Faith in God: Life Lessons from Abraham and Sarah(+Declaration of Faith for 2021)
By: Phillip Tan
Tags: Christianity, Prayer, Jesus, God, Bible Study

You wonder if God is listening to your prayers. You wonder if God’s promises in the bible are meant for you. You wonder if God cares for you.

You have doubts, and it’s perfectly normal as we live in an imperfect and sinful world that tries to drown us in doubts, worries, and concerns. Even the righteous Abraham and Sarah had doubts, despite God promising them directly that they would have a child.

Abraham or Sarah just could not believe that biologically they could be parents to a child at the age of 100 and 90 years old respectively. They want to believe God’s promise and Sarah second-guess God’s intentions by taking the matter into her own hands:- she followed the practice of her times by giving her maidservant, Hagar, to Abraham as a surrogate for a child.

By not trusting in God’s timing, Abraham and Sarah experienced a host of unnecessary problems:

Hagar despised her mistress, Sarah, when she was pregnant

Sarah blamed Abraham for her predicament

Abraham refused to address the problems and allowed Sarah to mistreat Hagar in revenge

Hagar ran away with her child, causing Abraham to ‘lose’ his child

Despite all the problems created through their lack of faith, God was faithful and intervened by resolving the problems for them. An angel advised Hagar to submit to Sarah and God blessed Hagar’s son, Ishmael, even though he was not God’s intended heir for Abraham.

God kept his covenant with Abraham and blessed him with his heir, Isaac, through his wife Sarah. Despite Abraham’s and Sarah’s mistakes, God’s love, mercy, and grace prevailed and we know from history that Abraham:

was blessed with many descendants

had many nations descended from him

had his covenant with God carried through to his descendants

was given the land of Canaan for him and his descendants

God chastised Sarah’s doubt by asking her “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14). Indeed, we humans tend to forget that our God is all-powerful and that nothing is too hard for our Lord.

With a new year approaching, let’s strengthen our faith in God with a strong declaration of faith, blessing, and grace for 2021.

Declaration of Faith, Blessing, and Grace for 2021

I DECLARE that God has a masterplan for my life and He is working all things for my good. I may not understand everything right now but I trust that all will come together to make sense eventually. God’s amazing plans will materialize in perfect timing for me.

I DECLARE God’s vision for my life will re-align everything perfectly for me. Sickness, trouble, lack, mediocrity, are only temporary. I will not be moved by what I see but by what I know. I am a victor and never a victim. I will become all God has created me to be.

I DECLARE that God will equip me for every good work He has planned for me. God has anointed and empowered me to break every bondage and limitation. I will overcome every obstacle, and experience victory like never before. This is my time to shine.

I DECLARE that God will bring to pass those hidden dreams that He has placed deep in my heart. If certain promises don’t look like they will happen, I will not be intimidated and give up. I will pray with boldness, knowing that nothing is too difficult for Him.

I DECLARE that God will fill me with wisdom to make wise choices and have a clear direction. I will be blessed by God almighty with creativity, good ideas, courage, strength, and ability.

I DECLARE that I am blessed with good health, a good family, good friends, and a long life. I further declare I am blessed with promotion, with success, with an obedient heart, and a positive outlook. I will prosper and succeed in whatever I put my hands to. I will be blessed in the city and blessed in the field. I will be blessed when I go in and when I go out. I will lend and not borrow, and I will be above and not beneath.

I DECLARE right now that every negative word, every curse that has ever been spoken over me, is broken in the name of Jesus. I declare the negative things that have been in my family even for generations will no longer have any effect on me. I declare that from this day forward I will experience a new sense of freedom, new happiness, a new fulfillment.

I DECLARE that I am blessed and curses against me have been broken! I believe in the spiritual realm victory has been secured for me.

I CLAIM God’s promises in Deuteronomy 31–1:-

When you align your thoughts with God’s thoughts and you start dwelling on the promises of His Word, when you constantly dwell on the thoughts of His victory, favor, faith, power, and strength, nothing can hold you back.

BONUS: Prayer to Help Strengthen Your Faith

The Word of God tells us in Jeremiah 17:7–8:-

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.”

We are living in uncertain times. 2020 has been a year of disaster globally, with the coronavirus pandemic sparking an economical meltdown worldwide. No one knows what tomorrow holds.

