One of the first pillars upon which confidence in prayer must stand is the unshakeable conviction that GOD EXISTS—not as a religious idea, not as the God of your pastor, not as a concept handed down by your parents, but as a living, present, personal, active Being in your own life.

Hebrews 11:6 declares:

“He that cometh to God must believe that He is…”

This is the foundation of everything else.
Before you ask, before you expect, before you stand in faith—you must settle the question of His reality deep within your heart.

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MENTAL AGREEMENT IS NOT BIBLE BELIEVING

Many people agree mentally that God exists, yet they never act on that truth.

Mental assent is when you nod your head to a Scripture
but refuse to stake anything on it.

Bible believing, however, is when you accept the Word of God
and act on it—even when you cannot explain it.

If you will not take a step on what God said,
you do not believe it yet.

This is where many Christians fail:
They agree with the truth, but they do not act upon it.

Confidence in prayer begins with action based on revelation—
not emotion, not atmosphere, not upbringing.

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YOU MUST KNOW GOD PERSONALLY

God is many things:

• Shepherd

• Father

• King

• Helper

• Healer

• Provider

But the question is this:

What is He to you personally?

David did not say, “The Lord is a Shepherd.”
He said:

“The Lord is my Shepherd.” — Psalm 23:1

Your confidence in prayer becomes strong the moment God stops being a general God of the crowd and becomes your God on a daily basis.

Some Christians only know God as “the God of my pastor.”
That is not enough.

You must know Him as:

• my Father,

• my Shepherd,

• my Strength,

• my Helper,

• my Refuge,

• my Judge,

• my God who hears me.

Until that revelation is personalized, confidence remains weak.

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YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD MUST BE TANGIBLE

I once told my wife how I speak to God during prayer:
“Lord, excuse me Sir… I’m back, Sir…”

Many believers relate with God as if He is far away or impersonal.
That is why they are not bold before Him.

You cannot develop confidence in a God you relate with at a distance.

When God becomes real to you:

• His leadership becomes real

• His comfort becomes real

• His correction becomes real

• His promises become real

• His presence becomes real

Prayer stops being a ritual and becomes a conversation with Someone you trust.

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CHILDREN ENJOY THEIR FATHER MORE THAN ADULTS ENJOY GOD

I have observed something in church:
The children relate with me more freely than some adults do.

Why?
Children trust the fathering nature of the father.

Spiritually, this is how God expects every believer to relate with Him—
not as an over-responsible adult,
but as a trusting child.

You are never too old to be led by God.
You are never too mature to depend on Him.
He does not call us “adults of God.”
He calls us children of God.

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SETTLE THIS TODAY

Confidence in prayer begins with this unshakeable truth:

“God is alive. God is here. God is my Father. And God hears me.”

When you settle this, your entire prayer life rises on a new foundation.

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CLOSING PRAYER

Father, reveal Yourself to me afresh.
Let the reality of Your existence become the anchor of my confidence.
Deliver me from mental agreement.
Bring me into true Bible believing.
Let my relationship with You be personal, daily, and growing.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Culled from Chapter 1 of “The Foundations of Confidence in Prayer”