Words of faith change things.
Jesus demonstrated that beyond a shadow of a doubt in Mark chapter 11 when He said to the fig tree, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” His words changed the tree so quickly that the next day when His disciples saw it, it was completely dried up. Understandably astonished that Jesus could bring forth such immediate and amazing results with His words, they looked to Him for an explanation.
He not only gave it to them, He astonished them even more by telling them that they could do the same thing. He said:
Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:22 – 24)
Notice in that passage Jesus reveals to us two ways that we can release our faith. One is by asking or making requests of our Heavenly Father. The other is by speaking and making commands to the situation that needs to be changed.
Asking and saying are the two parts of the prayer of faith. And they will both get mountain-moving results—if they are backed by a believing heart.
How can we obtain that kind of backing? How can we get to the place where we truly believe with all our hearts that what we pray and say will come to pass?
The Bible tells us very clearly. It says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
Scripture Reading: Mark 11:1 – 26
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”