The Unhindered Prayer: Allowing God’s Answers to Reach You

The Unhindered Prayer: Allowing God’s Answers to Reach You

by | Nov 17, 2025

In my first blog of this series, we talked about how your prayers have power, even in a time of fear and uncertainty. We looked at five principles for powerful prayer, especially the promise that when you believe like Jesus, you can ask for whatever you want. Today, I want to address the biggest obstacle: What happens when your prayers go unanswered? We often pray, ask, and even persist, yet the answer never seems to arrive.

You’ve prayed deeply. You’ve persisted. You’ve even put feet on your prayers through action. But blessing hasn’t arrived, and the mountain hasn’t moved. This leaves you with a painful question: Does this mean I failed? Does this mean God said “no”?

 

The Myth That We Know What the Answer Should Be

The real problem is not in God’s willingness to answer, but in the ability to allow the answer to reach us. Our own fears, doubts, and self-limiting beliefs can stop or derail God’s answer. A blessing already put on the conveyor belt for you. If you don’t genuinely believe you deserve or can handle the answered prayer, your own mind is working against your prayer life.

 

The Story of The Mug

The scriptures tell us Jesus believed his prayers had power. He constantly withdrew to solitary places to pray—not because he needed to know God’s will, but because he knew this communication was essential to their Divine Partnership. He even taught his disciples to pray, showing that the power wasn’t just his alone.

Years ago, I struggled with this idea of answered prayer. I had been praying for something small—something inconsequential that wouldn’t “trip the wires of self-doubt.” I prayed for a mug. I practiced believing I had received it by visualizing it and rehearsing the feeling of happiness. After about a week, I forgot about it.

Three or four weeks later, a man I didn’t recognize rang my doorbell and handed over a misshapen, handmade blue coffee mug. “This mug is for you,” he said. “I made it for you… I just never got around to stopping by.” I beamed, suddenly remembering my prayer. My prayer had been answered, just weeks later.

That small act, receiving that simple mug, taught me everything about the Conveyor Belt Principle. I asked, God answered, and because I wasn’t obsessing or doubting, I allowed the blessing to make its way to me.

 

Intention, Surrender, and Faith

To allow your answered prayers to reach you, you have to actively weed out the doubt and adopt intentionality.

  1. The Conveyor Belt Principle

I visualize prayer working like a constant conveyor belt of blessing and abundance flowing from God to us. The moment you ask, the answer is plopped onto that belt. You ask; God answers.

But what if you second-guess your request? What if you worry you can’t integrate the new state of affairs the answered prayer brings? If these doubts are strong enough, they can slow down, stop, or even reverse the conveyor belt. You are unintentionally working at cross purposes with your own deepest desires.

  1. Surrender and Adopt

To stop derailing your own blessings, you need to revisit your inner commitments. Intentionality means aligning your beliefs with your request.

  • Surrender: Ask yourself: What attitudes, fears, behaviors, or activities do I need to surrender so Jesus can answer my prayers and I can see God’s answer? This list will contain the self-limiting thought patterns that have hindered you for years.
  • Adopt: Ask yourself: What attitudes, affirmations, behaviors, and practices do I need to adopt so God can answer my prayers?

To believe like Jesus, you must commit to surrendering the first set and adopting the second.

  1. Weed Out the Doubt

You need focus and clarity to keep a clear prayer request before God.

  • Name the Doubt: Begin to notice and name the nagging doubts that accompany your prayers. Don’t suppress them; acknowledge them.
  • Return the Doubt: As you name these doubts, return them to God on a different conveyor belt.
  • Refocus on Joy: Then, refocus on joyfully receiving whatever you have asked for in prayer. Ask God to strengthen your faith and increase your belief.

 

“Break” or “Block”?

A note of caution. In today’s world and society, we engage in a lot of time-wasting activities like endless scrolling or obsessive gaming. You probably think of these as just harmless breaks, thinking, “I’m just relaxing my mind.”

The reality? When these breaks become an obsession that takes longer than you can afford, they become a blockage. You’re not just relaxing; you’re numbing your heart and spirit with adrenaline and dopamine hits, which dull your awareness of God’s quiet answers and your capacity to act on them.

 

Next Steps/Takeaways

Your soul is hardwired for union with God, for greatness, and for co-creating miracles. When you allow your soul to lead the way in communicating with God, your prayers will take on new meaning and power. You’re advancing from disciple to apostle.

Answer the Call: Believe in your prayers as Jesus does. Believe that God has already said “Yes” to you. Then, allow God to answer your prayers in God’s own way and time.

