Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. – Matthew 9:29, KJV

It is faith of the heart, not faith of the mind, that unlocks God’s power. Faith of the heart depends. Faith of the mind only acknowledges.

Take a chair from your kitchen table, for instance. If you look at it, say to yourself, “I believe that chair can hold me up,” but then continue to stand rather than sit, you’ve exercised faith of the mind. You’ve acknowledged that the chair will hold you up, but you’ve not depended on it to do so. If, however, you follow your mental acknowledgement with actually sitting on the chair, then you’ve exercised faith of the heart. You’ve acted on your mental faith, placing all of your dependence upon the chair to hold you up.

Faith of the heart is what is required for salvation. Faith only of the mind condemns. As Matthew 7:22-23 (KJV) teaches, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Such people mentally acknowledge Jesus as capable of saving them, but they continue to depend on their own works to earn a place in Heaven. As Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” The word “faith” means to completely trust in, depend on, and rely on. In other words, we must completely depend on Christ to save us, just as we completely depend on the chair not to drop us when we sit on it.

Just like for salvation, heart faith is required for our prayers to be answered. Whether we pray for ourselves, like the blind men did in Matthew 9:29, or for others, like the centurion did in Matthew 8:5-13, the key to seeing prayers answered is to bring heart faith, not head faith, with us into God’s throne room. It is according to our heart faith that God will answer our prayers, and it will only be when we sit in His lap like a child, totally dependent on Him, that He will answer our petitions like His sons and daughters. Remember the words of Christ in Matthew 7:8-11 (Amplified Bible):

For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened. Or what man is there of you, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will hand him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will hand him a serpent? If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him!

What kind of faith do you rest your prayers on?