Believing what God says

Author E.W. Kenyon says your prayer life will be strong if you believe what God says.  And it will be weak if you doubt him.

It seems obvious.  But I find myself constantly second-guessing God.  I question God and what he says about prayer if I don't get an immediate answer along the lines I desire.

But Kenyon, author of In His Presence, says that believers must take God's words in scripture as truth.

For example, the Bible says I am a "new creation" - a new person - and that the old way of life has gone (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Do I believe that?  Or do I listen to Satan who tells me I am worthless?

In essence, Kenyon is saying I must accept the way of seeing myself and the world through God's eyes and not of others around me.

Kenyon declares that I must speak the words of God to myself frequently, anchor them in my mind.  After all, Satan is busy getting me to say negative things about myself and others in my thoughts.

Of course, Jesus is the great example of using scripture to refute attacks and temptations, especially by Satan in the wilderness.  Jesus stood in faith on those words of God.

It is a practice that Christian psychologist and former seminary professor Neil Anderson has used.  In his book Victory over the Darkness, Anderson lists scriptures describing who we are in Jesus Christ.  He has helped many change their way of thinking and leave behind crippling fears and addictions by constantly re-reading these scriptures until they sink into their minds and hearts.

Having a truly biblical understanding of ourselves and of God's love for us is one step to more effective prayer.  If we don't believe God loves us, we won't expect him to answer our prayers.  And without faith, our prayer lives are bound to be weak.

Kenyon has much more to say about prayer.  But his basic message is always the same: Take God's words, make them part of yourself, and act on them in prayer.