E.16 Faith is Cash in the Kingdom
Season 2: Episode 16
Faith is Cash in the Kingdom
In this episode you will learn:
Why you don’t have to force yourself to pray through your boring list
Key concepts to unlock the promises you’ve been waiting for
3 practical, simple ways you can grow your faith
Episode length: 30:01
Transcript
What if God has a strategy for getting your prayers answered and answered faster? Guess what? He does. On this episode, we're going to look at a word that we talk about all the time, but don't implement for building out our dreams and callings in God.
We have entered an epoch where big faith is needed to solve big problems.
If we want to see our cities transformed, see our region's transform. It starts with this much talked about but little understood word.
Welcome to another episode. As we move into the new epoch in Christianity, God is releasing Kingdom strategies and blueprints. Join us as we dive deep into God's strategy room to discover the wisdom of heaven for the transformation of cities. I'm your host, Angela Meer. I am the apostolic lead for firehouse, a center for citywide transformation in Southern Oregon. Let's jump into this week's episode.
Spiritual Discipline
And welcome to this episode, I'm excited to share this one with you because I feel like it's something that really unlocked something for people, if they can really kind of get this one under their belt. See, we talk about prayer all the time. We talk about prayer as a spiritual discipline.
And if you're anything like me, it was something that I began implementing in my life as a young Christian. Now that came along with stuff like reading my Bible and making sure that God was starting to transform me by spending time with him. So these kind of spiritual disciplines, sometimes what happens is we move along in our spiritual walk, we often forget to check in with the Lord and see if he has an upgrade for the spiritual discipline that we're operating in.
See, I'm always looking for the upgrade so that my spiritual walk with the Lord is continually fresh, and so that he can continually grow me in new areas. If for instance, your reading of the word is getting dull or lifeless, or your prayers feel dull and lifeless. This is a strategy that I highly recommend. And it's just a freebie today. It's basically just asking God to share with you what is an upgrade that you can get for your spiritual disciplines to make them feel full of life again, so that you can be moving into new areas of his spirit.
Prayer
So what we are talking about is prayers that get results.
Now, I will talk to you first and foremost about my early years praying. And what I found is that because I'm a list maker, I would begin to make lists for various things. And I would pull out that list every day and I would pray through my list. Well, in the beginning that was really cool because the Lord was teaching me about just simply being faithful to pray. But there came a point in my life where my prayers were just not getting answered and that strategy of list creation for my prayers wasn't really working for me anymore, so I began to seek the Lord for an upgrade in his strategy room.
And so the Lord began to show me this verse out of James 5:16. And I'm sure you've heard of it. In this verse, it says that the prayers of a righteous, the effectual, fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much. Now the word avail just means accomplishes a lot. In other words, the Lord was giving me a shortcut for prayer.
Now, that kind of threw me for a loop because I always expected prayer to be this long thing that I spent a long time on. But what the Lord was saying to me was that he was giving me a shortcut to a prayer that would be effective, and it would avail much, it would accomplish much in the world.
So I began to seek God for more understanding on this, and what he began to speak to me was about faith.
Faith is a Currency
See, I didn't really ever coordinate together my prayers with faith Even though I probably should have, and probably a lot of people talk about it. But that was the thing is this is one of those concepts that people talk about, but they don't give practical solutions on. And that's something I'm going to do for you today. So let's talk real quickly about faith and how it operates in the kingdom.
What the Lord began sharing with me back in the day when he was teaching me this new strategy for prayer was that faith is like cash in the kingdom.
It's a type of currency that we can use in the kingdom of God to get things done. Everyone knows it doesn't matter what country you belong to. If you have cash, if you have currency, you can buy certain things. You can buy safety, you can buy food, you can buy housing, you can buy certain types of shoes or an iPhone, the more cash you have usually the more things you can buy.
And so this is something that also the Lord began speaking to me about.
The more faith that you have, the more you're able to move into a powerful place where your faith is affecting a lot.
Now, the thing is, is that we think, oh, maybe I can grow my faith really big. But even Jesus says, if you could just get your faith to the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain be removed and cast into the sea.
And right now, even in society and culture, we are seeing mountains that are being removed and cast into the sea. And you may be asking me, “Well, what do you mean by that?” Well, a mountain, spiritually, speaks to areas of culture.
Right now there's areas of culture that we have been praying into for a long time that we're starting to see the Lord tear down, so that he can build up His mountain in its place.
Things like the lack of purity in movies, things like a movement towards political involvement. These are things that are happening in the earth, where the Lord is tearing down an old mountain, because of the prayers of the saints, so that he can resurrect the mountain that he wants to have there.
So this isn't name-it or claim-it. So a lot of people talk about faith and already gets a bad rap because of this name-it claim-it thing. So let's break down what it is.
It's not name-it and claim-it, but it is entering into communication with God about the things that you need that were bought at the cross.
