Matthew 21:21-22 (NLT)Examples of faith in action - the Roman Centurion (Luke 7:1-10), Jesus healing in response to faith, Jairus daughter and the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:40-56), the Faith of a Gentile Woman (Matt 15:21-28), four men who lowered a paralyzed man through the roof (Mark 2:1-12).
21 Then Jesus told them, "I assure you, if you have faith and don't doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, `May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,' and it will happen.
22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Many people have needs but not all who have needs goes to Jesus to have their needs answered. Refer to all the stories listed above. Many of the people who seek Jesus out do so out of curiosity, to meet a celebrity, to rub shoulders with Him, to see a man they heard so much about who is said to perform miracles, but not one of them ask Jesus for anything so nothing happens for these people. In each of the stories, only those who seek Jesus out believing that He can meet their needs, have their needs met when they engage Him ...by touching Him or by asking Him for a healing.
It is their faith that Jesus responded to, and Jesus himself says so (Luke 7:9; Luke 8:48, 50; Matt 15:28, Mark 2:5). It was never their needs that Jesus responded to, but their faith. These men and women reached out to Jesus by their actions of faith, that is, they first believed in Him and then acted on it.
Today you too can do the same by reaching out to Jesus through pray. Prayer is an act of faith, you believing that He is able and willing to meet your needs. The “trick” is, not to doubt. For that, you need to know the person of God, His nature, His likes and dislikes, through His son Jesus Christ. In short you need to build a relationship with Jesus and He will reveal Himself to you.
John 14:21 (NLT)When we pray we exercise our faith in Christ Jesus and with time, in our knowing who God is, in His revelation of Himself to us, FAITH becomes second nature, to us.
21 Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them."
Believing first before seeing the evidence of what you are hoping for or believeing for is called faith. (Hebrew 11:1) Faith is you having more confidence in God's love and power working for you than in the devil’s ability to harm you. When you choose to rest in the finished work of Christ at the cross, you will see miracles in your life; the impossible happening; the manifestation of your blessing.
Afterall, Christians are called to live by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Also, it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrew 11:6). With our faith founded in Jesus, He will give us rest and with that peace.
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