Question:

The saying ‘Faith is released by speaking words’, is used by some preachers to describe that sick people remain sick though ‘saved’ because of their inability to release their faith and be healed. They say God has put authority under us to move mountains therefore we should exercise it for the purpose of healing. Also they say that commanding with God’s word will remove whatever obstacle that blocks us.  I am of the opinion this kind of statements lead to discouragement of believers when they realize that their desires have not materialized even after faithful prayers.  What is your view on this?

Answer:

It is unusual for me, but on this one, I really do not have much of an opinion. I see no scriptural support specifically for the claim that “faith is released by speaking words.” This is perhaps a questionable teaching from a biblical basis, but it is hard for me to see why it is false doctrine to advise people to use spoken word to activate their faith about a particular request. Personally, I find this advice a bit creepy, but I want to be careful to not criticize a practice which is not prohibited by scripture.

As for the second part of your question, I agree that it can be unwise to give people absolute assurances that particular prayers will be answered in particular ways (and to imply that a lack of success of the prayer necessarily implies a lack of faith). This amounts to “putting the Lord to the test.” We should not make promises to people that particular prayer techniques will have 100% assurance that the prayer will be answered in a positive manner. Paul prayed several times for God to remove a particular health issue and God said no (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Does this mean he lacked faith? I do not think so. It is presumptuous for us to promise that God will remove particular diseases when we pray for healing. If we are presumptuous in claiming certain prayers will be answered in certain ways it is definitely possible that some Christians will become discouraged and could possibly even abandon the faith. We need to be careful what we put our faith in. Our faith is not in the power of prayer but in God to do what is right and best for us. Some Pentecostal/Charismatic ministries set their members up for failure by promising results that they cannot deliver.

John Oakes