Receiving from God 2
Scripture Reading - Matthew 7:7-8 KJV
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
In today’s lesson we will continue to explore the subject of “Receiving from God”. “Receiving from God” is special and holy, however, it is not as hard or mysterious as some would lead us to believe. In our previous lesson we talked about receiving from God when we pray. We mentioned that it is an instantaneous transaction that occurs right when you pray. We (ihlcc) know this is sometimes considered a little confusing because many people don’t “walk by faith”. Yes, we will agree that if you don’t purpose in your heart and mind to walk by faith you never will speak opposite of what you see or feel because The Faith of God calls those things that be not as though they were according to Romans 4:17. Yes those who don’t understand the God kind of faith and how to operate it (walk in it) will speak forth what they see, hear, feel and understand from the natural perspective. Therefore in this lesson we will discuss more about “receiving from God” through faith. Yes, the Believers faith in its most basic form is speaking out loud your inward beliefs according to God’s Word no matter what you see, smell or feel in the natural. Therefore, man’s faith in God’s Word can either be heard out loud by someone listening to your words or it can be seen by someone watching what you are doing (your actions). Thus, it is our responsibility to keep our heart full of the promise of God we believe in and keep out all words (and thoughts) of fear, doubt and unbelief. Yes, hearing God’s Word in our heart is the key because once we can clearly hear God’s Promise(s) given to us then we can choose whether to believe God for the manifestation of that promise, we can choose to be thankful to God that it is there (in The Holy Bible) whenever we need it or we can choose to simply not believe it for application in our everyday life. Although, the third option is the worst case the fact remains that God has already given man the option to perform His (God’s) Will upon the earth or their own will apart from God. Sadly, the majority of people (some Christians included) don’t understand faith so they fail to walk by faith they are generally informed about the concepts of faith but they don’t take the extra time to get into God’s Holy Word to study and learn how to apply faith for themselves. We (ihlcc) will admit that there have been times when we slipped up and confessed (said) what we saw which is the opposite of faith or some would say walking outside of faith when we should all be walking by faith. However, concerning what we are looking at naturally (what we perceive with our natural senses) when we speak only that instead of the Promise of God that we desire we will need to repent by changing our confession to line up with God’s Word or at least speak something positive to straighten out our thinking and put God on the scene. Receiving from God almost always involves receiving God’s Word! Why is this? Someone may ask, we will respond by quoting how God made the earth, the world and even mankind. The Lord God mentioned in Genesis chapter 1 that He first spoke something verbally into the natural realm to create what He saw in His Heart spiritually. Thus, this is not an option for us but rather the truth spoken unto us, so we must go and do likewise. Yes, every believer must see God’s Will being done in their heart and mind first to then speak out that exact image (God’s Will) into the natural realm to bring it forth. When the believers do that on a routine (consistent) basis they are using the creative forces of God to change their circumstances for the good, specifically speaking we are giving place for God’s Good will to be performed for the welfare of a person or nation(s). God wants you “walking by faith to receive” from Him because The Lord never wants any of His Children to be in bondage, not now, not tomorrow, no not for one second. Therefore, your belief confessed from your mouth isn’t just that God’s Word is true but you must believe that God’s Word is true in your life at that second/moment. Yes, remembered what you believe is always what you confess so we must purpose to “walk by faith” though speaking the promise of God as being done in your life. Why do we do this?, because God has already given you His Word on the subject so we then take His Word as being personally applicable in our life. So if you need healing in your physical body you must believe you received your healing already according to 1 Peter 2:24b which states, “by whose stripes ye were healed.” If you need peace in your mind you must believe you have received God’s Peace according to Philippians 4:6-9 which in summary states, “Be careful for nothing but pray with thanksgiving and the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely of good report, virtuous and praise worthy and when you do those things you have learned, “received”, heard, seen by the Word of God the God of Peace shall be with you.” Likewise, if you need prosperity in your life, you must first believe that it is God’s Will to prosper you in agreement with 3 John 2 which states, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” Thus, what we are stating is that to receive from God you must first believe the truth of God found in His Holy Bible, then change that general belief of believing what God has said is truth, into “I specifically believe I received” exactly what God has promised me. Therefore, when we prayed to God or claimed our inheritance through confessing it is a past-tense transaction completed at prayer, not some time in the distance future. Why, because “I believed I received” knowing that every child of God who asked “received” in agreement with Matthew 7:7-8. Amen!