Practice: See everything that happens in your life—that new opportunity, that unexpected gift, those sudden circumstances—as an answer to a prayer.

To deepen your understanding and capacity for apostolic prayer, I invite you to join me at an upcoming spiritual retreat: Epiphany: Manifesting the Miraculous.

 

 

Copyright © 2025 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

The Unhindered Prayer: Allowing God’s Answers to Reach You

Your Prayers Have Power: Rising in a Time of Fear

by | Nov 11, 2025

The wide-scale injustices and breakdown of democracy we are experiencing today can leave you wondering if your prayers have power. I get it. When the news is heavy, and the future is uncertain, it’s easy to wonder. Is God even listening? The pain points are clear: fear, anxiety, a loss of basic safety and stability. I promise you this: Your prayers have power. In this article I want to share with you five principles for powerful prayer.

But first, let’s address a common myth about prayer that I often hear.

 

The Myth that Only Certain Prayers are Heard

A common myth is that only certain prayers are heard. Or that only certain people can enact real change. But here’s the truth. In the face of major systems of injustice, change is not a sudden, one-time event. Rather, change comes about through a tapestry of courageous actions and persistent prayer. In the words of St. Francis of Assisi “The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today”.

 

Five Principles of Powerful Prayer

To transform your approach to prayer and rise from discipleship to apostleship, here are the five principles of powerful prayer. They come from believing like Jesus, not simply believing in Him.

1) Seek Divine Partnership: Jesus, being fully human and fully divine, regularly withdrew to lonely, quiet places to pray, seeking guidance, strength, meditation, renewal, and communion with God. Prayer is the most essential form of communication with the divine. Jesus invites us to believe that we too are in divine partnership with God.

2) Believe You Have Received: Jesus’ audacious advice is: “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24). It sounds a little easier than it is. Because it means not doubting our own faith, or your own relationship with God. As you begin to believe like Jesus and believe your prayers have power, start by praying for something you can truly believe in, something you won’t actively doubt you can do. For instance, pray that you can be consistently kind toward others.  Rather than praying that you can stop unjust practices on the spot. Start small, build your faith, and work up toward the larger goals.

3) Practice Persistence: Jesus taught his disciples to always pray and not give up. Like the persistent woman who received justice from an unjust judge, your persistence in faith and prayer is a key ingredient. The scriptures counsel us to “not grow weary in well-doing.” Pray each day for God’s good and gracious will to be done. Then look for instances where it is happening. Tell others of the good that you are witnessing. Not as a way of ignoring evil, but to create a positive feedback loop and build the muscle of persistent prayer.

4) Align Your Beliefs (Intentionality): Your prayers can be hindered when you pray against your deepest beliefs. In other words, if you pray for a big blessing but deep down suspect you don’t deserve it, your beliefs are not aligned with your prayer. Align your prayers with your beliefs, as Jesus did, and watch miracles unfold.

5) Prayer is Action: Not all prayer is meditative or in solitude. Can one be truly blessed while turning a blind eye to the suffering of others? Don’t wait for the answers to your prayers to come to you – get out of your comfort zone! Put feet on your prayers by volunteering at a food bank, turning out for protests, or seeking the betterment of others. Powerful prayer is active.

 

How My Prayers Got Answered…Finally

By the time I was ready for children I was forty. I desperately longed for the experience of parenting, but nothing seemed to work. After investigating foster to adopt programs, domestic and international adoption, none of these paths felt right. I even prayed, “God, can’t the stork just ring the doorbell and drop off a child on the front steps?” I grieved and thought I had let the desire go.

Fast forward more than twenty years. I found myself in a deep existential crisis, burdened by a profound sense of absence and loneliness. The longing for a multi-generational family returned with a vengeance, leaving me sad and listless. Ten days into this crisis, a friend’s family was falling apart, and their two young children were in danger. I prayed for them that night. The very next morning, two little brothers lay fast asleep in the guest bedroom, having been dropped off late in the night by a social worker. Without forewarning, they were two children to care for, a sudden and unexpected disruption.

My surprise quickly turned to wonder and acceptance, as I knew in my heart this was God’s work. The existential crisis vanished; my heart soared. God had finally answered my “stork prayer”—just two decades later than I’d expected.

 

Next Steps/Takeaways

Your prayers are a thread in the tapestry of a new unfolding reality. Prayer is essential for both transforming systems of injustice and for bringing God’s answers into your life. So don’t give up hope. But you’ll have to surrender self-limiting thought patterns, and the desire for immediate gratification. Instead, actively adopt attitudes and beliefs that align with your prayers. Here are two next steps.

