HOW TO RECEIVE GOD'S PROMISES BY FAITH.
All that God promises the believer in His Word can be received only by an act of faith.
This is true concerning salvation (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10); physical healing (Matthew 9:22; James 5:15); (Luke 11:13; Acts 2:38-39); Galatians 3:2,14); the provision of our material requirements (Matthew 6:24-34, note vs. 30); or whatever our particular needs and problems might be (Mark 11:24; Matthew 17:20). By faith we are justified (Romans 3:28); sanctified (Acts 26;18) and preserved (I Peter 1:5). By faith we overcome Satan (Ephesians 6:16) and the world (I John 5:4). By faith we have access to God (Romans 5:2); inherit the promises (Hebrew 6:12); stand (II Corinthians 1:24); walk (II Corinthians 5:7); live (Galatians 2:20) and die (Hebrews 11:13). The central importance of faith in the life of the Christian is clearly indicated in God's Word, for we are told that "without faith it is impossible to please him" (Hebrews 11:6), and "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). Nothing which the Christian has, is, hopes to accomplish, obtain, or become, is realized apart from a living faith.
Christians are rich spiritually, materially, and physically, but too few are aware of the fact, believing instead that we are not to receive any of our inheritance now, nor benefit from it in the present life, but only in the world to come. The Scriptures, on the contrary, declare that our inheritance belongs to us now, for God promises that "all things are yours...whether the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours" (I Corinthians 3:21-22). This is an amazingly comprehensive promise which almost staggers the imagination and challenges our faith. God has given us all things in Christ Jesus now as joint-heirs with Him (Romans 8:16-17; Galatians 4:5-7). He says that all things are yours now –in the world, in life, in the present, as well as in death and the life to come. If all things are yours in the present as well as in the future, then this means that you can enter into your inheritance rights now if you will exercise the faith to appropriate them. How do you do this? The same way in which you withdraw your assets from the bank which are on deposit in your name--you make application.
You must write a check. Jesus purchased all rights, privileges, wealth, dominion, power and authority in the universe by His redemption at Calvary. They belong to Him now. You as a joint-heir with Him are seated with Him in the heavens (Ephesians 2:5-6) and are authorized to draw on your account now by faith, for "all things are yours," now–in the present, as well as in the world to come. Your inheritance does not have to be begged and pleaded for; God does not have to be persuaded, "for all the promises in God in him (Christ) are yes, and in him Amen" (II Corinthians 1:20). God not only promises that all things are yours but here He assures you that He has already said "yes" to all that He promises to you even before you ask. The answer is always "yes" to any promise God makes to you if you meet the condition of faith. This means then, you have not because you ask not (James 4:2). You do not ask because either you lack the faith to take God at His Word, or you do not know how to ask.
The Scriptures are filled with divine assurances, privileges, rights, commissions, authorizations, rewards, prerogatives, powers, gifts, blessings and promises to the believer whereby God has made provision for our every spiritual, physical, and material need, as well as for the accomplishment of the work He has commissioned His Church to do. All these provisions and blessings are available to the extent that we are willing to press through by faith and appropriate them. How is this accomplished? There are five essential conditions of faith set forth in Scripture which must be recognized and observed in order to receive what God had promised.
THE FIVE CONDITIONS OF FAITH
1. GROUND YOUR FAITH IN THE WORD OF GOD.
The Apostle Paul declares” ...faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Or rendered more specifically: Faith comes by hearing and BELIEVING the word of God. This is the whole secret of faith. This is how faith comes to appropriate what God has promised to us and promised to do through us. Our faith cannot rise above what God has promised us in His Word, either specifically or in principle. For example, specific promises are made to us in such passages as Matthew 6:33; James 5:15; Psalm 91, and Mark 16:17-20. The principle of faith embracing any problem, requirement, or need is set forth in Mark 11:22-24 and Matthew 17:20.
