“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing Psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much”. – James 5:13-16
LIGHT FOR NOW: Having faith is not the problem of the believer as he has all the faith he could ever need in his Christian work. Using his faith is what could be the problem.
From Jesus’ words in Mark 11:23-24 carefully explained in previous studies, then a vital deduction is “receiving in prayer is in when you pray, while having what we asked for is afterwards”. That receiving in prayer is what James called prayer of faith. In reference to Mark’s account, note that Jesus’ audience were not “sons of God”. Sonship was only possible upon the resurrection. Hebrews 2:10 “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings”.
The books of Mark, just like Matthew, Luke, and John, were written for men to believe and receive life (John 20:20-31). That’s why in Mark 11:23, Jesus said “if you have faith”. However, the attitude of “the prayer of faith was well communicated”. Today, the believer is not to be asked to have faith; he has faith already, having believed the gospel. He now has a responsibility to use his faith. How is a man saved? A man is saved by faith in the gospel. And that faith in the gospel is supplied by the gospel itself. That is why Paul in Romans 10 calls the gospel the word of faith, so the hearing of the gospel is the hearing of faith. The starting point of Christianity is faith in Christ. The believer thus has the entirety and totality of God’s faith, and thus, he doesn’t have a faith problem. However, the believer can have the problem of using his faith if he doesn’t know how he and he is not taught how. Glory!
INSTRUCTION: Use your faith!
CONFESSION: I pray with full assurance of hope, knowing fully well that God gives when I ask, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
QUOTE: The believer does not have a faith problem.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: MARK CHAPTER 11; EVENING: HEBREWS CHAPTER 11
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 