Believe that you receive

[mejbaker]

God has gone to great lengths to purchase us back from Satan and eternal death, and to give us Eternal life. The very least we could do is to take the time to learn how to receive these very great and precious promises.

2 Peter 1:4. by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

These promises were given freely, yet we have a responsibility to learn to receive and walk in them. They just don’t fall on us.

God's Word tells us without faith it is impossible to please Him.

Hebrews 11:6 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.

So without faith there is no pleasing God, yet on the other side of the coin so to speak, with faith all things are possible.

Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.

Of course this is talking about Godly things. This has got to be our first step, coming to a knowledge and understanding of our inheritance.

Jesus said in the Gospel of Mark…

Mark 11:23-25. or assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.


Jesus gave us an outline for believing and receiving in this section of Scripture. It would be to our benefit to take note of what He said. His words are the words of life. So let's look at this Scripture and see the truth being imparted here.

First of all the first thing He said to do was speak to this mountain. We all have mountains in our life that seem insurmountable, Jesus said to speak to them.

You will notice He did not say to believe that you have them. He said to believe that you receive them, then you will have them. You have to receive the promise by faith first. Then you will see the manifestation. Many people believe they have to see a manifestation first in order to have faith, yet this is not what God’s Word is saying. Believe that you receive them, then and only then you will have them. There is a difference in believing that you receive and believing that you have. I believe this is a great stumbling block in the body of Christ and many have fallen short of the promises of God not ever realizing where they missed it.

I know that there is a lot of teaching on the subject of faith in this later day. Some people have gotten into error and out of balance in their teaching, and many have taken things out of context, and gotten out of balance in their belief.
However God's Word is still true and there are certain spiritual truths we must all know and understand in order to walk the walk of faith. Let's try and stay in the middle of the road in what we believe and we’ll be ok.

I would like to take a look at the woman with the issue of blood. There is a very important spiritual truth taught here that we can learn from. I use this Scripture quite often because it is such a good example of someone receiving by faith.

Mark 5:25-34. Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,
and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment; for she said, If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well. Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, Who touched My clothes? But His disciples said to Him, You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, `Who touched Me? And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.
But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
And He said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.

She said If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well. She said out of faith that she would be healed if she touched Him. That was the first thing that she did, she said.

There are 2 parts in everything we receive from God, the part that God plays and the part that we play. God never fails in doing his part, if we do our part we can be sure of an answer and the victory. The Word of God says in the book of Proverbs …

Proverbs 6:2 you are snared by the words of your own mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth.

We need to start declaring out of a heart full of faith that the promises of God are true.
The victory is ours in Christ Jesus.

The second thing that happened was that she acted on what she had already spoken out of her mouth by faith. She actually went and touched the hem of his garment. We don’t have Jesus in the physical sense that this lady had, yet we have His awesome promises to stand on. We can depend on God’s Word to be true and faithful. It is our actions that defeat us or put us over.

After she had acted on what she said, she then received the manifestation of her healing, she felt in her body that she was healed.
It always happens this way. The feeling and the healing follow the coming and the doing. She said it first, she came for it second, then and only then she received and felt in her body that she had been made whole. That is when Jesus said to her … Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction. Not Jesus faith, her faith is what made her well. Jesus said it was her faith, not his faith, but her faith that made her whole of her affliction didn’t he.
The last thing that happened is that she told. She came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. She declared it to all there that she was healed, and God was glorified.

Many people would say that this is being presumptuous, and that we don’t have the right to tell God anything. I would say to that, we are not telling God anything He has not already told us in His Word to tell Him. We are to line our words up with His words. We will never succeed if we don’t! We are not giving God orders, He has given us the orders and we are just following his instructions. We are not demanding anything of God, we are demanding of the devil. We are demanding he takes his hands off of God's property in the name of Jesus according to God's Word. It would only be presumptuous if we were trying to cajole God into something based off of our own desires or whims not lined up with His Word.


1 Say it. 2 Do it. 3 Receive it. 4 Tell it.

This is just one example of this type of faith in the Bible. We see many such examples of people receiving from God this way. I would like to encourage you to find the promises of God for your self. Then begin to meditate in them until they become real, and your faith arises in your heart. Remember the promises God gave to Joshua …

Joshua 1:7-9. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Put God's Word first place in your life, and just start acting like it is true. Praise God it is, but you will never know unless you … 1 Say it. 2 Do it. 3 Receive it. 4 Tell it.
Put God to the test and see for yourself that He is faithful and just.

