Telling you to have faith would be like telling you to have money. It just doesn't work that way.
Faith grows like a flower. You have to plant it in good soil. Then you have to water it with good water every day. You have to feed it the nutrients it needs to optimize the blooms. If you don't water it every day, especially when the atmosphere is hot and dry, your faith will wither and die. You have to tend to it every day by spending time in the Word and in prayer.
Be careful to make your prayer time positive. Begin with thanksgiving. Thank Him for all the many blessings in your life, past, present, and future. Thank Him for the air you breathe, for good, clean water to drink, for your job, your health, your family, just everything you can think of. Then move on to praising the Lord for who He is, for His faithfulness, goodness, mercy, and every other attribute you can think of.
Pray then for others-for all who have asked you to pray for them, for those you know need prayer, whether it be for their salvation, their health, their circumstances, or whatever. As discussed below, however, you need to ask only once and then keep thanking Him and praising Him for having brought it about in the spiritual realm, believing that the answer is on its way to manifesting in the physical.
When you get to your petitions (specific requests), state them in a positive way. For instance, do not say: "Oh, Lord, keep me from going blind." No! Instead, say: "Lord, I pray that you improve my eyesight day after day. Open my eyes that I may see and understand You as I read Your Word. Let my eyes be fully restored, and I promise to give You all the praise, all the honor, and all the glory for it!" End your prayer time the same way you started it by thanking and praising Him for fulfilling your requests.
And then do not continue to ask Him to heal you; just praise and thank Him for already having done it. And never forget this: Faith does not acknowledge feelings or appearances. Conditions and things always manifest in the spiritual (unseen) realm before they do in the physical realm. Knowing this is how you hold onto your faith. And remember: Faith comes by hearing and reading and studying the Word every day.
Speaking (declaring) out loud the thing you wish to have manifested strengthens your faith also (again, faith comes by hearing, even if what you hear is your own voice). Reading the Bible aloud strengthens faith. Remember, in the beginning, our Lord spoke everything into existence by saying: "Let there be... " As God's children (joint heirs with Jesus), we also have this same divine ability. "Whoever shall say unto this mountain [the problem], be thou removed and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass, he shall have whatever he says." Mark 11:23
Jesus said: "If you can believe, all things are possible... " (Mark 9:23) Jesus also said: "All things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." Matthew 21:22
Remember: Even Jesus could not do miracles when unbelief was present! Matthew 13:58
Also, read Matthew 9:28-29, where Jesus asked the blind men who came to Him if they believed that He was able to heal them. When they said yes, that they did believe, He then touched their eyes and said: "According to your faith be it unto you."
Nothing is impossible with God! Just remember how big He is. Is anything too hard for Him?
Think of an expensive handcrafted grandfather clock that needs repair. Would you take it to Joe Shmoe, the local clock repairman down the street and trust him to make it right... or would you take it to the original clockmaker and have absolute faith and trust in him to restore it to its original condition?
This is the same way we should trust our heavenly Father. When our bodily machinery breaks down, we are not to trust in the "arm of flesh," but we are to take it to the Lord in prayer. The Lord should be the first place we go for healing, not human doctors, and certainly not the last resort! Doctors may mean well, but they are for unbelievers, not for the children of God!
As you read the Bible, especially the four gospels, you will notice that the Lord equated sin with sickness. Jesus said, "For which is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto your house." Matthew 9:5-6
Now, before you go to the Lord with a petition for healing, be sure that you have confessed to Him, and asked forgiveness for, all the sins you have ever committed from your childhood on. Be truly sorry for having made those mistakes. Then He will forgive you for every one. Do not ever confess those same sins to Him again, because He has cast them into the sea of forgetfulness and does not remember them. Once He releases (forgives) them, they are gone forever. You also need to release them and let them go forever, for you are washed clean.
The other thing you need to do before you take your requests to the Lord is to forgive anyone and everyone against whom you may be holding a grudge because of a past hurt or angry words said to you. This is not easy to do. But it can be done with our Lord's help! Remember, nothing, but nothing, is impossible with Him! It may take some time to soften your heart, but it will happen if you are sincere. And don't forget... if you will not forgive others, your heavenly Father will not forgive you!
This matter of forgiveness is a big thing with God, so don't be saying, "Well, I'll forgive him, but I won't forget!" No! Big mistake! Remember, you must release it, just as our Lord casts your sins into the sea of forgetfulness, so you must do also. In most instances you eventually will be able to do this, though your human nature may prevent this if the person (for instance) raped or killed or maimed a loved one. You still are required to forgive him, but you could never trust him again. And I am sure the Lord understands this.
Finally, to the best of your ability, you must obey the Word of God. If you habitually and intentionally do things that are explicitly against the Word, you must stop immediately, or your prayers will be hindered. You cannot disobey the laws of God and be blessed. Things just do not work that way.
Keep the Lord the focal point of your life 24/7, not just once a week. Do not do anything that you would not do in His physical Presence! Let His Love shine through you... treat others as you would want to be treated, and all will be well!
The writer spent her early years in the legal arena and the last 23 years in property management. She has been an avid Bible student since 1987 and became an online publisher in 2001. She still publishes her bi-weekly ezine, 'elf Expressions Ezine, a collection of positive tips, hints, and advice offered with humor, inspiration, and other goodies for anyone who is inclined to read. The emphasis these days is on the finer points of Christianity. Guidance, mentoring, inspiration, English lessons, editing, and proofreading services for entrepreneurs and online marketers are also offered. Subscribe if you like at http://www.elfexpressionsezine.com.