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Faith Is Thanking God in Advance
By Rick Warren

“When you pray and you ask for something, believe that you have received it and you will be given what you asked for.” (Mark 11:24 TEV)

Faith is not believing God can do something. Faith is not hoping he will do something. Faith is thanking God in advance.

Jesus said, “When you pray and you ask for something, believe that you have received it and you will be given what you asked for.” (Mark 11:24 TEV)

You say, “Wait a minute! I’ve got to thank God in advance before I get it in order to get it?” Yes. If you thank God after you’ve got it, that’s gratitude. When you thank him in advance, that’s called faith.

If I handed you a check right now for a thousand dollars, would you wait until you cashed it to thank me? No! You’d thank me right now. But it really wouldn’t be yours until you actually cashed it, because that check is really a promise. When I give you that check, you go, “Thank you, Rick,” believing that I was credible and that I had enough money in the bank to cover that check for a thousand dollars. Faith is thanking God in advance.

What I’m saying is this: If God tells you to go after Moby Dick in a rowboat, take the tartar sauce with you. You’re going to have a fish fry tonight!

Jesus said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” (Matthew 9:29 NLT, second edition)

Talk It Over

Think about some of the common phrases we use in prayer. Do they reflect faith in God?

How would your perspective and attitude change if you truly believed God was going to provide everything you asked for?

What do you need to say to God today to show him your faithfulness?