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Friends, greetings in Jesus Name! Today I will be sharing with you on what I title, “The Cry of Sinners versus The Cry of the Righteous”. The bible declares in Psalm 34:17 that, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” But unfortunately, “The prayer of a sinner is an abomination unto God” (Proverbs 15:8). Why? It is because God is too holy to behold iniquity (Hab.1:13). The only acceptable prayer God will hear from a sinner is the prayer for salvation. Ezekiel 33:11 declares, “As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” In this context, we can see that God only hears the prayer of sinners when they are ready to turn from their wicked ways.

When a sinner visits a church or crusade ground in search of help, it’s a great step in the right direction. If he opens up his heart to receive the word as preached, then he activates God to act on his behalf. Usually, sinners that desire a change are often in the habit of praying “prayers of desperation” for God’s touch in their lives. And this draws God’s attention to show mercy on their situation. What is desperation? It simply means a state of despair or giving up of hope. As believers, we have passed from sin to righteousness. We no longer pray prayer of desperation like sinners do. If you pray that way as a child of God, you won’t get His attention. As believers, we are to cry out in faith, and not in desperation. “For we walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Cor.5:7). According to Kenneth Copeland, he said God interrupted his prayer one day and said to him: “Kenneth, do you know I don’t hear the cry of my children when they cry out in desperation. He said the Lord continued by saying, “I hear the desperation cry of a sinner because that’s all he can cry about. But once you get born again, son, you ought to be crying out of faith. I hear the faith cry”.

Really, it is no surprise to see that in many gospel crusades, unbelievers who attend with the hope for an encounter with Jesus in their situation get more healings and miracles than the believers. Usually, I see that happened in many of Reinhard Bonnke’s crusades. You know why? A sinner who needs God’s touch cries out in anguish like an orphan, and the Lord hears and delivers them. But when a believer who is already in Christ does cry out in desperation like the sinner, the Lord usually gives a deaf ear. The believer is expected to know better because he or she is a royal priesthood who has been called out of darkness, unlike the sinners who are still in darkness. In moments of crisis situation, when you know your position in Christ, you are to cry out in faith, and say, “Lord, I know you’re capable to heal and deliver me because your word said, “You are the Lord who heals me (Num. 15:26); and “By the stripes of Jesus I am healed (Isaiah 53:3). Therefore, I claim my healing in Jesus NAME.” When you pray like this in faith, you enforce the power of God to move on your behalf, unlike the unbelievers who know nothing about faith. Unfortunately, many believers are missing it in their walk with God. They keep wondering why their prayers are not being answered.

Listen, our God is a God of principles. He said four times in the bible, “For the just shall live by faith” (Hab.2:4, Rom. 1:17; Gal.3:11, Heb.10:38). Sinners do not understand this principle until they are saved. Sinners who respond to call to salvation cry out in desperation, and then receive supernatural touch from heaven. Afterwards, they are expected to understand God’s principles by feeding on His word, and then grow in faith. Hallelujah! As believers in Christ Jesus, we are instructed not to weep like those who has no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). You and I must come into God’s presence with boldness, and not in desperation. I have two boys, and whenever they are in need of anything from me, they do not come weeping. They approach me with boldness, knowing it is their right as sons to approach their Daddy and get what they want. Then why do many children of God act like slaves before their father? Really, you hinder yourself from receiving from God if you’re always fearful and never sure if He will answer your prayer. If you think your prayers are always bouncing back at you without being answered, then it’s about time you examine yourself and change your prayer password from “Cry of Desperation to Cry of Faith”. Have a fantastic week. With love, Elvis!