What do I mean? Well, there are certain things that our inheritance demands from the blood of Jesus Christ. See, the blood of Jesus Christ is the powerful force by which we are able to enter into faith over a few things. What things are those? Well, we see it in Isaiah 53:5, it says, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our wickedness. The punishment for our well being fell on him and by his stripes, we are healed.”
There are four things that we can enter into communication with God about and build our faith around so that we know that we can get those things through prayer.
Number One: Transgressions
So what's the first one said? He was wounded for our transgressions? What are transgressions? Transgressions are when we sin, right. So we already know that it means that we have transgressed against the law of the Lord, right. So he was wounded for that. So we know when we pray, “Lord, get rid of the sin in my life” that we can attach our faith to that, that he will do it.
This is one of the main things that I teach people about getting rid of sin in their life.
Recognize that the blood is so powerful enough to get rid of all sin.
Oftentimes, I will simply say to the Lord, “Lord, this is something that I can't get rid of myself, but your blood bought this. So this sin that's operating in my life, I ask you now to remove it, and I'm not going to think about it because You're the one who removes it.”
Think “God is our righteousness.” Jehovah Tsidkenu, it's the Hebrew word it means the Lord our Righteousness. So if he's our righteousness operating within us, we don't have to do these works to try and get rid of things in our life. We just allow the grace of his blood to work sin out of us.
Number Two: Iniquity
Secondly, it says he was crushed for our wickedness. Another translation says he was crushed for our iniquity, what is iniquity?
Iniquity is something that has been traveling through generational lineage.
So for instance, people will say, I have an alcoholism that runs through my family or anxiety runs through my family. We already know that Christ bought at the cross, the thing that was necessary for iniquity to be removed out of our generational line. So that's another place that we Apply our faith.
Number Three: Well Being
The third thing is that the punishment of our well being fell on him. And sometimes we think that means like, a big house and fancy car, right? Not necessarily, but our well being means that we're we are healthy in soul, spirit and body. And so sometimes I look at things like, for instance, what is necessary for your body to be in total health? Maybe it's a mystery, maybe you're having a hard time figuring out. What is it that's keeping me from being able to lose weight, or maybe you're struggling with finances and you cannot seem to get ahead.
See the punishment that was required for our well being fell on him. So when we have things like finances, housing, health, soul needs, like maybe the need for companionship or people to come around us who will pray for us. All of this is bought for us at the cross and we can apply our faith to this verse, that the cross is powerful enough to cause these things to come to pass in our life.
Number Four: Healing
Finally, the fourth one is it says, By his stripes, we are healed. So this is meaning physical healing. We can come to the Lord and say, “Lord, I am physically having difficulties with a wide variety of ailments, I need you to heal me.” And we can apply our faith to that.
And we can know that this was bought at the cross.
This is something that's given to anyone who claims Jesus Christ.
Prophecies
Okay, so these are four areas already that are broad areas that we can apply our faith to, so that we have prayers that get effective results. The next thing that you can apply your faith to is to war with your prophecies. Let me read you a verse that talks about this. This is First Timothy 1":18. It says,
“This command I entrust you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the Prophecies previously made concerning you so that by them you may fight the good fight.”
Okay, so in other words, what Paul is saying to Timothy here is that we can say to the Lord, “This was prophesied over me. And so I'm going to war with this prophecy. I'm gonna pray this prophecy in so that these things can come to place in my life.”
And it's important that when we get prophetic words that we also apply our faith to them so that those words come to pass in our life. Okay. Here's another passage and then we're going to get into some practical steps that you can take to grow your faith. Mark chapter 9, verse 14, and I'm going to read the whole passage to you here it says,
“And when he came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them and scribes disputing with them. Immediately when they saw him all the people were greatly amazed and running to him greeted him and asked the scribes. ‘What are you discussing with them?’ Then one of the crowd answered instead ‘Teacher, I brought you my son who has a mute spirit. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. So he spoke to your disciples that they would cast it out, but they could not. He answered them,” This is key, you guys, check this out. “He answered him and said, ‘Oh, faithless generation, How long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me.’ Then they brought him to him. And when he saw him, immediately the spirit convulsed him and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming at the mouth.”
Let me stop right there. And then we're going to go right back into this passage. This is key, you guys. It says, “oh, faithless generation.” In other words, the things that were bought at the cross are the things that we can go to the bank about. What did I say earlier? Faith is currency.
This is something we can absolutely build our faith on is healing, is making sure that the Lord's bringing us into a place of well being, is making sure that our sin and our iniquity is being wiped out of our life. We can go to the bank, with the Lord, on these things. Okay?
So we want to build our faith, first and foremost on those four key things. So let's move on in this passage, verse 21.