If you want to know for sure that you are a child of God, then I would like to invite you to earnestly pray this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (Jn.6:37), So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it. You said in your Word, "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.” (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),
And I am saved! Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say, I see myself as a born again child of God!

Glory to God!!!! Amen.
http://olivebranchministries.us

[Petro]

mejbaker,

Praise the Lord, reminded me, of this verse, which clearly tells us, that although we be weighted down by that sin that so easily besets us, we can still know, the things that are freely given to us of God.

It begins by hearing His word which we must but trust and obey, the rest He will do, evidenced by what He has already done.

1 Cor 2
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

[Ambassador4Christ]

Sounds like Kenneth Hagin, or his clone Kenneth Cpoeland to me.

[mejbaker]

I'm so glad that the word of God was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and not by Kenneth Hagin or kenneth Copeland.   Jesus is the one who said - Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them. Maybe we need more teaching along this line untill people come to the realization that this is the truth of God's word and Jesus is the one who taught it first. Since Jesus is the one who taught it, it must mean He wanted us to learn to receive the promises of God, something much of the modern day church seems afraid to step out and do!

Have you ever stopped to consider that God would never have given us these exceedingly great and precious promises if He didn't want to receive them?
There is something to be learned in this, if we will only receive it!

[aw]

Thse teachings are from the SMALL books written by Kenneth Hagin, Sr. They are from his sermons that his secretary listened to and then wrote. Copeland started preaching all of Hagin's material when he first got started and both are now considered to be founders of what is termed the "word of Faith Movement. This has been criticised by portions of Christendom as being heretical for their beliefs. I will not get into all of their stuff, and frankly I don't know all that much, but they do believe and proclaim that believers are little "gods" and faith is a FORCE that we can thus use to MAKE things happen.

The teaching that we can believe we can receive when we pray however is sound, but we can, because we really doalready have them. He who spared not His own Son will He not with Him also FREELY give us ALL things. (Romans 8:32)

They are our for the asking on the merits of Jesus or in His name.

aw

[Ambassador4Christ]

What do you do with a sick apostle?

I once talked with a woman from Far Rockaway in Queens. She had given up on the Lord. A few years earlier her husband had been sick with cancer. She prayed for his healing. Her pastor and the elders prayed and anointed him. The whole church prayed for him. And then he died. Now she was convinced that the Lord had let her down, or maybe even that He didn't exist at all.

Despite all the talk about "divine healings," the death rate has remained the same, one a piece.

Here again, knowing about the "administration of God's grace" that the Lord Jesus revealed to the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:2-3) is the answer-this time to the problem of unhealed Christians.

Early in Paul's ministry, the Lord gave him the power to heal everyone (see Acts 19:11-12, 28:9 for notable examples). But there was always one person Paul couldn't heal ... himself! He wrote to the Galatians, "it was because of an illness that I first preached to you." (Galatians 4:13-14) Another time Paul prayed three times for the Lord to take away the thorn in his flesh. The Lord said, No.

Later, after the close of the book of Acts, the Lord withdrew that power to work miracles. Paul had written in 1 Corinthains 13:8 that the miraculous gifts would "cease", and they did. No more gift of tongues, no more gift of prophecy, no more gift of healing.

Timothy was sick with "frequent illnesses" and Paul advised him to "use a little wine" for his stomach (1 Timothy 5:23). No more miraculous cloths or gift of healing. In his last letter Paul writes about a faithful co-worker named Trophimus and says, "I left Trophimus sick in Miletus." (2 Timothy 4:20). The miraculour gifts had ceased. In the "administration of God's grace," the Lord Jesus doesn't promise to heal all our sicknesses or take away all our problems.

It was a sick man who wrote, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation..." (Philippians 4:12). He had learned that His grace is sufficient. Do you know the peace and power of God's Grace For Today?

http://www.gracefortoday.org/unhealedchristians.htm

[Petro]

I'm so glad that the word of God was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and not by Kenneth Hagin or kenneth Copeland.   Jesus is the one who said - Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them. Maybe we need more teaching along this line untill people come to the realization that this is the truth of God's word and Jesus is the one who taught it first. Since Jesus is the one who taught it, it must mean He wanted us to learn to receive the promises of God, something much of the modern day church seems afraid to step out and do!

Have you ever stopped to consider that God would never have given us these exceedingly great and precious promises if He didn't want to receive them?
There is something to be learned in this, if we will only receive it!

mejbaker,

The Good Word, states;

Jhn 3
27  ................A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

Only if God has given a person the faith to believe can one believe to the saving of the Soul.

