Essential Role of Faith
Faith in Christ’s ability to do everything is crucial before you pray for God’s mercy.
“And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour“. Matthew 15:22-28
Belief and Persistence
The woman of Canaan first believed that Jesus could heal her daughter before she approached Him. When asking for divine mercy, you must believe that Jesus can do much more than you can ask. More so, you must be persistent and keep praying until you receive. If you pray and fail to receive immediately, don’t stop; keep praying until you accept. Your faith can be put on trial, just like the woman of Canaan who persisted until she obtained mercy. Circumstances and people around you may try to discourage you, but if you persevere, you will receive mercy. Faith is very important in the prayer of mercy and you must have it in mind that your faith can be put to test.
“Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour“. Matthew 17:15-18
Developing Personal Faith
Some deliverance ministers may be unable to help you obtain sufficient mercy to solve your problem, but Christ can. You can develop your faith to pray independently until your prayers are answered. The fact that a man of God prayed for you and nothing happened does not mean your situation is hopeless. You can stay in your house, church, or with a prayer partner, and Christ can answer you. Do not put your faith only in the deliverance ministers or one great man of God somewhere. Christ wants every believer at any level to believe in Him for mercy by themselves.
Put your faith in Christ alone
Don’t be part of those who go up and down visiting different churches, pastors, prophets, and prayer teams, yet their prayers are unanswered. You will only end up getting weary at the end of it all. If God wants you to build your faith through a personal relationship with Him, you may never obtain mercy when people pray for you until you learn to pray for yourself. You can do this by having personal all-night prayers, personal fasting, and a prayer program to meet with Christ one-on-one.
Understand that your pastor may not have enough time to pray for you to obtain mercy in your needs. Jesus is ever ready to listen to your cries for mercy. He will not only have mercy on you but also rebuke the devil behind your problems, and they will bow.
“And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, what have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. So, the devils besought him, saying, if thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts“. Matthew 8:28-34
Christ’s Spirit in You
The two possessed men coming from the tomb must have come in contact with many priests, pastors, and deliverance ministers before they met Jesus. There’s nothing terrible in seeing ministers or doctors to seek their help. But if they can’t help you, Jesus can help you because nothing is impossible with Him. The demons behind your problems may be fierce to your helpers, but they will surely bow to Christ. Christ’s usual pattern for healing the sick was to rebuke or cast out the evil spirit behind the problem. As a believer, you also have the Spirit of Christ inside you.
“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you“. Romans 8:11
With the Spirit of God inside you, you can organize personal programs against any problem and obtain mercy because God is with you. You can set some days or nights to cry to Jesus for mercy, and He will answer you.
“And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, what will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him“. Matthew 20:30-34
Believers Are No Longer Strangers
Once you are born again, you are no longer a stranger in the household of God. You can always receive answers to your prayers, much more so than your pastor, who can pray and receive answers from God. You can decide to start a personal program today, and at the end, your pastor can round up with you if you wish. You can do that alone or with another believer as God leads you.
“That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone“. Ephesians 2:12-13, 19-20
Just as the two blind men went directly to Christ and obtained mercy, you can do likewise. God’s commonwealth, power, and divine mercy are for every believer and can only be accessed if you are born again. The blood of Jesus has made you equal with every other believer, so you are not a foreigner or stranger but a fellow citizen with other believers, dead or alive. You have the same foundation as the apostles and prophets of old, with Jesus being the chief cornerstone. Jesus, who is an impartial judge, will answer your prayers.