| Cross Words: Faithful Obedience |
Richard Prow ~ rpcrosswords@gmail.com
|
“Just have enough faith and God will fill your depleted bank accounts, restore your broken relationships, and repair your debilitating bodies.” So says many television evangelists as well as countless other preachers not on the air waves.
Can it be that simple? Do we simply need only to believe more to get what we ask for? After all, didn’t Jesus mention that “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt. 17:20-21.
Not to throw a spiritual curve ball your way, but it takes more than just faith to see our prayers come to fruition. Jesus did say we must have faith, but He also commanded us to be holy. The Apostle Paul encourages us to “lift up holy hands in prayer” (1 Tim. 2:8). James, Jesus’ half-brother, said that prayer offered in faith will make a sick person well” (5:15). But he followed that statement by proclaiming that the prayers for the sick be offered up by righteous people of God (5:16).
Often times our prayers go unanswered, not because of a lack of faith, but rather because of a lack of obedience. Faith definitely gets the attention of the Almighty, but His ears become more attentive to those children who are doing their best to live, act, and speak holy.
If you feel your prayers are falling on deaf ears step back and take stock of your life. Look to see if there is anything displeasing to the Father. If there is, confess it, ask forgiveness for it, and change your ways. Then wait to see if the lines of communication with your Heavenly Father aren’t a little more clear. Don’t forget, it’s not just how hard we believe. It’s also about how we behave.
|
|
Printer-friendly format
|
|
