You can avoid failure by preparing to succeed. Once you have prayed in faith, you must stand your ground until the manifestation comes. Fight the good fight of faith. Stand firm on the Word and believe God for results. Give Him the opportunity to do something with your circumstances. God is on your side! Prepare to succeed, not to fail.
When you pray in Jesus’ Name, according to the Word in faith, God will quickly respond to you (John 16:23). Suppose you prayed for healing. Then you think, What will I do if God doesn’t heal me? Maybe I had better make an appointment with the doctor. He’s awfully busy this time of year. I might not be able to see him. Then if God doesn’t heal me and I don’t have an appointment, I’ll be in a mess!
With that attitude, praying is a waste of time. The person who thinks that way will be unable to receive from God. Before he prays, he is already preparing to fail. He is double minded and, according to James 1:8, unstable in all his ways.
He is wavering in his mind and will never receive from God. He is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed about in every direction. He has a backup plan “just in case.” The moment he feels the least bit sick, he will operate in fear and unbelief. When he feels well, he will act in faith, but he will never achieve any concrete results.
If the thought comes, What am I going to do if I fail?, don’t give place to it. If you have a setback, just get back on the Word of God. The power of God is the same whether you feel like it or not. Receive the Word into your heart. Renew your mental attitude to the Word. Prepare to succeed, and you’ll receive the manifestation in the physical realm.
You may ask, “But how do I prepare to succeed?” Keep your attention on God’s Word. Look at Proverbs 4:20-22: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”
Don’t listen to the voice of circumstances around you. Keep the Word of God before you. Do whatever is necessary to keep Satan and circumstances under your control. If that means reading the Word 200 times a day, then do it!
Jesus said in Matthew 6:22, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” Your body responds to what it is “fed” through the eyes. If you are believing God for healing, you must “feed” your consciousness with the Word of God, which will bring healing. Waste no time on useless activities. Be diligent to spend your time in God’s Word.
The Word of God will make you free. Make plans to succeed! These principles will bring the desired result, which is the manifestation of answered prayer by God’s supernatural power. At that moment, you will have a realization of God’s ability from personal experience, not just through another’s testimony. This is probably the most exciting thing that can happen. You realize God moved because you prayed and used your faith.
The day Gloria and I were married was a beautiful experience in my life. But even greater than that has been the experiences we have had in believing God together, watching Him move when we pray. To know God sees and cares about us, our family and the circumstances around us, has truly enhanced our lives. You haven’t lived until you experience the thrill of watching your prayers come to pass!
