We Are What We Do
Cheat Code - Week 1
October 29 kicked off our new series, “Cheat Code,” led by Lead Pastor Aeric Wallace.
Have you ever walked through life wishing you had a cheat code to make it easier, especially when it comes to your faith? It can be difficult to believe and trust in something you can’t see, but Jesus lays the foundation for our faith in Matthew 21:21-22:
“And Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
Our faith cheat code is prayer. By investing in our prayer life, we can strengthen our faith and build on our relationship with the Lord. However, unfortunately, very few of us are taught when, where, why, or how to pray, which leaves our faith life locked up.
And just like Jesus, we need to be persistent in prayer, continually seeking the Lord and growing our relationship with him.
Our lack of prayer instruction leads us to believe God has a hearing problem when in fact it’s us who can’t hear or chooses not to listen to the Lord’s responses.
When it comes to faith and prayer, it takes time to grow the power of our cheat code. As we keep chasing the answer, we find ourselves getting closer to God — even if we still feel we are unable to hear from him.
Our concept of prayer can sometimes seem too structured or eloquent, and we find ourselves asking, “How do I pray?” Fortunately for us, Jesus outlined an easy, adaptable prayer structure in Luke 11: Wow, thanks, sorry, and please.
Wow: When we take time to admire what the Lord has done, we put ourselves in a place of awe and wonder that requires us to think about the Lord’s glory.
Thanks: Entering into a heart of thanksgiving requires us to examine all we’ve received. Gratitude can put us into a place of acceptance for what God has done and will continue to do.
Sorry: A spirit of confession is a key part of our relationship with God. This time of prayer allows us to admit our weaknesses and ask for forgiveness. This time also requires us to ask for forgiveness for those who have hurt us, which causes us to replace bitterness with forgiveness and humility.
Please: Our most common prayers often take the shape of requests. This type of prayer dominates our prayer life and it can be a beautiful moment of surrender to the Most High. Instead of asking for the removal of a situation, consider this a time to request daily supplication.
These prayers can be prayed together or separate, but each is demonstrated by Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer. And just like Jesus, we need to be persistent in prayer, continually seeking the Lord and growing our relationship with him.
To build consistent faith you need a foundation of persistent prayer. Humbly seek answers from Him — He will never leave you nor forsake, especially as you seek persistent participation in your faith.
Catch up with the rest of the series here!