Faith is believing God will do for, in, or through YOU what He promises in His Word. Faith is believing God. God and His Word are in one accord. Believing His Word is believing God. God will not fail to fulfill every promise which He makes to us for "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent; hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19). The general lack of faith among Christians today is primarily due to the fact that they do not KNOW what God's Word promises to the believer which can be appropriated and received by faith. The saints of the Old and New Testaments, including the prophets and apostles, were not supernaturally endowed with special faith more than any other believer (James 5:15-18). They received their answers to prayer, and the empowering to work miracles and perform mighty acts and deeds of God, by fulfilling the condition necessary to acquire strong faith–hearing and believing the Word of God.
2. ASK AND BELIEVE WHAT YOUR FAITH HAS EMBRACED FROM GOD'S WORD.
The second condition is to ASK. "Ask, and it shall be given you...For EVERYONE that asketh receiveth." Read Matthew 7:7-11. The promises of God are not fulfilled to us merely because we believe them–we receive only what we specifically state as ours by faith. It is not ours unless we appropriate it by faith. This is clear in the case of salvation; it is just as true regarding bodily healing or any other blessing God promises the believer. James says"...ye have not, because ye ask not" (4:2).
However, when you ask, ask in simple, childlike trust in God. Faith does not plead and beg for what God has promised; this indicates a lack of faith. We are not asking in faith if we think we have to persuade God to do what He has already offered to do for those who ask. God is ready and willing to bestow what He promises upon those who in quiet assurance take Him at His Word and ask, believing. He does not have to be persuaded for He has already said "yes" to all His promises in Christ Jesus "for all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen'' (II Corinthians 1:20) Since God has already said "yes" to everything He has promised you ever before you ask, then the answer you seek can never be "no" if you ask in faith! "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive '' (Matthew 21:22).
3. BOLDLY DECLARE WHAT YOU HAVE BELIEVED AND ASKED
What you say according to the Word of God is your faith speaking. This is faith's way of expressing itself. "For with the heart man believeth unto... and with the mouth confession is made unto" (Romans 10:10). If we genuinely believe that God will keep His promise to us, it will be expressed by what we say.
Jesus in Mark 11:23 also emphasizes the significant relationship between what we say and receiving what we ask: For truly I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be removed, and be cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he says.
We always receive what we say that is in harmony with Scripture if we hold fast. This is why the Scripture places such a strong emphasis on it. (cf. Matthew 10:32-33; I Timothy 6:12-13; James 1:6-7; Mark 11:22-24). If we speak doubt, then we receive nothing. If we say what God's Word says, then He will bring it to pass. If, for example, you ask for bodily healing, and later begin to express doubt and anxiety because it is not seen or felt immediately, your condition will never rise above what you say and believe according to Scripture. Stating doubt imprisons your faith so that it cannot be released, for "you are snared with the words of thy mouth" (Proverbs 6:2).
If your words do not agree with God's Word, then it is not faith speaking. Faith always agrees with God's Word. Why? Because this is the literal meaning of the verb "to confess" in the New Testament Greek: homologeo means "to agree with," "to speak the same language," "to confess." If, for instance, you say, "I prayed for the healing of my eyes, but I wonder why they do not seem to get any better? However, I am hoping that I will be healed sometime," you can never expect to receive healing by faith, for your words do not agree with God's Word. His Word declares "by His stripes you were healed (Isaiah 53:5). The reason for failure is clear, for Jesus said when you pray believe that you have received your petition (Mark 11:24). He said you are not to doubt in your heart but believe that those things which you say shall come to pass. We must, therefore, make sure our words, as well as our later statements, are in harmony with God's Word. If we fail to ask for and say what we believe His Word promises us, then we receive nothing; but neither do we receive if our words do not remain in agreement with what God's Word teaches.
4. ACT ON YOUR FAITH.
There is a difference between heart faith and mere intellectual belief. Often people think they have genuine faith, but they do not act their faith. The Scriptures show that when true faith is present it will produce works of faith, that is, corresponding actions. When Jesus anointed the blind man's eyes with clay and commanded him to go wash in the pool of Siloam, this gave the man an opportunity to put his faith into action. James declares, "Faith, if it hath not works, is dead '' (2:17). In Mark 2:1-5 we read that Jesus "saw' the faith of the men who lowered the man sick of palsy down through the roof. Obviously you cannot see faith–but you can see faith at work! It is to their faith in action that Jesus refers.