“So we asked his father, ‘how long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood, and often he is thrown in both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe all things are possible to him who believes.’ Immediately the father of a child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief.’ when Jesus saw that the people came running together he rebuked the unclean spirit saying to it, ‘deaf and dumb spirit I command you come out of him and enter him no more.’ Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly and came out of him and became as one who was dead. So that many said ‘he is dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up and he rose. And when he had come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ So he said to them, ‘This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.’
So we're going to take this and we're going to talk about four simple things you can do to grow your faith, so you have more effective prayers that accomplish a lot in the kingdom. But for a second, now, we're just going to take a quick commercial break, and then we'll get back to these four things you can do.
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#1: Tears
Okay, welcome back. So the first thing that you can do to grow your faith so that you have effective prayers that accomplished a lot in the kingdom, is the theme in this passage that we just read in Mark chapter nine. And in verse 24, the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe, Help my unbelief.”
Often times, what we do is try and build up our faith in the places where we already feel pretty strong.
But in this passage is a key to building up our faith in places where we don't feel strong. See, oftentimes the Lord will allow us to struggle with something because he knows that that will be the key to us coming into a place of greater faith.
Perhaps you're struggling with a health issue, and you know that the Lord wants to heal you but you just can't wrap your head around it. Perhaps you're struggling with a sin in your life that you just can't seem to get rid of. Whatever it is, or perhaps it's a prophecy that just seems so big that you can't wrap your head around how it's going to happen. Whatever it is there's a key here in this verse 24. And the key is here where it says,
“The father of the child cried out and said with tears.”
In other words, he had been crushed by this problem in his child's life. He had been crushed by something that most people would say you just need to, you just need to, you know, it's God's will, that your child was born this way. So you just need to to, you know, trust him in this, but know that the father knew that this was not what he wanted for his child. And he said with tears, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.”
This is so key you guys because what we do is sometimes when we struggle with something, we don't realize the reason we're struggling isn't because God just wants to see a struggle. It's because he knows it's the key to us growing our faith. When you were struggling with something in your life that's challenging for you, and you know that God has a solution for you, the places of your unbelief, in that are the places where you can begin to grow in greater faith.
And it's easy as this identifies the places in your life where unbelief is operating. For me, this began when I began to realize that just praying through a list of prayers like I had been taught, no longer had the Spirit of the Lord behind it.
And I began to ask the Lord, I said, “Lord, what is the way for me to begin to pray effective, fervent prayers?” I have unbelief that my prayers are getting answered. And I identified that thing. And I began to contend with the Lord that I needed to have effective, fervent prayers. Lord, help my unbelief. And it's as simple as crying out “Lord, help my unbelief.”
Let him have your tears, let him have all of the pain that you carry regarding that problem, and let him solve the unbelief in you.
Because that's the very place that he wants to come not where you're strong in faith, but where you're weak in faith. That's where he wants to come.
#2: Anointing
Number two, ask God for the anointing to bear more faith. You see, faith is a spiritual gift. And it says that each person is given a measure of it. See, what happens is that we can increase in it. But oftentimes we need to have the anointing to bear up under it. What this will look like is, is when you begin to pray, “Lord, help me to have the anointing to bear more faith.” he will start to bring bigger problems into your life.
Now, who wants that right? You might be scratching your head and going, “Angela, why would the world what I want bigger problems in my life?” Well, if you listen to my other podcast, when I talk about God's strategy room, I talked about how there are these big problems like poverty in the world. There's these big problems like mental health and in school systems, and there's these big problems of school shootings, and there's these, we all know what those are.
What will happen is when you ask God for the anointing to bear more faith, it will look like having a burden for something that you cannot see a way to solve. All of a sudden, when you start praying for the anointing to bear more faith, you're going to see the Lord affect your heart for something in society. And as He affects your heart for something in society, you're automatically want to be moving towards solutions.
And so God has given you the anointing to bear something and that anointing to bear something means that you get to have more faith. And so you get to go into the places that you have unbelief and begin to wage war for your faith and say, Lord, help my unbelief and let the Lord break your heart about something that's going on in society. It's an anointing to to enter into His heart about things that break his heart as well. So this will cause you to have more faith.
#3: Stewardship
Number three, steward the faith you have. Okay, so what we know from the parables is that God is really pleased by people who steward the gifts that they're given. So if you have a certain measure of faith, use it. What does that mean? Okay, for me, I have a great measure of faith for trying new things. Okay. So I am frequently trying new things even though I might fail, even though I might not figure out the direct road to the model that God has for me right away.
Sometimes I'm using a lot of trial and error. But just by doing that I am stewarding the faith that I have to start new things.
So by doing that, I'm stepping out and I'm saying this is something I already have faith for. I'm not worried about failing or not worried about what people might think. I'm just going to move out and let the Lord bless it as he will. So that's just stewarding the faith that I already have. It's like a muscle. It's something that if you do any kind of weightlifting, and I go to the gym three times, and sometimes I'm going to the gym to maintain the muscles that I already have, and sometimes I'm going to the gym to build up more muscles, okay.