Answer the Call: Believe in your prayers as Jesus does. Believe that God has already said “Yes” to you. Then, allow God to answer your prayers in God’s own way and time.

Practice: See everything that happens in your life—that new opportunity, that unexpected gift, those sudden circumstances—as an answer to a prayer.

To deepen your understanding and capacity for apostolic prayer, I invite you to join me at an upcoming spiritual retreat, held at Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas. Learn more and register here:  Epiphany: Manifesting the Miraculous.

 

 

Copyright © 2025 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

Apostles of a New Future: Leading the Church with Courage

Apostles of a New Future: Leading the Church with Courage

by | Jun 10, 2025

We are living through a time of extraordinary unraveling—politically, culturally, and even spiritually. Life-long values and democratic institutions are being challenged, dismantled and deconstructed. Hope is in short supply. The Church is not immune. As expectations change, congregations are unsure of their place in a shifting world.

But what if decline and confusion are not the end—but the beginning of renewal? What if this is your invitation to become an Apostle of a New Future?

This is the final blog in a three-part series based on my keynote, Re-Thinking Renewal in Perilous Times. In the first blog, we explored how to lead with hope even when the world is falling apart. In the second, we wrestled with rediscovering the heart of ministry in a culture of fear.

Now, I am inviting you to turn toward the future. What kind of leader will you be in this pivotal moment for the Church? And how can you lead the church with courage in this time of profound change?

 

The Myth That Playing It Safe Will Save the Church

Before we address how you can lead, let’s confront a damaging myth: That if you can just avoid rocking the boat—stay moderate, stay neutral, stay inoffensive—you can preserve what little remains. Many institutions—media, legal, higher education, retail stores—have already adjusted their values to align with the current administration. They have tossed DEI initiatives, negotiated settlements to avoid lawsuits, and adjusted their public values to comply with the changing landscape. But the Church was never meant to play it safe.

The truth is, playing it safe has never saved anyone. Not a person. Not a people. And certainly not Jesus or the Church. The early Christians were audacious. They faced empire with songs, injustice with solidarity, and persecution with unshakable joy. They weren’t afraid to carry bold messages—radical love, sharing of resources, inclusive community, and resurrection power. Why would you settle for anything less today?

 

Beethoven’s Audacity

During my keynote at the Closing Retreats for Creating a Culture of Renewal® cohorts, I shared the story of Ludwig van Beethoven. It wasn’t for the sake of classical trivia—it was for the sake of your spiritual courage.

Beethoven composed his most powerful, history-defining music, the 9th Symphony, from which comes Ode to Joy found in many hymnals, when he was profoundly deaf. Can you imagine that?

When he could no longer hear the music with his ears, he heard it in his soul. He wrote from within. From memory, yes—but also from vision. From deep resonance. From a place beyond circumstance. That’s what Christian leadership looks like for you right now.
You may no longer hear the music of cultural relevance, institutional power, or packed pews the way you once did.

But if you listen, you still hear the music of the Spirit. You can write the next movement of God’s work in the world from within. Not by replicating the past, but by composing a bold, new symphony of renewal.

Like Beethoven, you must create from a place deeper than the inputs from around you. A place of divine resonance, Spirit-led imagination, and apostolic courage.

 

Apostles of a New Future: The Courage to Choose

Let me be clear that this is a pivotal moment for the Church. It is a time for us to stand for Gospel values of inclusion, hospitality, love of God, love of neighbor, love of stranger. The question is: is it a pivotal moment for you—as a leader of the Church?

Will you serve empire? Or will you continue to midwife and serve the kingdom?
Will you baptize authoritarianism in the name of stability?
Or will you align with apostles of justice who risk for the sake of love?

These are not theoretical questions. They are spiritual decisions that shape everything. Your preaching. Your presence. Your prayers. Your willingness to follow Jesus wherever he leads—even into the heart of conflict, compassion, and costly grace. This is no time for neutrality.

As an apostle—a messenger of Jesus—your message matters. Every apostle needs a message. So let me ask you. What is your message?

  • Maybe it’s this: Love God. Love neighbor. No exceptions.
  • Or this: Empathy is resistance.
  • Or my personal favorite: There is no us vs. them. We live in a we-world.

Whatever your message is, be clear. And carry it. Preach it. Post it. Live it.

Let your people see it in your leadership, your vision, your pastoral care, your justice work. Because you are not only a disciple. You are an apostle. An apostle of love. An apostle of justice. An apostle of renewal. And the world needs that now more than ever.