One should settle the matter before hand; if we have faith that God will keep His Word and heal us, then we will act like it. If we feel the need of anything in addition to faith, then we do not have faith to be healed. One should not "try''divine healing as one means of "cure" which we think sometimes works for some people and just might work for us. This is a popular misconception of the scriptural doctrine of healing through faith and always results in failure. When genuine faith is present it alone will be sufficient. When faith alone is sufficient to walk by, then we are acting in harmony with our faith. Ask God to show you how He wants you to act your faith if you are uncertain (James 1:5) Others sometimes ask for deliverance from an evil habit or some besetting sin by faith, but continue to remain bound to the habit or sin, waiting on God to deliver them. We must act our faith. Genuine faith will always produce corresponding actions that are in agreement with our statements of faith.
All the heroes of faith recorded in Hebrews, chapter 11, are said to have done something which gave evidence of their faith. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain...by faith Noah...prepared an ark...by faith Abraham offered up Isaac...by faith Moses.. .forsook Egypt," etc. When true faith is present we will always act on it. If you are believing a promise of God, you may not know the exact moment you will see it come to pass, but it always comes as you are acting in agreement with God's Word! It will never come in the midst of speaking doubt, questioning, or failure to act on your faith.
5. HOLD FAST TO YOUR STATEMENT OF FAITH WITHOUT WAVERING.
Sometimes there are those who seek to appropriate a promise of God by faith, as for example, His promise to heal their disease. They believe His promise and start out good, but if it is not seen and felt immediately, or soon thereafter, they find they cannot maintain a positive statement of faith in God's promise, and thus they do not receive the answer. The problem here is that they did not meet the first condition of receiving by faith, that is, they did not ground their faith solely in the Word of God. Their faith was shallow, being based partly on God's promise and partly on visible circumstances, feelings, or their symptoms. Genuine faith never says what it sees or feels in the natural realm, for this may not appear to change immediately; but faith says what God's Word promises in the face of all apparent circumstances to the contrary. Therefore, we are admonished: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)" (Hebrews 10:23).
Jesus teaches us in Mark 11:24 that when we pray we are to believe that we have received when we ask, and that we shall see it manifested. The significant thing is that it is always after we believe and say that we have received, that the answer is seen. Sometimes it is a moment after; at other times it is a week, month, or longer before the answer is seen in the visible realm. But true faith continues to say that God has heard and granted our request and that we have it " by faith". We must always receive in the faith realm, before we shall ever see it in the natural or visible realm. Faith is not concerned with the calendar–it is based on what God has promised, not what physical circumstances appear to indicate at present.
In John 9 the blind man's healing was not seen immediately. It was not until after he had walked to the pool of Siloam, and after he had washed, that he came seeing. The ten lepers did not receive the manifestation of their healing when they asked, nor immediately after Jesus granted their petition. They were healed "as they went'' (Luke 17:12-14). Abraham waited many years for the manifestation of God's promise to him of a son, holding fast to his faith without doubting (Romans 4:17-21).
Sickness and disease have been repeatedly defeated by holding fast the promises of God in the face of all apparent evidence to the contrary. Satan often will not withdraw his symptoms until he has made trial of your faith, for he well knows many begin to waver and doubt in time of trial and testing. Hold fast to the promise and Satan will be forced to withdraw his work in your body. Satan's power over you to afflict or oppress increases or decreases in direct proportion to your statements of faith or doubt. Therefore, "let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised). Whatever you ask by faith, refuse to look at the problems or circumstances involved; keep your eyes on the promises of God, boldly believing and speaking what His Word says, and He will surely bring it to pass when the trial of your faith is completed.
In summary, we find that there is one important principle undergirding all these five conditions of faith. It is important that we keep constantly in mind the following principle of faith, then the form and content of our prayers, speech, actions, and conversation must change.
PRAYER. Once you have asked in faith healing for yourself, then to continue to pray for healing, instead of giving thanks that God has already heard and granted your request, even though the manifestation is not seen as yet, is evidence of a lack of faith. If we pray ten times asking God for the same thing before we receive, we have prayed nine times in unbelief! This means His promises which He said Yes to. Jesus said "when you pray, believe that you have received." After you have asked in faith, praise and thank God daily for the answer, for you must see it in the faith realm first, before you can ever see it in the visible realm. Read Mark 11:24 and Matthew 21:22.