It is during such tough times that we need to have hope, trust, and faith in God’s care and provisions for us. Let’s pray together for God’s mercy, love, and grace for us and our loved ones:-

Our Dear Heavenly Father, all glory belongs to you, all the honor belongs to you. I am praying at this time because I need you. I need your love, and I need your grace. I look to You for directions; I seek You for counsel. I refuse to lean on my own understanding, because when I look at the way things are, and the way things are happening around me, nothing makes any sense. I believe there is a purpose greater than what my eyes can see. There is a reason why I am going through this trial, through this test. If I must go through this test, if it is Your will, I ask that You will be the strength and the faith to stand firm and endure. I pray that You stand by me, Lord Jesus. I don’t know what I will face tomorrow, but I do know that Your word tells me to submit to You, for You will make my path straight. I know that Your Word in the Book of Isaiah tells me that when I pass through the waters, You will be with me; when I pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over me; when I walk through the fire, I will not be burnt and the flames will not set me ablaze. In Your Word, I place my confidence for tomorrow; in Your word, I place my hope and faith for tomorrow. You are the God who knows the number of hair on my head. You say in Your Word that I am not to fear because I am more valuable to You than many sparrows. My dear Lord, I ask that there be a hedge of protection around me. I ask that You place a hedge of protection around my family, my wife, and my children. I ask that You place a hedge of protection around our health, and around my home so that the enemy will know not to come any further, and not to touch me or my family. I ask that the blood of Jesus Christ, the Risen King, will cover my steps. You are a God who watches over me. You are faithful not to let my foot slip. You are a God who never sleeps nor slumbers. Victory belongs to You. Healing can only be found in You. Restoration comes only through You and my protection is under the blood of Jesus, the blood that never loses its power. Thank you for hearing my prayer. I praise You in advance.

Continuation of supplication to God

Holy Spirit, help me to trust like Job, that if I were to lose everything, that my job was taken from me, that my house and car were taken from me, I pray that I will have a trust that is unshakable.

I pray that I have strong faith in God, to be able to say: though he slays me, yet will I trust Him. I pray for bold faith that will push back and say with God all things are possible.

Give me the measure of faith that truly believes that You are the God of I AM, and You will make a way when there seems to be no way.

Lord, I pray for a heart of worship like David. I too want to chase after Your heart, I too want to worship You in spirit and in Truth.

Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

May the peace of Jesus Christ, a peace that is divine and holy, rest on your heart and emotions.

May you find comfort in the Lord, when you find comfort in the Holy Spirit.

God, Your Love is unending; Your Love is awesome. I pray that whoever is listening, give them healing, father; give them peace.

May God mend your broken heart, whatever situation you may have faced. Whatever your circumstances are, do not be disheartened, do not be discouraged. God is with you.

It hurts right now, but God will give you the strength to endure. God is with you even in the pain. This too shall pass in your life.

Jesus said in His Word, in the Book of John 14:1 ”Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God”. And I pray that you will receive those words.

Your heart is not troubled because you belong to God almighty. May you have peace beyond all understanding in your emotions, in your soul, and in your spirit.

Your Word says that weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

Our hope is within You, Lord, and we look to You as the anchor for our souls.

Lord, flood every corner of our emotions. May the blood of Jesus remove every negative through.

You are the Good Shepherd. You are the Healer of broken hearts. You are the Great Deliverer. So we ask in agreement with anyone listening, heal our afflictions, lift those who are low in spirits.

We call on Your great goodness and abundant grace. May it overflows in our lives.

Your Word says that You will give strength to the weary and hope to the distress. Your Word says “Come unto me, all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest”.

Father, I proclaim and declare all of your words over anyone listening, because You say to us that You honor Your Word to us even above Your Name.

Flood our hearts and our minds with Your Love. Refresh those who are weary and heavy-burdened. Strengthen those who are weak in their emotions, help those in turmoil. Comfort the sorrowing. Heal those who are hurting and draw close to those who are in need of emotional healing.

Your Word says You heal the broken-hearted, and that You are near to those who are downcast and depressed. Just as You are on the throne, we know that everything is going to be alright.

You promised to meet every need according to Your glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Please provide according to Your word, the emotional healing needed for anyone listening and willing to receive.

I DECLARE that depression must go; pain and sadness must go; anxiety and worry must go. I pray for Your comfort and for Your blessings. I pray for the ones who feel as if a storm is raging through their lives.

May Your presence calms the waters. No matter the circumstance, no matter the situation, You are the rock of all ages, our strong tower, and fortress.

When we grow tired and weary, when we stumble and fall, I pray that Your Strength renews us. May Your presence be felt continuously in our hearts.

We remain confident that You are a faithful God, and You will be our light in the darkest of hours.

Amen!

Claiming The Peace of God

We claim Philippians 4:7:-

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The Secret to Having Strong Faith

We need God for everything, including the strength of our faith, as we live by faith through grace.

The secret to having a strong faith has been given above. Strengthen your faith in God through heart-felt declarations suggested above, followed by sincere prayers to claim God’s promises to us.

We know from 2 Timothy 2:13 that even:

if we are faithless, he remains faithful — for he cannot deny himself.

God Bless!