A minister of the Gospel and faith-preacher, Rev Akinlolu Raphael, has admonished Christians to act in faith after praying, as this, he said is the only means to call into reality God’s answers to their prayers.
Rev Raphael, who was a guest minister at the Sunday service of Charis Family International Headquarters Church, Molola, Ibadan, ending the church’s seven-day prayer and fasting retreat, said acting in faith excites God, hence, He feels joyous in responding to believers’ requests.
Ministering from the Book of Mark 5:25-34, in a message entitled: “Faith: The Key to Receiving,” the clergy cited the case of a woman who had suffered the issue of blood for 12 years, but who only got her miracle after acting out in faith.
He said it was her faith who made her touch Jesus Christ’s garment and unknowing to her, it was the excitement Jesus Christ felt in her action that gave her a miraculous healing.
Rev Raphael said, ”it was not the woman’s prayer that made her whole, it was her faith. Prayer cannot arm-twist God, it can’t change God because He gives us an avenue of prayer to express ourselves to Him.
“Prayer is not what you do to make God change. Prayer is a fellowship with God. Prayer is an opportunity to hear from God. Mark 12:24 shows that faith is what guarantees victory, not prayer. Believe you receive what you pray for.
“The Bible says, “the just shall live by faith, not by sentiments. Crying a little doesn’t change God, though God is emotional, but He does not operate with emotions. Rather, He has raised His words above everything.”
Enlightening further through the Scriptures, he said, the woman with the issue of blood didn’t come to beg Jesus for her deliverance, he said she only went to claim her victory.
As a result, he said believers should claim their victory, and quoting from the Book of 1 John 5:4 and 1 John 4:4, to situate his claims on faith, Rev Raphael said, “it is our faith that overcomes the world, not prayers.
While also referring the congregation to the Book of James 1:6-7, he said individuals should ask in faith, “not by wavering,” saying “a double-minded man will get nothing from God,” as according to the Book of James 1:15, he said “prayer of faith gets you the answer. Don’t just pray, believe you get answer to your prayers.”
Rev Raphael said God doesn’t answer because He prefers someone than the other, rather, he said with God, “there is no respect of person with faith, you don’t have to be anything but just simply a child of God.”
He highlighted 12 components of receiving in faith, the first, which he said can be seen in the Book of John 1:11, “the manifestation of God’s power in our life lies in receiving Him. It is not about what God can do, but what you can receive.”
Secondly, he said Christians should develop a mentality of receiving after praying. “Believers are receivers, God is a giver. The woman with the issue of blood just came to receive,” he said.
Thirdly, he said, receiving from God is by faith, adding that “in the Book of Mark 5:34, Jesus said thy faith has made you whole. He gave us Christ, He has given all.”
Fourthly, he said “faith excites God. It makes God happy. The most exciting truth is to know why to exercise faith, which is that faith excites God and it honours God. Faith believes the word of God.
“Abraham thanked God before he received what God had promised, he excites God and God became obliged to give him out of excitement.
“The Bible says blessed is she that believes, for there shall be a performance of what has been spoken. In the case of the woman with the issue of blood, it was the excitement that made Jesus turn around to ask of who just touched him. Every act of faith gets heaven’s attention.”
Fifthly, he said, “faith is believing you have an answer to your prayer before seeing the answer, Mark 5:27-28. Faith is being certain, faith is being sure.”
Sixthly, he said, “we exercise faith by what we say and do. You act out your faith. Faith is like driving a car, you put your hands on the steering, engage the gear, and accelerate. Without accelerating, the car won’t move.
“Faith works by you studying your Bible, speak your faith and act your faith. You are not alone when you are acting faith, the Holy Spirit is actively involved with you.”
Seventhly, he said, “you build your faith by what you hear. When believers gather, speak Scriptures to each other.”
Eighthly, he said, “faith is personal.”
Ninthly, Rev Raphael said “Faith is private. You don’t go about showing your faith to man, show it to God. If you show people, they will discourage you, and rationalise your faith for you.”
Tenthly, he said “faith does not focus on the situation, it focuses on the victory as seen in the Book of Mark 5:24. Also, in Romans 4:18-21, Abraham hoped against hope, his case and that of his wife, Sarah, in childbearing was practically impossible. Yet, they had faith and bore a child.”
On the eleventh, he said “there is no impossibility with faith,” and twelfth, “faith never fails,” since faith, he said, “receives what God has already granted, 1John 5:14.”
He said, though a hope deferred makes the heart sick, according to the Scriptures, still, he said, at the appointed time, if not living in doubt, God will fulfill His words.
The cleric said people may have a delay in childbearing, business breakthrough, marriage, and in many other areas, which may make them doubt the possibility of having an answer to their prayers.
But to overcome doubt, he charged believers to heed Jesus Christ’s warning in the Book of Mark 11:22, where he told his disciples to have faith in God.
He said when hopes are dashed, there is need to confess positively and not lament the situation, because “what you say at the moment your hope is dashed or threatened will determine what will happen.
“Speaking to the situation does not stop the process immediately, but it begins a process,” hence, he said, “believers should mind their words.”
Pastor Jaiyebo warned that “spoken words attract spirits, if you don’t know what to say, keep quiet. If your hope is dashed and you say wrong words, the wrong words will come to pass. Same way, if you say the right words in the Scriptures, it will come to pass.
”If you say you are tired, you have released words that will bring about tiredness.
Faith speaks and sees it come to pass.
”When you speak God’s words, it looks as if nothing has happened, but a process has started.
”Don’t pray without a target. Speak to the mountain: there must be a mountain. Don’t just pray and pray, identify the object to which you are directing your prayer.
”Hannah asked for a male child, she was specific; blind Bartimaeus also asked Jesus that he may receive his sight, he was specific too.
Pastor Jaiyebo said “doubt is usually a feeling, and feelings are always temporary,” hence, he admonished believers “not to dwell on temporary undependable feelings.”
To deal with doubt, he said believers need to “thank God. When you pray you don’t complain, you keep thanking God.”
Also, he said, “you need to bind hindering spirits because the devil knows you have received, and he doesn’t want you to have it,” hence, the need to confess positively.
”Never say anything contrary to what you have received no matter the pressure, and when you stand to pray, forgive whoever has offended you, because being unforgiven hinders answers to prayers,” Pastor Jaiyebo said.