It is not something the natural man produces at will....sure a men can believe  that Jesus is of God, but this does nothing for him.

A man must believe and obey the commandment to repent, only by obeying Gods Word and commiting oneself to obedience and trusting the words Jesus spoke in the name of His heavenly father, can one come to the truth of this matter.

All other explanations are false..

Petro
That is why I said

[aw]

Just a small question. The bible says that Paul's thorn was a "messenger from satan sent to buffet him." It was related to the QUANTITY and QUALITY of revelation he had received and not pride.

In other words, satan was trying to stop the teachings of "GRACE" and probably because a lot of what Paul taught had been a "MYSTERY" and, as such, was brand new to satan. He was trying to discredit Paul since he could not touch the message is my view.

aw

[Petro]

Just a small question. The bible says that Paul's thorn was a "messenger from satan sent to buffet him." It was related to the QUANTITY and QUALITY of revelation he had received and not pride.

In other words, satan was trying to stop the teachings of "GRACE" and probably because a lot of what Paul taught had been a "MYSTERY" and, as such, was brand new to satan. He was trying to discredit Paul since he could not touch the message is my view.

aw

aw
This is a good point, I am reminded that satan (a fallen angel) does not know Gods plan. He wished he could look into it the word tells us ! Peter 1:12.

His aim has always been to thawrt Gods plan and he deals with it by destroying even millions of lives in hopes of making Gods Word of none effect.

Yet it is through persecution and tribulation, that Gods Word the Seed when sown and watered grows to accomplish that which He the Lord has purposed in Himself to accomplish. (Isa 55:11)

Satan deceives and blinds the minds of them, which believe not, lest the Glorious Gospel of God should shine unto them, who are blinded. (2 Cor 4:3-4)

This is no thorn, to them that are dead which buffets their body, this is the reality of being spiritually dead, the dead cannot see, nor hear, believe much less receive the things of God, for they are foolishness to them.(1 Cor 2:14)

Satan is that spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:(Eph 2:2)

Blessings,

Petro

[The Crusader]

QUESTION:

Many today insist on claiming the promises of  Israel. What relationship do we, the Body of Christ, have with the promises of Israel?

ANSWER:

Eph 2:11-13
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
NOTE CAREFULLY there are those who wish to claim Israel's promises, but they do NOT claim her curses. You can't have it both ways!!!
 
<))><

[mejbaker]

Crusader,  You said   ''NOTE CAREFULLY there are those who wish to claim Israel's promises, but they do NOT claim her curses. You can't have it both ways!!!"

I would like to point out what the Apostle Paul has said in a direct response to your statement.

Gal. 3:10.   For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them. 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith." 12. Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them."
13. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,  14. that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

You see, We have been redeemed from the curse of the law, and at the same time we receive the blessings of Abraham by faith.  This is the good news of the Gospel, and understanding this truth will transform your very life. Glory to God, we didn't earn it and don't deserve it, but I for one accpt it and rejoice in it, and I pray that you will too!

[aw]

Excellent points and question! How about this? Today, we are the Israel of God and have received the circumcision of the heart. In israel's day, before the Law, she was the Israel(church) of God; ie., the church in the wilderness.

God's promises to Israel were CONDITIONAL as the covenant was CONDITIONAL. Law says "First do good and be blessed" while grace says "We are already blessed now do good." Our covenant is UNCONDITIONAL and is based entirely on the merits of Christ.

As such, I believe that we can receive O.T. promises based on the merits of Christ. Perhaps an example, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things will be added unto you."

Now, receiving the things is contingent upon SEEKING FIRST both the KINGDOM and RIGHTEOUSNESS. Otherwise, those things are not added, correct?

The immediate problem is one of knowing how much to seek. In what ways must it be sought? What are the criteria before God grants the "OTHER THINGS?"

Now, under grace we have an entirely different situation. We have ALREADY been translated into the kingdom. We no longer need to SEEK that which is already in our possession. WE are ALREADY the righteousness of God in Christ. Why seek for that which we already possess?

The "THINGS" have already been added as in Romans 8:32 and verses like trusting not in riches but in the living God who "Richly G I V E S us all things to enjoy."

The PRINCIPLE of putting God FIRST is, of course, a very good and wise thing to do, but it is not a meritorious WORK required for blesing- we are already blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ.

I think as we move on to the epistles, we will see that the promises and blessings become greater and are always based on what the Lord has ALREADY done on our behalf.

If He did not withold His Son, why would He withold anything else?

aw