Unleashing Prayers of Faith: 4 Keys to See Your Prayer Work
Have you ever doubted the power of prayer or, more specifically, your prayers?
Sure, you have; everyone has at one time or another. That’s exactly what the enemy wants. He wants you to feel insecure and unsure of your authority in Christ so that you don’t activate the supernatural power of your faith for anything or for anyone, including yourself. But I dare you to defy the lies of the enemy and activate prayers of faith for others and confessions, decrees, and declarations of faith for yourself that release the healing power of the Lord.
Here is an example from Luke 7:1-10 (NKJV) of how the prayer of faith works. Although it is not taught as a prayer of faith, I see it as one, and I think you will agree with me.
Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, “for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.”
Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.
We read that a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, is sick and ready to die. This centurion is a person of authority, and he understands how the power of authority operates. Through a messenger, he sends a message to Jesus, the Healer. Jesus receives the message and responds and is on His way to the centurion’s home. I find verse 7 chock-full of great insight for us. As Jesus draws near, the centurion says, “Therefore, I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
Four Important Points to the Centurion’s Encounter with Jesus
The centurion recognizes that Jesus has great authority, even greater authority than he has.
As Jesus draws near, he feels unworthy and stops Jesus from drawing closer.
The physical distance between Jesus and his sick servant does not matter.
He knows the power of the spoken word.
Perhaps you find yourself in a similar situation to this centurion. Someone who is very special to you is very sick and dying. Whether you realize it or not, you are like this centurion. You are a person of great power, and the power you possess is authority. What are the words of Jesus in Luke 10:19 (AMP)? “Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.”
Let’s face it, that illness has a poisonous bite like a serpent, and it stings like a scorpion. But you have been given the authority of Christ over it. This is an amazing gift of power. Unfortunately for many, this power of authority lies dormant within you. It’s time to wake up to the spiritual facts of life—that disease is lesser in power than Jesus in you (see 1 John 4:4). It’s also time to activate this power of authority within you against the wicked wiles of the enemy, such as deadly attacks of premature death.
We should also address the fact that as Jesus draws near to him, he senses His holiness and feels unworthy. Throughout Scripture, this is a normal response when the Lord draws near to someone. But I want to note another spiritual fact or two here. Jesus is our righteousness, and when we approach the Father with a need, we are to come with boldness and with all confidence.
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT) says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
First John 5:14-15 (NASB) says it like this, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”
I appreciate the fact that this man of authority understands that this physical distance between Jesus and the centurion’s servant doesn’t matter. And I tell you the truth—a word spoken in faith is not bound by physical distance. In the spirit, there is no distance.
The centurion understands the power of words backed with authority, and we should too. When we pray these prayers of faith, we are not to just release a bunch of mumbo jumbo from our lips, but we are to boldly and confidently speak words of faith that release healing power into those we are praying for and believe without doubting that these individuals are healed in Jesus’ name.
Personal Reflection
Do I understand the four important points about the centurion’s encounter with Jesus? Do I recognize the greatness of His authority? Do I shy away from drawing near to Jesus because I feel unworthy? When it comes to matters of faith, do I understand that there is no distance in the spirit realm? Do I understand and operate in the power of the spoken word?
