One day I was driving along in my car and God spoke to me something that could solve many people's faith and prayer issues. He said, "I have given my people a secret weapon called prayer. Prayer is supposed to replace worry. Prayer is supposed to be the substitute for anxiety. They are not supposed to exist together. If people find themselves worrying after they have prayed, then what they did in the first place was not praying—it was only worrying out loud."

Have you ever worried out loud to God? I think I might have once or twice. And what good did it do me? Not much. And I can tell you exactly what God did in answer to me—not much. Worrying out loud has nothing to do with the prayer of faith. Faith-filled, miracle working prayer does not grovel to God nor rehearse all the details of its difficulties.

Effective prayer makes a mature, heartfelt, calculated request to God based on God's Word, God's will, and our own desire. And then it leaves the care with God, moving on without worry, knowing that our Father has heard and will handle it.

It seems that we sometimes complicate the life of faith. We get all "10-point-sermoned-to-the-hilt," and then we get scared thinking that we've missed something. When the truth is that the only obstacle to our prayer was that we just did that one thing God said not to do—worry. "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything…" (Phi. 4:6 AMP).

It may be hard to do sometimes. But we must fight the urge to worry. How do we fight? Do whatever it takes: read your Bible, get more scriptures, confess the scriptures out loud, yell, holler, run around the block, pray in tongues, go soul-winning, or go shopping. It doesn't really matter how you beat the worrying. Just do it. How long must we fight? Until the answer comes.

In the Christianity Basics—Finance 101 section of the Bible (Matthew Chapter 6), Jesus outlines God's side of this New Covenant concerning our money. It is wonderful that we find how our Heavenly Father likes us better than a bird and better than a flower and how He will always care for us.

However, it seems that many times we fail on our side of this New Covenant. Jesus said that our side is "…Do not worry…So why do you worry?...Therefore do not worry…" (verses 25-31). Though God would love to do everything good for His children regardless of their faith condition, His partnership regulation for earth life requires that His people do their part to get His involvement. Every divine intention requires a corresponding human response. His hands are handcuffed when we worry but released to help when we don't.

Worry is the litmus test for our faith because if the "paper turns blue," it is the proof that we do not fully trust. If we recognize worry in our heart after we pray, we've not yet connected to God with full assurance of faith. So we shouldn't expect anything to happen.

I always encourage people to be honest with themselves as to their own personal faith condition so they can take appropriate action. They might need to go back to the truth of God's Word and spend some time driving out our fears and worries. And then pray again. I assure you that when God hears a prayer of faith that is purified from all trace of just "worrying out loud," He rushes in to answer.

Chas Stevenson Ministries
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