OUR WORDS. After the prayer of faith, what we say must then also change from "I believe that God can heal me and will if I ask," to "I know that God has heard and granted my petition according to His Word." Our statements of faith always refers to the past tense, never the future. We must never say "God is going to heal me," for this does not agree with what God's Word says (Mark 11:24; I Peter 2:24), and indicates you do not really believe that you have already received your request when you prayed. Our words must not be based on what we see, feel, or what outward circumstances seem to indicate, but solely on what God says had been done for us when we prayed.
ACTIONS. Not only must the form of our prayers and speech change after we believe a promise of God by faith, but our actions must change to correspond with our faith. We must act out our faith, for "faith, if it hath not works, is dead." Naaman, the leper, was healed according to the Word of the Prophet Elisha only after he had acted on faith and washed seven times in the River Jordan. Noah was saved because he acted on his faith, for we read "by faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet...prepared an ark to the saving of his house" (Hebrews 11:7).
CONVERSATION. Faith never thinks, talks, nor listens to doubt, regardless of symptoms, pains, feelings, or apparent circumstances to the contrary. We are to "hold fast to the profession of our faith without wavering" (Hebrews 10:23). Faith speaks positively of what God's Word says has been done. It does not say "I am believing for healing for my eyes and it will come, but at present they are still weak and I have difficulty doing my work, etc." our conversation must change; it must not be centered on our illness, symptoms, of feelings, for this is an admission that Satan still has the victory over us and the power to keep us in bondage. Say, on the contrary, that he has no rights to afflict you, and that his work in your body has been overcome by faith in God's promise. Hold fast and Satan will turn loose! Refuse to talk about your illness, your symptoms, your pains, your problems; this is admitting that they have you bound. Talk faith and God will bring it to your sight. The image will become the actuality. Since you receive what you say (Mark 11:23), then center your conversation on your faith in God's promise to you, not on outward circumstances. Edited. Shared.
Lord willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.
All that God promises the believer in His Word can be received only by an act of faith.
This is true concerning salvation (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10); physical healing (Matthew 9:22; James 5:15); (Luke 11:13; Acts 2:38-39); Galatians 3:2,14); the provision of our material requirements (Matthew 6:24-34, note vs. 30); or whatever our particular needs and problems might be (Mark 11:24; Matthew 17:20). By faith we are justified (Romans 3:28); sanctified (Acts 26;18) and preserved (I Peter 1:5). By faith we overcome Satan (Ephesians 6:16) and the world (I John 5:4). By faith we have access to God (Romans 5:2); inherit the promises (Hebrew 6:12); stand (II Corinthians 1:24); walk (II Corinthians 5:7); live (Galatians 2:20) and die (Hebrews 11:13). The central importance of faith in the life of the Christian is clearly indicated in God's Word, for we are told that "without faith it is impossible to please him" (Hebrews 11:6), and "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). Nothing which the Christian has, is, hopes to accomplish, obtain, or become, is realized apart from a living faith.
Christians are rich spiritually, materially, and physically, but too few are aware of the fact, believing instead that we are not to receive any of our inheritance now, nor benefit from it in the present life, but only in the world to come. The Scriptures, on the contrary, declare that our inheritance belongs to us now, for God promises that "all things are yours...whether the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours" (I Corinthians 3:21-22). This is an amazingly comprehensive promise which almost staggers the imagination and challenges our faith. God has given us all things in Christ Jesus now as joint-heirs with Him (Romans 8:16-17; Galatians 4:5-7). He says that all things are yours now –in the world, in life, in the present, as well as in death and the life to come. If all things are yours in the present as well as in the future, then this means that you can enter into your inheritance rights now if you will exercise the faith to appropriate them. How do you do this? The same way in which you withdraw your assets from the bank which are on deposit in your name--you make application.
