As I began to think about what I would share today, the Holy Spirit caused me to reflect on God’s faithfulness in 2025. Listen, God has been good. He has been so good. Wherever you are — praise Him right now. Thank You, God, for 2025.

And I began to anticipate His continued faithfulness in 2026. I felt the Lord in my prayer time urging and challenging me to stop asking Him — but rather to start thanking Him for answered prayer.

This thought was further confirmed when I spoke with Dr. Sunday Adeosun last week, who shared with me that the Lord had placed the same thing on his heart for our corporate prayer tonight — for our First Friday prayer. We agreed that God is consistent, and He confirms that He wants us to praise Him.

He wants praise from His people.

Further confirmation came from a testimony I heard last week about a girl whose brother received a car for his 16th birthday. The girl was 15 at the time, and asked her father if, when she turned 16, would she receive a car. The following year, her father replied, yes, you will receive a car just as your brother did.

That whole year, that young girl never asked her father if she would get the car. She never doubted her father’s promise. Instead, she began to thank him for the car. She began to think about the color of the car, the make and model of the car she wanted — and she would tell her father how excited she was about that car that was coming.

Her father’s heart was moved. He was delighted that his daughter had so much faith and confidence in his promise that he wanted to give her the car and so much more. He was more excited to give her the car than she was to receive it.

“It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

With this, I knew the Lord was calling me to praise in faith before I see the answer. To praise Him just like that girl — as if she had already received the promise — because He who has promised is faithful.

Let’s praise Him — He is faithful. And that’s the spirit in which I want us to approach our 6 AM prayers.

I want to be clear: there is nothing wrong with asking. In fact, the Bible invites us — it encourages us — to ask God. We can approach His throne of grace boldly. That’s what the Bible tells us. But this morning, we’re going to do things a little differently. We’re not going to ask Him for one thing.

Hallelujah. Not one thing. Because the Bible tells us that He already knows what we need even before we ask. He tells us that while we are calling, He is already answering.

“…while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”

“Do not worry about your life… seek first the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 6 tells us we don’t have to worry about what we will eat, what we will drink, what we will wear. Just as He cares for the lilies and the birds — He will take care of us.

So this morning, as we place our requests in the chat, rather than calling out each one, we are going to — by faith — thank God for answered prayer. Yes, we are. We’re going to thank God for the answer — just like that girl didn’t ask her father, she started thanking her father.

Sunday, Pastor preached about the power of a made-up mind. I remember Pastor Page saying the battle is in our minds, and that’s what the enemy comes after. He comes after our minds.

He tells us that God is not going to come through for us — but he is a liar, because God is not a man, that He should lie, nor the son of man, that He should repent. If He said it, He’s going to do it.

“God is not a man, that He should lie…”

So I want to speak to you on the topic: to believe more than we see — .

Dr. Tony Evans said — and this is one of my favorite quotes — listen to it:

“If all we see is what we see, then we will never see all there is to be seen.”

What is he saying? That we have to stop looking through our natural eyes. Because if all we’re seeing is through the natural, we will never see all that there is to be seen in the spiritual.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…”

Hebrews chapter 11 — the Hall of Faith:

“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

“By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain…”

“By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death… for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Notice the words: by faith. Faith is what moves the heart of God.

Just like the patriarchs in Hebrews chapter 11 — we can believe without seeing, when our faith is grounded in the person of Jesus Christ, whose track record is perfect.

Praise shifts our perspective. Praise causes us to take the focus off ourselves and our situations — and put our focus on an all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful God who can do anything but fail.

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off…”

Some died without seeing the promise — but they died in faith, because they were assured that even if they didn’t see it on this side, God would do what He said.

That’s the kind of faith that pleases God — the kind that says: even if I don’t see it — I believe.

Can you say that? Even though I don’t see it — I believe. Why? Because we trust God — and God will not lie. What He says — He will do. Yes, He will. He will do it.