 

The Five A’s of Apostleship

To live into this apostolic moment, it’s time for you to embody what I describe in my book Believe Like Jesus: Rising from Discipleship to Apostleship as the Five A’s of Apostleship.

  1. Authorized – You are commissioned by Christ. Not just to maintain a building or perform rituals, but to lead renewal.
  2. Anointed – You are spiritually gifted. Your calling is not generic—it is Spirit-empowered.
  3. Appointed – You were born for this moment. Your leadership is not an accident.
  4. Accountable – You don’t do this alone. You’re part of the Body. You’re answerable to a higher calling and a community.
  5. Ambassador – You represent a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And you carry its values into a world desperate for them.

That’s your job description. That’s your identity. That’s your calling.

 

Dos and Don’ts of Courageous Leadership

Do:

  • Do speak your message with boldness.
  • Do trust the deeper music of the Spirit within you.
  • Do evolve your methods to serve your mission.
  • Do anchor yourself in daily spiritual practice and fierce love.
  • Do form communities of renewal that support, challenge, and commission you.

 

Don’t:

  • Don’t settle for playing it safe.
  • Don’t spiritualize silence in the face of injustice.
  • Don’t ignore your own soul in the name of service.
  • Don’t postpone courage for another time. That time is now.

 

Next Steps / Takeaways

This is your call to lead courageously. The world doesn’t need more church leaders protecting tradition for tradition’s sake. The world needs you—a bold apostle who carries a message of love, justice, and Spirit-led renewal, no matter the cost. And you don’t have to do this alone.

Join me this July for RISE Into Spiritual Transformation, a six-week interactive experience for leaders like you who are ready to:

  • Rediscover your bold, Spirit-born message.
  • Reconnect with your call and claim your apostleship.
  • Lead with clarity, courage, and the power of the Five A’s.

This isn’t just another class. It’s a launching pad. A spiritual ignition point. A new composition written in the key of hope. RISE is where your next chapter begins.

Let this message of hope rise in you—and through you.

 

Copyright © 2025 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

Transformation to the Faith OF Jesus

Transformation to the Faith OF Jesus

by | Oct 15, 2024

The world is in quite a state. Wars. Climate change. Regressive social policies. Gun violence.  A creeping sense of hopelessness.

It’s tempting in these perilous times to give in to doubt, fear, and despair, even for Christians. To isolate, rather than to connect. To hide, rather than to shine. To shrink in our faith, rather than expand.

But we can’t do that. That’s not who we are. That’s not what Jesus wants for us, and it’s certainly not how he lived in his time on earth. Though we look to the Kingdom of Heaven for our eternal reward, we can’t forget our call to create the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

 

Faith IS Action

There’s a saying often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” This advice carries particular weight for Christians. The world can use some of that change—a lot of that change—right about now. As Christians, we’ve always been asked to live our faith out loud. While we may feel silenced by the sheer number of challenges we face, the present times demand that we dig deep into our spiritual lives so we can be bold voices for love, for a shared purpose, and for a common vision. By living our faith in Jesus, we can transform the world and manifest the Kingdom of God here on earth.

I’ve prayed about this often and deeply. What does this actually mean? How can we use our faith in Jesus to transform the world?

The more I’ve thought about it—the more I’ve prayed about it—the more I’ve come to realize that faith in Jesus may only be a first step. When we have faith in Jesus, aren’t we putting the load on him? Asking him to be responsible for fixing things? This kind of faith is passive. How is that being the change we wish to see in the world?

To rise to the challenge of our times, we must draw on a more active faith. We must transform our faith so that it has a greater impact. What if we rise from having faith in Jesus to having the faith of Jesus?

 

The Transformation of Belief

Faith in Jesus gives us someone to follow. That’s not a bad thing. We all need someone to inspire the good in us—“the better angels of our nature,” as Abraham Lincoln put it in his First Inaugural Address. Who better than Jesus? But faith in Jesus puts the locus of agency outside ourselves. Like there’s nothing we ourselves can do.

When we take on the faith of Jesus, however, we become the locus of agency. Instead of just believing in Jesus, we begin to believe like Jesus. We activate the faith we have. As our souls are infused with Jesus’ kind of faith, we become ever more Christ-like. Not only do we tap into Jesus’ divinity, but we also tap into our inner divinity. And we become miracle-makers alongside Jesus.