You must write a check. Jesus purchased all rights, privileges, wealth, dominion, power and authority in the universe by His redemption at Calvary. They belong to Him now. You as a joint-heir with Him are seated with Him in the heavens (Ephesians 2:5-6) and are authorized to draw on your account now by faith, for "all things are yours," now–in the present, as well as in the world to come. Your inheritance does not have to be begged and pleaded for; God does not have to be persuaded, "for all the promises in God in him (Christ) are yes, and in him Amen" (II Corinthians 1:20). God not only promises that all things are yours but here He assures you that He has already said "yes" to all that He promises to you even before you ask. The answer is always "yes" to any promise God makes to you if you meet the condition of faith. This means then, you have not because you ask not (James 4:2). You do not ask because either you lack the faith to take God at His Word, or you do not know how to ask.
The Scriptures are filled with divine assurances, privileges, rights, commissions, authorizations, rewards, prerogatives, powers, gifts, blessings and promises to the believer whereby God has made provision for our every spiritual, physical, and material need, as well as for the accomplishment of the work He has commissioned His Church to do. All these provisions and blessings are available to the extent that we are willing to press through by faith and appropriate them. How is this accomplished? There are five essential conditions of faith set forth in Scripture which must be recognized and observed in order to receive what God had promised.
THE FIVE CONDITIONS OF FAITH
1. GROUND YOUR FAITH IN THE WORD OF GOD.
The Apostle Paul declares” ...faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Or rendered more specifically: Faith comes by hearing and BELIEVING the word of God. This is the whole secret of faith. This is how faith comes to appropriate what God has promised to us and promised to do through us. Our faith cannot rise above what God has promised us in His Word, either specifically or in principle. For example, specific promises are made to us in such passages as Matthew 6:33; James 5:15; Psalm 91, and Mark 16:17-20. The principle of faith embracing any problem, requirement, or need is set forth in Mark 11:22-24 and Matthew 17:20.
Faith is believing God will do for, in, or through YOU what He promises in His Word. Faith is believing God. God and His Word are in one accord. Believing His Word is believing God. God will not fail to fulfill every promise which He makes to us for "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent; hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19). The general lack of faith among Christians today is primarily due to the fact that they do not KNOW what God's Word promises to the believer which can be appropriated and received by faith. The saints of the Old and New Testaments, including the prophets and apostles, were not supernaturally endowed with special faith more than any other believer (James 5:15-18). They received their answers to prayer, and the empowering to work miracles and perform mighty acts and deeds of God, by fulfilling the condition necessary to acquire strong faith–hearing and believing the Word of God.
2. ASK AND BELIEVE WHAT YOUR FAITH HAS EMBRACED FROM GOD'S WORD.
The second condition is to ASK. "Ask, and it shall be given you...For EVERYONE that asketh receiveth." Read Matthew 7:7-11. The promises of God are not fulfilled to us merely because we believe them–we receive only what we specifically state as ours by faith. It is not ours unless we appropriate it by faith. This is clear in the case of salvation; it is just as true regarding bodily healing or any other blessing God promises the believer. James says"...ye have not, because ye ask not" (4:2).
However, when you ask, ask in simple, childlike trust in God. Faith does not plead and beg for what God has promised; this indicates a lack of faith. We are not asking in faith if we think we have to persuade God to do what He has already offered to do for those who ask. God is ready and willing to bestow what He promises upon those who in quiet assurance take Him at His Word and ask, believing. He does not have to be persuaded for He has already said "yes" to all His promises in Christ Jesus "for all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen'' (II Corinthians 1:20) Since God has already said "yes" to everything He has promised you ever before you ask, then the answer you seek can never be "no" if you ask in faith! "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive '' (Matthew 21:22).
3. BOLDLY DECLARE WHAT YOU HAVE BELIEVED AND ASKED
What you say according to the Word of God is your faith speaking. This is faith's way of expressing itself. "For with the heart man believeth unto... and with the mouth confession is made unto" (Romans 10:10). If we genuinely believe that God will keep His promise to us, it will be expressed by what we say.
Jesus in Mark 11:23 also emphasizes the significant relationship between what we say and receiving what we ask: For truly I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be removed, and be cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he says.
