Conditions of Effectual Prayer
By Editor
FAITH is not mere belief. One may believe; that is, he may assent to a thing that it is so; but that is not faith. We may say that we believe in God the Creator, but this is worthless unless we appropriate in personal experience the creative power. That is what faith does — it appropriates. The demons believe and tremble. The child of God believes and appropriates the power of God. The one has nominal belief; the latter, faith which makes living connection with creative power. There is no definition of faith which tells us all that it is. Heb. 11: 1 is sometimes quoted as a definition of faith. It is a definition of one aspect of faith, having wholly to do with its forward look, and pertaining to God's promises. Here is another expression of faith: A complete yielding to God to do or to be what He declares. It is open to criticism, but there is a helpful thought in it. Does God command us to do this?—Faith yields to do it. He said to Israel, "Go forward." They began the march into the very sea, and the power of the word opened the way. Does God declare a certain course of action to be sin, and that we should depart from it?—Faith answers, "It is sin, Lord;" and the soul is yielded to righteousness. Does God declare that if we yield our sins, He will wash them all away in the blood of Christ?—Faith in glad rejoicing will accept the grace and rejoice in freedom from sin. Faith respects all God's Word. It holds His precepts to be as sacred as His promises; His warnings to be as precious as His assurances. And that "faith" can not be depended upon which does not do this. Faith not only makes God's promises real, but His precepts, His warnings, His injunctions, His condemnations just as real. It is a telescope which brings the future near. Fall on the seeming void and find
The rock beneath. Effectual prayer must have as its element simple faith. "Therefore I say unto you," says Jesus, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11: 24. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Heb. 11: 6. But faith is based on God's Word, not our own fancies. Rom. 10: 17. It is God's revealed Word that we depart from sin and keep His commandments; let faith yield to the Word, and the commandments become enabling acts. God's Word contains innumerable sight notes of definite payments with the space for the name of the payee left blank, so that our faith may then write our names and present the note at the Bank of Heaven for payment. That faith will be honored. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Pray, pray without ceasing; pray in faith; God will hear.