Lest this sound heretical, let me assure you that rising from faith in Jesus to the faith of Jesus is a very biblical concept. It’s the difference between being a disciple and an apostle. Think of a disciple as a follower, a student, an apprentice, and think of an apostle as an ambassador, a messenger, a journeyman or -woman empowered to act on their own on behalf of the one who sent them. The goal of embracing the faith of Jesus is to advance from being a disciple to being an apostle. In fact, that’s always been the purpose of following Jesus: to be sent by him out into the world.

 

Just as a tree puts down deep roots to grow tall, we take a deep inward journey of spiritual transformation to rise into human beings who live our faith more courageously, more miraculously.

 

Excerpted and adapted from the Introduction to Rebekah Simon-Peter’s forthcoming book, Believe Like Jesus: Rising from Faith in Jesus to the Faith of Jesus, November 2024.

Copyright © 2024 rebekahsimonpeter.com.  All Rights Reserved.

How My Faith Has Changed

How My Faith Has Changed

by | Nov 23, 2021

When I recently met with my bishop to relay an important shift in my theology, I wasn’t sure how she might react. Would I be brought up on charges? Given a good talking to? De-frocked? It was a chance I needed to take. I had to be true to myself and my evolving understanding of a life in Christ. I needed to tell her how my faith has changed.

It’s not the first time my faith has changed. Or the first such conversation I’d had with a religious leader.

As we sat down to meet over Zoom, I remembered another conversation that took place some thirty years earlier.  At the time, I was a member of the Orthodox Jewish community. Jesus had recently appeared to me in an unexpected vision. His kind eyes had conveyed his unconditional love, acceptance, and understanding of me. The whole encounter lasted no more than thirty seconds. But that moment in time was seared into my cells. How little I understood of Him at the time! But it was enough to meet with my rabbi to tell him “My faith has changed. I need to follow this new path, even if it leads me out of the Jewish community.”

Which it did. Some six or seven years later, I was ordained into the United Methodist Church, and counted myself among the friends and followers of Jesus, which I write about in my book, The Jew Named Jesus.

So what necessitated this Zoom meeting with my bishop? It was the United Methodist mission statement, “We are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

I said to my bishop: “I used to believe that. But I don’t anymore. My faith has changed.”   

I went on to share that I don’t think faith at the level of discipleship is what causes transformation in the world.  That kind of faith is good for following, learning, and absorbing.  But not for transforming the world. The faith of a disciple is not hardy enough or robust enough.  Not in Jesus’ day. And not now.

I think transformation of the world requires more than following Jesus or believing in Jesus.

I say that because when you look at The Twelve, they didn’t accomplish much at first. They didn’t understand Jesus’ basic instructions, couldn’t follow what He was talking about, and didn’t get how He did what He did.

It wasn’t until The Twelve stepped into the apostolic mode that they could participate in the multiplication of loaves and fishes, heal the sick, cast out demons, or announce the kingdom. It was in that context that Peter dared to step out onto the water with Jesus.

What made the difference? I don’t think it’s so much that The Twelve believed in Jesus more. I think it’s that their faith changed. They not only believed in Jesus, but they also started to believe like Jesus. It seems to me that there is no way that the apostles could have done what Jesus did except to believe the kinds of things that Jesus believed.

I don’t believe Jesus was training His friends and followers in new techniques. Rather, it was a new consciousness. He taught them how to experience unity with God so they too could have access to the miraculous.

That’s what I mean by apostolic faith. The Twelve had a fundamental shift in consciousness. The kind of shift necessary to co-create miracles with God.

Here’s the bottom line. I think Jesus invites all of us to change our faith. To fully experience our inner divinity as well as our outward humanity.

This is what I think can bring about the transformation of the world. Because when we each tap into the deep reservoir of soul and spirit within us, anything is possible. Starting with our own transformation. Then leading out from there to the rest of the world around us.

So, that’s how my faith has changed. I’m for more faith. More unity with God. And more miracles.  I’m glad I took the chance to share my changing beliefs. No, I didn’t get defrocked. Instead I got to engage in Christian conferencing and the sharing of ideas in a warm and respectful atmosphere.

Need help finding the confidence to take your chance? Join a Creating a Culture of Renewal cohort! You’ll learn communication and leadership skills to powerfully move your congregation forward while staying true to yourself. Visit https://rebekahsimonpeter.com/ccr-register for more information and to register.

Copyright © 2021 rebekahsimonpeter.com, All Rights Reserved.

Do You Have the Faith of a Mailman?

Do You Have the Faith of a Mailman?

by | May 13, 2021

Do You Have the Faith of a Mailman?