We always receive what we say that is in harmony with Scripture if we hold fast. This is why the Scripture places such a strong emphasis on it. (cf. Matthew 10:32-33; I Timothy 6:12-13; James 1:6-7; Mark 11:22-24). If we speak doubt, then we receive nothing. If we say what God's Word says, then He will bring it to pass. If, for example, you ask for bodily healing, and later begin to express doubt and anxiety because it is not seen or felt immediately, your condition will never rise above what you say and believe according to Scripture. Stating doubt imprisons your faith so that it cannot be released, for "you are snared with the words of thy mouth" (Proverbs 6:2).
If your words do not agree with God's Word, then it is not faith speaking. Faith always agrees with God's Word. Why? Because this is the literal meaning of the verb "to confess" in the New Testament Greek: homologeo means "to agree with," "to speak the same language," "to confess." If, for instance, you say, "I prayed for the healing of my eyes, but I wonder why they do not seem to get any better? However, I am hoping that I will be healed sometime," you can never expect to receive healing by faith, for your words do not agree with God's Word. His Word declares "by His stripes you were healed (Isaiah 53:5). The reason for failure is clear, for Jesus said when you pray believe that you have received your petition (Mark 11:24). He said you are not to doubt in your heart but believe that those things which you say shall come to pass. We must, therefore, make sure our words, as well as our later statements, are in harmony with God's Word. If we fail to ask for and say what we believe His Word promises us, then we receive nothing; but neither do we receive if our words do not remain in agreement with what God's Word teaches.
4. ACT ON YOUR FAITH.
There is a difference between heart faith and mere intellectual belief. Often people think they have genuine faith, but they do not act their faith. The Scriptures show that when true faith is present it will produce works of faith, that is, corresponding actions. When Jesus anointed the blind man's eyes with clay and commanded him to go wash in the pool of Siloam, this gave the man an opportunity to put his faith into action. James declares, "Faith, if it hath not works, is dead '' (2:17). In Mark 2:1-5 we read that Jesus "saw' the faith of the men who lowered the man sick of palsy down through the roof. Obviously you cannot see faith–but you can see faith at work! It is to their faith in action that Jesus refers.
One should settle the matter before hand; if we have faith that God will keep His Word and heal us, then we will act like it. If we feel the need of anything in addition to faith, then we do not have faith to be healed. One should not "try''divine healing as one means of "cure" which we think sometimes works for some people and just might work for us. This is a popular misconception of the scriptural doctrine of healing through faith and always results in failure. When genuine faith is present it alone will be sufficient. When faith alone is sufficient to walk by, then we are acting in harmony with our faith. Ask God to show you how He wants you to act your faith if you are uncertain (James 1:5) Others sometimes ask for deliverance from an evil habit or some besetting sin by faith, but continue to remain bound to the habit or sin, waiting on God to deliver them. We must act our faith. Genuine faith will always produce corresponding actions that are in agreement with our statements of faith.
All the heroes of faith recorded in Hebrews, chapter 11, are said to have done something which gave evidence of their faith. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain...by faith Noah...prepared an ark...by faith Abraham offered up Isaac...by faith Moses.. .forsook Egypt," etc. When true faith is present we will always act on it. If you are believing a promise of God, you may not know the exact moment you will see it come to pass, but it always comes as you are acting in agreement with God's Word! It will never come in the midst of speaking doubt, questioning, or failure to act on your faith.
5. HOLD FAST TO YOUR STATEMENT OF FAITH WITHOUT WAVERING.
Sometimes there are those who seek to appropriate a promise of God by faith, as for example, His promise to heal their disease. They believe His promise and start out good, but if it is not seen and felt immediately, or soon thereafter, they find they cannot maintain a positive statement of faith in God's promise, and thus they do not receive the answer. The problem here is that they did not meet the first condition of receiving by faith, that is, they did not ground their faith solely in the Word of God. Their faith was shallow, being based partly on God's promise and partly on visible circumstances, feelings, or their symptoms. Genuine faith never says what it sees or feels in the natural realm, for this may not appear to change immediately; but faith says what God's Word promises in the face of all apparent circumstances to the contrary. Therefore, we are admonished: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)" (Hebrews 10:23).
