1) YOU MUST HAVE A SPECIFIC DESIRE

A specific will is essential in the prayer of faith. Jesus said:

“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:23-24).

Jesus emphasized the need for a specific desire when we pray. Notice that in the passage above, He didn’t say, “if anyone says to any mountain,” but “if anyone says to this mountain.” Thus, in the prayer of faith, it is imperative to have a clear and precise desire in your heart. You cannot afford to be vague in your communication. You can act on God’s Word in simplicity and faith and expect results.

For example, if you are a pastor and want to double your church membership, you know the exact number of members currently in your church. If you have a congregation of fifty members at present, you are expecting one hundred members at a specific time. That’s what it means to be specific! Or perhaps you desire an increase in your finances.

You should ask yourself questions like: What is my current average annual income? How much more do I want to receive next year?
Specificity is a fundamental principle for achieving effective results through the prayer of faith. Remember that Jesus said, “if anyone says to this mountain.” This means you are not to talk about the mountain or ask God to do something about it.

You must address the mountain directly and tell it what to do. The content of your prayer must be focused on the specific subject of your need, or you may not achieve the desired result.

2) SEE THE INVISIBLE

Here is another vital principle to observe in the prayer of faith: you must see the invisible! You should be able to visualize what you desire, and this is only possible when your desire is specific. How do you see the invisible? Through the eyes of faith! Because you cannot possess what you cannot see.

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Abraham, the great patriarch, had to see the vision of God’s promise that he would become the father of many nations.

“He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Abram believed the Lord, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:5-6).

When Joshua prepared to attack Jericho, the Lord told him: “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men” (Joshua 6:2).

These examples show us the importance of having a mental picture of our desires. The ultimate reason is this: the scope of your vision determines the limits of your blessing!

I love Dr. David Yonggi Cho’s testimony. He recounted how, years ago, when he had just started in ministry and pastored a small church, he asked God for a chair, a table, and a bicycle. But God asked him what type of chair, table, and bicycle he wanted, and he provided specific details to God.

Believing he had received them, he went before his congregation on Sunday morning and announced, “Praise God, I have a chair, a table, and a bicycle.” His young members, who were just beginning to learn God’s Word, incredulously asked, “But you walked to church today. Where is the bicycle?”

Although he had nothing tangible to show, Pastor Cho affirmed he possessed all he mentioned. Later that day, some of his members followed him home to see if he truly had these things.

When they saw nothing there, they asked, “Where are the chair, table, and bicycle?” “They are in me,” he replied. “I am pregnant with a chair, a table, and a bicycle!” His members laughed and spread the word: “Come see our pastor; he’s pregnant with a chair, a table, and a bicycle!”

Through the eyes of faith, Pastor Cho had seen the reality of these things. Shortly thereafter, the chair, table, and bicycle he received by faith became a physical reality. Understand this: “Seeing the invisible” is not the same as “being optimistic.” It means “seeing as God sees and speaking of things that do not exist physically as though they already do.”

Paul shared something insightful about the faith of God in his letter to the Roman Church:

“God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not as though they were” (Romans 4:17).

When you are fully convinced that something belongs to you, even if you do not see it with your physical eyes, it is impossible for the devil or anyone to tell you otherwise because you have already possessed it through your faith by the power of your thought.

3) USE YOUR EVIDENCE

According to Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
The prayer of faith requires you to have evidence of what you have received. But you must be able to recognize this evidence before you can use it.

Hope is a great virtue; it is a fundamental spiritual principle that prepares for you a glorious future. But faith is the substance of things hoped for; it is the proof that concretizes the future. If you owned a piece of land and needed to prove ownership, would you move the land to show it to anyone who asked? Of course not! Instead, you would produce the title deed.

The Amplified Bible defines faith as:

“…the assurance (the confirmation, the TITLE DEED) of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]” (Hebrews 11:1).

When seeking to effect changes through the prayer of faith, you must be spiritually alert to recognize the evidence the Holy Spirit brings to your consciousness. Sometimes, you may have a note of victory in your inner man through a prophecy.

The word may not necessarily come from someone else; the Holy Spirit may simply place the words in your mouth as you pray or bring a song to your spirit that fills you with great joy. Never disregard these words, for they are your proof of victory. Meditate on them, declare them, confidently inform others that you have them, and act accordingly.

If, for instance, you were sick and prayed for healing, look within for the proof of your healing. Study God’s Word to find what He says about your situation today. When you locate the evidence, use it!

4) DO NOT DOUBT AFTER YOU HAVE PRAYED

Once you have prayed for something you desire, it is crucial not to let doubt enter your heart. This is a fundamental rule in the prayer of faith. Doubt leads to repeatedly asking for the same thing, as though you were not heard the first time.

Unlike other types of prayer, such as intercession or supplication, where repetition is allowed, the rule of the prayer of faith is that you must believe you receive when you pray. Praying repeatedly about the same matter indicates that doubt has crept into your heart.

Doubts that oppose faith arise from the human mind, not the spirit. However, God’s Word shows us how to deal with such doubts…

This excerpt is from the book “HOW TO PRAY EFFECTIVELY VOLUME 1” written by Chris OYAKHILOME.

We invite you to read the next article, “Keep Going Until There Is A Change.”