswered prayer because if I if not initial all my prayers on a writ married the wrong man five times.

Sometimes God says no. Sometimes God says slow. In other words, the timing is not right another time, another place. Sometimes God says row.

When we pray these building up agencies building our character strengthening our faith. Sometimes God says row, but when we pray and we are right with God and when the time is right, God will say go and then he saw on and God will open the windows of heaven and pour out the answer the blessing and prayer laying hold of his time inside listening to PowerPoint Graham in today's message believing prayer. Looking ahead to a new year can fill you with expectation. They can also fill you with desperation if things get worse.

But if the world gets crazier. But if you don't have the strength to face what comes your way.

It's their spending daily time in God's word that we find the strength, peace and hope. We need and we want to help you do that by sending you pastor Graham's 180 day devotional moments in the word moments and the word is our special thanks for your gift this month so called requester copy today: 800-7956 27 that's one 800-7954 67 also takes away PowerPoint to 313-1316 PowerPoint 31 and don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org shop store online or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email our website again is Jack Graham.Pastor, what is your PowerPoint faith is alive, living like a sea and just like a seed it can grow if it is nurtured, watered and developed. So there's some very practical spiritual disciplines that will help you water your faith. Develop your faith so that it can grow. First, saturate your heart and mind with God's word. The longer I live in the more thoroughly I study my Bible, the more I find myself taking God's word. I'm believing God more and more because of Scripture to commit to God's word, his promises, his principles, the precepts of God's word and God will begin building a living, vibrant faith in your life. Scripture says in Romans 10. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And then of course pray.

Now it may seem out of order, but faith is a gift of God and therefore you can ask him to give you faith through prayer. Ask God for a living faith, pray and ask God to give you more faith we all have questions we can answer and things we can understand in life, but through prayer by asking and seeking, and knocking we can express our belief and we can begin taking God at his word and then God takes that kernel of faith and he multiplies it in our hearts and then another thing you need to develop your faith is fellowship with unbelievers.

We need each other. I'm talking about the fellowship of God's church I'm talking about the body of Christ, and as you get engaged with other believers, are faith sparks when another state and we can grow together and then finally exercise your faith.

Faith is like a muscle. It is not used it. Atrophy's and when faith is not used it feeds away. So the next time you have a choice to act on faith, act, do it.

Trust God and you will be amazed at how God stretches your faith and how your faith will grow and that is today's PowerPoint. Remember when you give a gift to PowerPoint will send you Graham 180 days. Moments were call 1-800-791-7954 six also text the word PowerPoint 11 PowerPoint Graham next time when he brings a message but have you have a strong faith filled on an unshakable foundation next on PowerPoint PowerPoint with Jacaranda sponsored by PowerPoint ministries