Experiencing God through Prayer

By Sami Mike

Experiencing God Through Prayer Inside this book are great insights that will shift you into another realm of faith and help you build capacity in prayers to get answers to your prayer requests. It is time for the world to dive deeper in faith and come into the proper knowledge of God. I await your testimony as you study this faith manual.

An average 21st-century believer has replaced spirituality with religion. We engage in all manner of things we call spiritual activities today to show our commitment level, believing that these things are proof of our spirituality. Still, we have deviated from true spirituality.

Spirituality reveals our love for God, our faith in Him. It is simply a lifestyle of faith, for, without faith, it is impossible to please God, and if we can't please God, we cannot walk with Him in truth and Spirit. Without faith, we can't believe in the word of God, and without our belief, we can't obey.

Religion has kept many Christians in bondage today, doing all manner of things to seek God. No man can be fruitful in this kingdom through the practice of religion.

Faith is what liberates us from every oppression of the devil; from the burden and weights the devil is using to drag you down, but the Bible says come unto me all ye that thirst, labor and heavy laden and I shall give you rest.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sami Mike
• Release date: Mar 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005424541

Sami Mike

Inside this book are great insights that will shift you into another realm of faith and help you build capacity in prayers to get answers to every of your prayer requests. It is time for the world to dive deeper in faith and come into the proper knowledge of God.An average 21st-century believer has replaced spirituality with religion.We engage in all manner of things we call spiritual activities today to show our commitment level, believing that these things are proof of our spirituality. Still, we have deviated from true spirituality.Spirituality reveals our love for God, our faith in Him. It is simply a lifestyle of faith, for, without faith, it is impossible to please God, and if we can’t please God, we cannot walk with Him in truth and Spirit. Without faith, we can’t believe in the word of God, and without our belief, we can’t obey.Religion has kept many Christians in bondage today, doing all manner of things to seek God. No man can be fruitful in this kingdom through the practice of religion.Faith is what liberates us from every oppression of the devil; from the burden and weights the devil is using to drag you down, but the Bible says come unto me all ye that thirst, labor and heavy laden and I shall give you rest.Every man who desires to enjoy intimacy with God through the Holy ghost and desires to do exploits for God must stay and build his capacity and faith. Faith is the only tool a man can engage in enjoying a life of the supernatural.I await your testimony as you study this faith manual..Experiencing God through prayer. knowing and doing the will of God: religion and spiritualityExperience God through prayerhttps://www.samimike.comFacebook pagehttps://www.facebook.com/SelfPublishingshttps://www.facebook.com/SelfPublishedAuthorssInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/samimikes

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SAMI MIKE

©Copyright 2021 - All rights reserved.

It is not legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

CONTENTS

Introduction v

The Biblical View of Spirituality 1

Understanding Spirituality: The Art of Faith 9

Different Levels of Faith 21

The Lifestyle of Faith 31

Tools for Building a Strong Faith 39

Love and Faith 71

Significance of the Lifestyle of Faith 83

Conclusion 93

INTRODUCTION

Many of the 21st-century believers can hardly differentiate between religion and spirituality today because of so many misconceptions about these two crucial topics. There are so many people today who don't even know whether they are being religious or being spiritual because the real meaning of spirituality and faith is lost.

It is mostly believed that religion and spirituality are the same. It is not true. Religion and spirituality are not the same and shouldn't be used interchangeably and they are not diametrically opposite. Spirituality has a deeper meaning  than religion. It talks about the connection of a man with God, as well as the ways and the thought pattern of a man. It takes a level of understanding to draw the lines between the two because society has succeeded in making us believe they are the same.

Society has succeeded in defining what the two mean to us and has almost succeeded in making many believe in the definitions provided because many Christians today are too lazy to check from the Scriptures what spirituality entails.

According to Patrick H. McNamara, Try to define religion and you will invite an argument. Many scholars and even Christians have debated on what religion truly means. They have argued it out and finally, a man called Alfred North Whitehead said Religion is what an individual does with his solitariness.

Many believe the reason why we practice religion is that we are idle and lonely, and if we could be busy, we would not need to practice it. While religion is needed by many because of loneliness and their effort to find meaning in life, God expects us to practice spirituality and serve Him with faith.

It is a futile effort and an endless toil for man to try to find meaning in life leaving God out of the equation. Spirituality is deeper than mere religion.

