Seven Steps to Prayer That Brings Results
- Decide what you want from God and get the scripture that definitely promises you these things.
- Ask God for things you want and believe that you have them.
- Never permit a mental picture of failure to enter your thinking. Let every thought and desire affirm that you have what you ask.
- Guard against every evil thought that comes into the mind.
Thoughts are governed by observation, association and teachings.
Stay away from places and things that do not support your affirmation that God has heard and answered your prayer.
Philippians 4:6-8 NKJV (6) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (7) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (8) Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
- Meditate constantly on the promises upon which you based the answer to your prayer.
See yourself in possession of what you’ve asked for and make plans accordingly as if it were already a reality.
Example of promise from your boss about a pay raise and we will go out and buy something based on that promise BEFORE we have seen one dime of the increase.
Proverbs 4:20-27 NKJV My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. (21) Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; (22) For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. (23) Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. (24) Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. (25) Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. (26) Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. (27) Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.
If you don’t see yourself with the answer, then the Word is no longer before your eyes.
John 15:7 NKJV If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
Joshua 1:8 NKJV This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
If you don’t stand by the Word, as much as God wants to stand by you, He can’t.
- In your waking moments think on the greatness of God and His goodness and count your blessings and your faith will increase.
Lift your heart to God constantly in gratitude and increasing praise for what He has done and for what He is doing for you now.
Philippians 4:6 NKJV Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Psalms 103:1-5 NKJV A Psalm Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! (2) Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: (3) Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, (4) Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, (5) Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalms 34:1-4 NKJV A Psalm of David When He Pretended Madness Before Abimelech, Who Drove Him Away, and He Departed. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. (2) My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. (3) Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. (4) I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
- Make every prayer relative to what you’ve asked, a statement of faith instead of unbelief.
You can say that you do have faith as easily as you can think thoughts of doubt and unbelief.
It is thinking faith thoughts and speaking faith-filled words that leads the heart out of defeat into victory.
Don’t undo your prayer of Faith!
Smith Wigglesworth said, “If you have prayed seven times for any one thing, you prayed six times in unbelief.”
Andrew Murray said, “It is not good taste to ask God for the same thing over and over again.”
Murray also said, “If, when you do pray again, what you’ve prayed for hasn’t materialized, don’t pray for it again in the same way because that would be unbelief. Remind God that you have already asked for it, and what His Word says, and tell Him that you’re expecting it and thank Him for it.”
Corresponding Actions
James 2:14-22 NKJV What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? (15) If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, (16) and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? (17) Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (18) But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (19) You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe–and tremble! (20) But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? (21) Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? (22) Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
James 2:18,21-22 Weymouth So also faith, if it is unaccompanied by obedience, has no life in it–so long as it stands alone. (18) Nay, some one will say, “You have faith, I have actions: prove to me your faith apart from corresponding actions and I will prove mine to you by my actions. (21) Was it, or was it not, because of his actions that he was declared to be righteous as the result of his having offered up his son Isaac upon the altar? (22) You notice that his faith was co-operating with his actions, and that by his actions his faith was perfected;
It is not enough to believe and confess the Word of God in your situation; there must be corresponding actions to accompany your faith.
Worry is a great example of this. Many of claim to be in faith but yet we tolerate the sin of worry in our lives when the Word of God teaches us not to worry or have any anxiety.
God never condones foolish acts that we might call “doing the Word”.
God never told anyone to not go to the doctor. Matter of fact, God can bring about healing through medical science. God just does not want us to have our faith in them; keep our faith in God and His Word. But there are some that have missed it by believing that they should not go to a doctor because they are believing God for healing in their bodies.
If you need medical help, get medical help!
Simply put, corresponding actions are just acting as though the Word of God is true and that God will do what He say He will do.
What kind of faith gets the attention of Jesus?
- Jesus marveled at the faith of the Centurion.
Matthew 8:10 NKJV When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
Marvel (GREEK) – to wonder, be struck with admiration or astonishment, to be amazed
- Jesus mentioned Great Faith!
Matthew 15:27-28 NKJV And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” (28) Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
- Jesus made note of little faith.
Matthew 6:30 NKJV Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Matthew 8:26 NKJV But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
Matthew 14:29-31 NKJV So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. (30) But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” (31) And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Matthew 16:5-9 NKJV Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. (6) Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” (7) And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.” (8) But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? (9) Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?
Little Faith (GREEK) – incredulous, or lacking confidence
Incredulous – unwilling to admit or accept what is offered as true, skeptical
- Jesus made note of missing faith.
Luke 8:22-25 NKJV Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. (23) But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. (24) And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. (25) But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”
- Jesus marveled at their unbelief in Nazareth.
Mark 6:6 NKJV And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
Unbelief (GREEK( – faithlessness, disbelief
Seven Steps to Great Faith (From Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin):
- Know the integrity of the Word of God and to know that this Word is what it declares itself to be.
Hebrews 4:12 NKJV For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
2 Timothy 3:16 AMPC Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action),
- We must know the actual reality of our redemption in Christ, not as a doctrine, philosophy, or creed, but as an actual redemption out of the authority of Satan.
Colossians 1:12-14 NKJV (12) giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. (13) He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, (14) in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
- We must know the reality of the New Creation, both from a legal standpoint and a vital living standpoint.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV (17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
1 John 3:14 NKJV We know that we have passed (to change place and condition) from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
- We must know the reality of our righteousness in Christ.
Romans 3:23-26 NKJV for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (25) whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, (26) to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 5:17 NKJV For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV (21) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
“That means that we can stand in His presence without any sense of guilt, condemnation, or inferiority. That means the prayer problem is settled…”
- We must know the reality of the indwelling Spirit.
1 John 4:4 NKJV You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
2 Corinthians 6:16 NKJV (16) And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM. I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.”
- We must know the reality of our fellowship with God.
1 Corinthians 1:9 NKJV God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 John 1:3-4 NKJV that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (4) And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
- We must know the authority of the Name of Jesus.
John 16:23-24 NKJV “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. (24) Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
Ephesians 1:19-23 NKJV and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (20) which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, (21) far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (22) And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.