How to Receive from God
Dearly beloved of God, all Scripture is God breathed, and it is profitable to us. If we are to profit from this revelation knowledge from God we must respond to it with believing action.
To believe is to have trust and confidence in information received to the end that we act upon it. Believing is not mental ascent. It is not only having an intellectual acceptance of the information. It is acting on the information we received from God.
The Word of God declares what is available to us from God. Once we have that information, we must put it into application; we believe it.
For example, I used to build houses. I would start out with a drawing from an engineer, or an architect that laid out the specs for the construction of the house. Having the plans is not enough; there must be a corresponding action on the plans if the house is to be built.
Having trust and confidence in the drawings and the specs I would contract the necessary trades, order the building materials, and then begin construction.
Here is another example. Knowing how much money you have in the bank does not profit you unless you utilize the money that is available to you. Until you act on the account, the money sits there useless. You have to decide whether to save it, invest it, spend it, or give it away.
Once we know what is available to us from God our response should be to believe God at His Word if we are to receive what He promises. God is both able and willing to perform His Word for anyone who will believe Him.
Mark 11:24
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
First we find out what is available from God, then to receive it we believe what God says. We believe first, then we receive.
Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
What is available? Salvation is available. How do we receive it? We confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in our heart that God has raised him from the dead.
Arguing with God will not bring you the results you desire. We must take God at His Word, and respond to it by believing it. If we were to say, “I think that we must do good works to be saved” that will not get you saved regardless of your sincerity. We must believe what God says if we are to receive anything from God.
I Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
God reveals that Jesus Christ bore our sins in his own body on the tree. If we were to say, “I don’t think that is true,” it does not change the reality that he bore our sins, we just don’t benefit from its application. We go on living in condemnation and thinking we are unworthy sinners.
The verse then says, “by whose stripes ye were healed,” but a person may say, “I think God makes us sick to humble us.” Thinking that does not change the reality that “by whose stripes ye were healed,” but that person will not benefit from it. They can continue living with sickness if they wish.
To receive anything from God you must believe what He says is available to you in His Word.
God stands behind every one of His words with His almighty power to perform them. He is both able and willing to perform His Word for anyone who believes Him.
II Corinthians 9:6, 8
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
A person may say, “I do not believe that” so that person does not give, and consequently they will not benefit from the Word that God gave for their profit.
Knowing God’s Word must be accompanied with believing action if a person is to receive what God promises, whether it is salvation, forgiveness, healing, prosperity, or whatever the promise of God may be.
God is able and willing to perform His Word for whoever believes Him. Take God at His Word, dearly beloved of God, and believe Him.