So, what this is is stewarding the faith you have is to maintain the muscle you already got. But eventually what you want to do is move into a place where you're building up more muscles than you already have. In other words, spend the cash that is faith, spend it. We think of if we think of faith as currency or cash in the kingdom of God, spend it, utilize your faith and extend it in places that you have already have a gift of faith in, okay.
Let me just say something right here because a story just came into my mind that I think will help you. I have a friend who is one of my most trusted prophetic voices in my life. And when he has a prophetic word for me, I quickly quiet myself and listen to what he has to say because he has had a series of prophetic words for me that have also quickly come to pass. And so what I began to realize when he would prophesy over me was that there was something that came on me that just, that made it easy for me to believe for the thing that God has for me, that he was prophesying about.
And then the Lord showed me, he said, “What it is, is that he's operating not just in the gift of prophecy, but in the gift of faith.” So when he prophesied over me, the gift of faith was also being released over me to believe the prophetic word that he had for me.
This is so cool, because if you are already moving in the prophetic, this is one thing that I would encourage you to do is to ask the Lord to add faith to your prophetic words so that when you're prophesying over people, you are encouraging them with even greater measures of faith to believe for and contend for the word that you are releasing in their life.
This is a way that you can expand your prophetic ability. Okay? So that was just a little freebie on this. So that was three/side note. Okay, we're moving on to number four.
#4: Build it
So number four is, stop praying, dull lifeless prayers en route.
So this may be like you're just saying the words or you have a list that you get out and pray every day. Or maybe you've just stopped praying, okay? What I want you to do is I want you to start spending more time building up your faith before you pray. You might be saying okay, practically, Angela, how do I do that? Well, I have a few tips for you.
Number one, you can pray in tongues.
If you have somebody around you who's spirit filled and you don't pray in tongues, ask them to help you to pray for you that you would get the gift of praying in tongues, okay. Praying in tongues builds up your spirit man so that you have more ability to have faith.
Number two, meditate over the promises that God's given you.
So what promises or prophecies has God spoken over your life? Meditate over them and remind yourself over them. Some people take journals of what the promises or prophecies are of God over their life. And that's a great way of doing it.
Number three, remember what God has done.
What God has done, just like the Israelites were instructed to do. So you guys know this from the book of Deuteronomy, what happened with the Israelites is God said, I want you to remember the things that I that I have done for you. And by remembering the things that God has done. And it doesn't necessarily have to be things that he's done for you personally. Just anything that you have heard about or engaged in that you have seen God do, maybe for your church or your region, or, you know, we just saw a hurricane come into the New Orleans area, just recently, and it got dispelled so there was very little damage.
So that's like a thing that you can say, “Lord,” next time there's a storm you can say, “Lord, I've seen you do it before and I'm asking you to do it again, dissipate the storm, so that we are safe, and we are not going to be bothered by the things in the weather patterns.”
So, you know, you can remember the things that God has done before and you can bring them up before and in your mind and in your heart and you can think on them. What it says actually is to meditate on them. It means to spend time thinking about them and chewing them over. So remembering what God has done will cause your faith to grow.
David did this too. David was a massive man of faith. And David would often write whole songs about all the things that God had done. And that is an incredible aspect of building your faith.
Fourth, and finally, ask people for testimonies of the things you were praying for so you can be encouraged.
Let's say you're praying for your aunt to be healed of cancer. I want you to go out and find people who have been healed of cancer. And I want you to read their testimonies listen to their testimonies, record their testimonies so that your faith is being built up every time you hear it.
“These are the impossible things that God wants to do for me.” is the things that I will think to myself.
Now, Bethel has an app for testimonies. So you can just go on the app, and you can type out what kind of promise that you're praying for, or what kind of miracle it is that you need. And they will pull up all the testimonies along that, in that same kind of category, so that you can meditate on testimonies of real people who have had God come through in real ways, and it's an incredible app that you can use to build your faith.
Okay, so we're coming to the end of today's episode, but I just want to say thank you so much for taking the time to consider how important it is to not only build up your faith, not only to pray prayers that are effective, that accomplish a lot in the kingdom, but also to invest in this aspect of your spiritual growth.
If you do not invest in this aspect of your spiritual growth, if you lack faith, you will be dull and lifeless as a Christian. It is the absolute currency of God's kingdom that you grow in faith.
Everybody wants to grow their cash flow, that similarly, we need to be able to grow our faith flow. Okay? We want that faith streaming through us just like we would want cash or money to be streaming through us. We want faith to be operating in our life in so many different ways, building up the muscles of our faith. So I hope this helped you today. I'm so excited that you're able to join us and I'm looking forward to seeing you on the next episode. Thanks so much.