You have everything you need for life and godliness. Everything. You are not helpless. If you have turned from sin and embraced Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior- you have been called by God and given everything you need to overcome.
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:2-4
I have seen Christians get so tangled up in the theological splitting of hairs that they are ineffective for Jesus. I’ll never forget 20 years ago asking a team of believers if we could do a group fast to pray for something we all felt strongly called to. The looks I received were wilting. “God is sovereign and in control. He doesn’t need us to fast and pray. He is going to do what he is going to do.”
At the time, I felt helpless against this very spiritual sounding shutdown. It made me feel like my desire to seek God in the biblical discipline of fasting and prayer was archaic or even very unspiritual- even lacking in faith. Do believers need to do anything at all? What is our role? I mean- come on. God doesn’t actually need our help, does he?
These kind of super spiritual sounding arguments completely miss the point. God created man and woman for relationship with him. He doesn’t micro manage that relationship. It’s a two way street. He – by his sovereign will – gives us everything we need for life and godliness. We have every piece of armor for our protection, every weapon of warfare against the enemy, every powerful tool for seeking the Lord. All of this equipping is from the Lord and his power that is poured out to believers in Jesus. He gives us what we need and he desires to interact with us in the walking out of our faith.
He even interacts with us in prayer. Jesus instructed his disciples to pray like the persistent widow and not to give up. He doesn’t call us to a spiritually lazy, prayer less life that waits for God to do everything without a word from those who are trusting in him. God wants to hear from us. He delights in interacting with us in prayer.
Luke 18 “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Jesus was concerned that in the end times the people of God would not walk in faith. What does that faith look like? It looks like the persistent widow- never giving up in prayer.
In Mark 6, Jesus talks about faith of believers moving the hand of God. In fact, in Nazareth Jesus could hardly do any miracles because of their lack of faith.
“Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.” Mark 6:4-6
Of course Jesus had all power and authority, but in the will of the Father, the manifestation of these miracles come through faith. God is looking to partner with people. He decides how to measure out the display of his power and he happens to choose to do that through faith.
We are not helpless. We are not powerless. We have been called by the creator of the universe to be participants in the movement of God on the earth through faith.
He has measured out his grace and mercy to us. Let us seek his throne of grace with confidence. God wants to hear from you. He makes room in his will for hearing from his people. He came to Abraham and talked to him about Sodom and Gomorrah. He listened to Daniel when he prayed for the forgiveness of a nation. He listened to Moses, when Moses intervened and stood in the gap when God said he was going to destroy Israel and raise up a great nation through Moses. Jesus used the fish and loaves the little boy brought to the wilderness to feed the 5000.
God chooses to use us. He longs for relationship with us. We are so important to him. He literally laid down his life for this relationship. Those who trust in Jesus Christ and surrender their lives to him as Lord and savior to deliver us from our sin will not be put to shame. We are not JUST forgiven. We are chosen. We are called. We are filled. We are equipped. We are valued.
Draw near to God and learn what it means to pray for and walk in his will. Draw near to God and participate by faith in this great relationship he has saved you for. Draw near to the Lord, humbling yourself and repenting from lazy Christianity. He longs to fill you with his Spirit and bring increasing victory and power into your life- for his glory and to bring even more people into his kingdom.
You are not helpless. You are a child of God- if the Spirit of God lives in you.
How are you participating in bold and faith filled prayers?
How are you fasting and seeking the Lord? We walk by faith- not by sight. Stand in everything you have in Jesus and you will never be put to shame.
Revealed Ministries 