 

While I’m happily married now, and have been for almost 20 years, I fielded all sorts of unusual questions when I was a single pastor, and dating. One in particular sticks in my mind. “Do you think I’m an apostle?”

Do I think you’re an apostle? This was a first. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to answer this guy. To begin with, he was Catholic, and I didn’t think Catholics talked about apostles; it seemed like a word more connected to Pentecostals. Second, he was a mailman. It was the first time I had heard a regular person apply the word apostle to themselves.

The word apostle seems to be reserved for the select few, or as alter egos for the disciples. Or maybe as I said for Pentecostal leaders. But mail carriers? I wasn’t sure.

Do you have the faith of a mailman? Share on X

Its usage begs the question: What’s the difference between an apostle and a disciple? And is the word apostle even still to be used?

Disciples and Apostles

The word disciple comes from the Latin discipulus. It means scholar. A disciple is a student who learns from a master teacher. The disciple’s primary focus is the teacher, and their primary job is to learn from those teachings. All so that the disciples can live out the “way” or the path of the teacher.

(Recall Jesus saying: I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”) John the Baptist had disciples, the Pharisees had disciples, and Jesus had disciples. Of all three, we know the most about Jesus’ disciples. His disciples traveled extensively with him to observe and absorb all they could about his life and ethos.

An apostle, however, is an altogether different animal. Even though the word apostle sounds similar to the word disciple, it hails from the Greek, apostolos meaning envoy. While disciples are students, apostles are agents. They don’t follow the master. They’re sent out by the master.

They’re delegates, commissioned to act on behalf of another.

The Twelve functioned first as disciples and second as apostles. According to Mark: 3:13-15, Jesus went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.

The Twelve first learned from Jesus, then were sent out in his name. They were followed by many others who were also sent out in his name including Paul, Silas, Barnabas, and Junia.

In today’s language, we might say that disciples are followers and apostles are leaders. But there’s more to it than that.

Disciples and apostles have qualitatively different kinds of faith. Disciples have faith in Jesus while apostles have the faith of Jesus. Otherwise, there’s no way that apostles could do what Jesus did. And make no mistake—the apostles did.

Jesus first sent the 12 out, and later the 70, to do exactly what he did. Even while Jesus was alive, his apostles healed the sick, cast out demons, and preached the Kingdom. They had authority over unclean spirits. After Jesus ascends into heaven, Peter heals a paralyzed man. Paul and Silas sing in jail until the chains break. Mere shadows of the apostles cause people to heal.

faith of an apostle

Disciples have faith in Jesus. Apostles have the faith of Jesus. So what is the difference between the two?

Faith in Jesus

Faith in Jesus means trusting in his power, his love, his teachings, and his saving grace. This is the kind of faith we commonly teach in church—in songs and hymns, sermons and Bible studies, and children’s messages and youth curriculum. It is the focus of much teaching on salvation.

Faith of Jesus

Having the faith of Jesus takes things to a whole new level. It means trusting in what Jesus trusted in, abiding in a deep knowing that you are one with God and one with the Holy Spirit. Having the faith of Jesus means cultivating an unwavering trust in your life purpose, and entertaining a rock-solid knowledge that all things are possible. It means living with an ever-ready expectancy of miracles.

Most of all, it means living in constant communion with, and surrender to, God. In other words, having the faith of Jesus means operating in an elevated state of consciousness in which there is no separation between humanity and divinity, between us and God. This kind of faith is hinted at in church, but is often not emphasized, even though it is a big part of Jesus’ teachings (see for instance John 15). Is it any wonder that apostleship is so little known?

You may say: I’m a disciple; I can’t be an apostle. I challenge you to re-think that. You see, discipleship was always and only meant to be the first step in your relationship with Jesus. The end game was always apostleship. You’re called. Anointed. Appointed. Authorized. Accountable. You’re agents of the Kingdom.

If you’re ready to step into apostleship, then it’s time to pray the prayer of the apostles: “Lord, increase our faith.” (Luke 17:5). After all, if a small-town mailman can envision himself as an apostle, why not you?

By the way…back to that date some 21 years ago. After he asked me about apostleship, I had to question my own level of faith. After all, he was a mailman and I was a pastor. Where in the heck was my trust in God? Maybe this guy was an apostle. I prayed my own version of the apostle’s prayer: Lord, increase my faith, when the mailman eventually asked me another big question. This time on bended knee. With a ring. God showed me the right answer and I said yes.

When God speaks to you, what will your answer be to God?