Many things that a large number of believers hold so dear today and call values or teachings were provided or taught by the society including the ethics we practice in the church. The question is where have we buried the ancient acts and ways of God? What does the Bible say in this area? Why do many choose trends over the word of God? Why do many follow societal trends instead of following the voice of God? Do we still have many who hear God speak today? Do we still have those who listen and obey His voice today?

The reality of the whole matter is that what many call spiritu‐ ality today is just mere religion and many who claimed to be close to God are far from God. It is why many still doubt His existence today even though they can see every reason to believe in His existence. It is why many don’t have faith or trust God’s ways again today. They rather put their trust in what they can see and touch.

There is nothing that is more real than God and His word.

We will experience God again just like in the days of Abraham,

the father of faith; the days of Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and others who through faith subdued the kingdom of darkness and wrought righteousness and obtained promises... Heb 11:33.

Many believe in engaging in so many religious practices and activities because they think it's through being busy with these that one can see God, but the Bible says in the book of Mathew 5:8 Blessed are the pure heart, they shall see God. It is only through a personal relationship with God that a man can know Him, experience Him, and see Him and not just through religious activities.

James Livingston defined religion as a System of activities and beliefs directed towards that which is believed to be of sacred values or transforming power. This means James Livingston tried to define religion by saying man carries out different activities and also holds on to a kind of belief system about something sacred that possesses a level of trans‐ forming power. Religion is about a belief system and a stronghold that involves finding God where He doesn't exist.

Spirituality involves having the God kind of nature; serving God with faith and having total dependency on Him. A spir‐ itual man is a man full of faith. He believes beyond every reasonable doubt that God exists because he has encountered and experienced His transformational power.

Spirituality is a deeper dimension. It does involve activities as well, but when you place activities like going to church, payment of tithes, giving, and others above your relationship with God, then you have deviated from spirituality to reli‐ gion. There is just a thin line between the two.

Spirituality affects your mindset, lifestyle, the manner of your dress, your actions, and everything about you because the basis of spirituality is that a man is transformed to nature which is the nature of God.

There are several misconceptions about religion and spiritu‐ ality today. In order words, many have swapped the two, taking religion for spirituality and spirituality for religion.  You can touch some people's irritations when they see you talking about certain spiritual realities and depths; you will hear comments like stop being overly spiritual; these  people have taken being spiritual for being religious.

Religion has to do with some shared beliefs and practices done in search of divinity, while spirituality has to do with having a sense of peace and purpose that comes from your relationship with God.

The truth is God placed eternity in the heart of men; the heart of man was designed in a way that it keeps searching for purpose and peace, and keeps searching for God. While many are aware of their search and quest, they are ignorant about what they are searching for.

Many don’t even know the God they claimed they are searching for through these activities. This belief that man can do anything that has the form of religion to prove they are serving God has further drawn men away from God. Many have become activity-focused, rather than being God- centered.

Just like a candle cannot burn without fire, a man cannot live without a spiritual life said Buddha. Man must under‐ stand that there is no life aside from spiritual life. It is what powers a man, and in this man finds the true meaning to life when he begins to live a spiritual life.

Scattered in the Scriptures are examples of men and women who lived their lives for God. Abraham believed God with all his heart. In the Old Testament, children of Israel never believed in the existence of God, they rather believed in

doing all sorts of things to please  God.  They  were  far  from God.

There are several misconceptions about spirituality and reli‐ gion. One of them is that many believe that, if you are reli‐ gious, you are also spiritual. While this sounds logical, it is far from being true. Not every religious person truly knows God and has a personal relationship with Him, and as such, it is not every religious man that is spiritual.

Religion involves all sets of rules and regulations that many believe could get them closer to God. God gave the Israelites laws but Jesus came to redeem us from the consequences of the law.

Another misconception or myth about spirituality and reli‐ gion is that a spiritual man is a perfect man. When a man makes a mistake, others crucify him for it, forgetting that man is man first, before being spiritual. God doesn't hold our sins against us as men do. Religion believes that a man must pay for each of his mistakes but spirituality believes mercy can remove the consequences of a man's mistake.

Many believe that a spiritual man must stay away from every‐ thing done in society today, like politics and secular jobs.  When they see a spiritual man who also tries to participate