. . ???????? HIS STORY, HIS GLORY!????????
... . . I'm just BLESSED to tell it!

"THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER AND FAITH"
. 1 Samuel 2:1
. . 01.31.2021
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CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH BROADCAST

INTRODUCTION

In Hebrews 11:1 READ PLEASE. The first verse does not define faith but rather describes what it is. That reveals that faith is greater than a definition. You cannot define faith any more than you can define a person. You can only describe it; or rather, you can only describe a person with it.

The first phrase is “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for…” In Greek, the word translated “substance” is hypostasis is a greek word that (hy·pos·ta·sis), literally means “substructure.” It is a concrete word describing what buildings are built upon.

Faith is a substance in our lives upon which all of life is built. OUR FAITH IS BUILT UPON JESUS CHRIST AND HIS BLOOD! You do not see the foundation, but you know it is there. Buildings do not work at staying up; they just rest upon their foundations.

Faith is what Jesus was talking about in His parable about the man who built his house upon the rock as compared to the man who built upon the sand. Both had houses, but only one had a substructure. That was the one that stood up to the storms. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24 “Matthew 7:24, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:” Remember this, we do not build the foundation, God’s Word creates it. According to Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” I am almost certain that you might have heard the saying, “I just don’t know how a person gets through something like this without the Lord.” The answer is they DON'T!

Now let us look at praying. Prayer is simply communicating with God —listening and talking to him. Believers can pray from the heart, freely, spontaneously, and in their own words. In prayer, we say, essentially, “Not my will, but your will be done.” The key to answered prayer is praying according to the will of God and in accordance with His Word. Prayer is not seeking our own will but seeking to align ourselves with the will of God more fully.1 John 5:14–15; James 4:3. The Bible contains many examples of prayer and plenty of exhortations to pray. Luke 18:1; Romans 12:12; and Ephesians 6:18.

Pray with faith. “So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Pray with worship and reverence. Psalms 99:5 READ PLEASE

The Old Testament contains many role models for us today concerning those that relied on faith and praying to God.

There are many role models for faith in the Word of God and prayed to Him for answers that can help us today. I had many choices to speak from and I chose Hannah. Her journey of prayer and faith mirrors ours in some ways. Hannah’s story takes place in 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10. Hannah is the mother of Samuel, one of the greatest prophets of Israel. Her story is told in the first two chapters of 1 Samuel. From just a simple reading of the material in these two chapters, we can glean several lessons from Hannah. When you read 1 Samuel 1:1-8, you will learn that.

I. ALONG WITH OUR FAITH WE WILL ALSO HAVE TO ENDURE REAL PROBLEMS.

HANNAH'S PROBLEMS.
· Womb closed by the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:1-5 some of the things that happen in our lives are done so that the Glory of God will be revealed in our testimony with the proper attitude of gratitude, prayer, and faith in Jesus.
· Provoked by her rival, Peninnah. 1 Samuel 1:6-8. Enemies are common in the Word of God and like them we, too, have enemies. Jesus has many enemies. Jesus will destroy the last enemy, death. 1 Corinthians 15:26 – “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”
· SATAN: Our common enemy. Matthew 13:39

There will come times in our lives that we must do what Joshua commanded his men in Joshua 10:24-25 READ PLEASE! SO WE MUST PUT OUR FEET ON THE NECK OF YOUR ENEMIES!

Like Hannah, we must pray and remain steadfast in our faith. She prayed without ceasing and her faith never wavered. year after year Hannah continued to worship the Lord as she waited on Him to provide. 1 Samuel 1:7. This is a model for us today to follow as we continue our journey in remaining faithful to Jesus.

As Christians, we will have to face problems just like the rest of the world. However, what distinguishes us is when faced with problems, we are not alone. Jesus is there always with us in every moment. We glean confidence and assurance from reading the Word of God for support and encouragement.