You have heard of the prayer of faith but I believe there is a mirror image of this prayer that is based on flesh — the prayer of unbelief. Such prayer is totally unacceptable to God; in fact, Scripture says it is sinful in his eyes.
“If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15, NKJV). Jesus forgave us out of his goodness and mercy and, likewise, he says we are to be loving and merciful toward our brothers and sisters.
“May the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever” (Hebrews 13:20-21).
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul urges everyone to pursue the fullest measure of the blessings of the gospel of Christ. “To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift … Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ … To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 4:7 and 13; 3:19).
Paul speaks of a certain ministry calling that every Christian has. This ministry does not require particular gifts or talents; rather, it is to be undertaken by all who have been born again. In fact, this ministry is every believer’s first calling. All other endeavors must flow out of it because no ministry can be pleasing to God unless it is birthed out of this calling.
Isaiah 16:6 vividly describes what happens to a proud nation that falls under God’s judgment: “We have heard of the pride of Moab … of his haughtiness and his pride and his wrath; but his lies shall not be so.” Throughout Scripture, the nation of Moab serves as a symbol representing all self-reliant people who turn their backs on God and fall under his judgment.
To enter into God’s rest, we must renounce our own efforts. Faith alone admits us into this perfect rest: “For we who have believed do enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:3). Simply put, we are to set our hearts to believe that God is faithful to deliver us in every circumstance, no matter how impossible it may seem.
According to Jesus, in God’s eyes Christ and his Church are one. Paul illustrates this with the analogy of a human body. He says Christ is the head and we are his body — bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh. “[God] put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22-23). “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones” (Ephesians 5:30).
One of the great tragedies of the Church in this generation, and one of God’s greatest griefs, is that so many Christians are not truly happy. They put on a good front — singing, clapping, smiling and praising. But lurking just beneath the surface is loneliness and deep misery.
As the old prophet Elijah pondered his last day on earth, he invited his servant, Elisha, to go along with him as he visited the towns of Bethel and Jericho. On this “teaching journey,” they arrived at the bank of the Jordan River where Elijah removed his mantle — a wide, loose-fitting garment or gown — and smote the water with it. Supernaturally, the waters parted and the two men crossed over on dry ground (see 2 Kings 2:8).