Jesus teaches us in Mark 11:24 that when we pray we are to believe that we have received when we ask, and that we shall see it manifested. The significant thing is that it is always after we believe and say that we have received, that the answer is seen. Sometimes it is a moment after; at other times it is a week, month, or longer before the answer is seen in the visible realm. But true faith continues to say that God has heard and granted our request and that we have it " by faith". We must always receive in the faith realm, before we shall ever see it in the natural or visible realm. Faith is not concerned with the calendar–it is based on what God has promised, not what physical circumstances appear to indicate at present.
In John 9 the blind man's healing was not seen immediately. It was not until after he had walked to the pool of Siloam, and after he had washed, that he came seeing. The ten lepers did not receive the manifestation of their healing when they asked, nor immediately after Jesus granted their petition. They were healed "as they went'' (Luke 17:12-14). Abraham waited many years for the manifestation of God's promise to him of a son, holding fast to his faith without doubting (Romans 4:17-21).
Sickness and disease have been repeatedly defeated by holding fast the promises of God in the face of all apparent evidence to the contrary. Satan often will not withdraw his symptoms until he has made trial of your faith, for he well knows many begin to waver and doubt in time of trial and testing. Hold fast to the promise and Satan will be forced to withdraw his work in your body. Satan's power over you to afflict or oppress increases or decreases in direct proportion to your statements of faith or doubt. Therefore, "let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised). Whatever you ask by faith, refuse to look at the problems or circumstances involved; keep your eyes on the promises of God, boldly believing and speaking what His Word says, and He will surely bring it to pass when the trial of your faith is completed.
In summary, we find that there is one important principle undergirding all these five conditions of faith. It is important that we keep constantly in mind the following principle of faith, then the form and content of our prayers, speech, actions, and conversation must change.
PRAYER. Once you have asked in faith healing for yourself, then to continue to pray for healing, instead of giving thanks that God has already heard and granted your request, even though the manifestation is not seen as yet, is evidence of a lack of faith. If we pray ten times asking God for the same thing before we receive, we have prayed nine times in unbelief! This means His promises which He said Yes to. Jesus said "when you pray, believe that you have received." After you have asked in faith, praise and thank God daily for the answer, for you must see it in the faith realm first, before you can ever see it in the visible realm. Read Mark 11:24 and Matthew 21:22.
OUR WORDS. After the prayer of faith, what we say must then also change from "I believe that God can heal me and will if I ask," to "I know that God has heard and granted my petition according to His Word." Our statements of faith always refers to the past tense, never the future. We must never say "God is going to heal me," for this does not agree with what God's Word says (Mark 11:24; I Peter 2:24), and indicates you do not really believe that you have already received your request when you prayed. Our words must not be based on what we see, feel, or what outward circumstances seem to indicate, but solely on what God says had been done for us when we prayed.
ACTIONS. Not only must the form of our prayers and speech change after we believe a promise of God by faith, but our actions must change to correspond with our faith. We must act out our faith, for "faith, if it hath not works, is dead." Naaman, the leper, was healed according to the Word of the Prophet Elisha only after he had acted on faith and washed seven times in the River Jordan. Noah was saved because he acted on his faith, for we read "by faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet...prepared an ark to the saving of his house" (Hebrews 11:7).
CONVERSATION. Faith never thinks, talks, nor listens to doubt, regardless of symptoms, pains, feelings, or apparent circumstances to the contrary. We are to "hold fast to the profession of our faith without wavering" (Hebrews 10:23). Faith speaks positively of what God's Word says has been done. It does not say "I am believing for healing for my eyes and it will come, but at present they are still weak and I have difficulty doing my work, etc." our conversation must change; it must not be centered on our illness, symptoms, of feelings, for this is an admission that Satan still has the victory over us and the power to keep us in bondage. Say, on the contrary, that he has no rights to afflict you, and that his work in your body has been overcome by faith in God's promise. Hold fast and Satan will turn loose! Refuse to talk about your illness, your symptoms, your pains, your problems; this is admitting that they have you bound. Talk faith and God will bring it to your sight. The image will become the actuality. Since you receive what you say (Mark 11:23), then center your conversation on your faith in God's promise to you, not on outward circumstances. Edited. Shared.
Lord willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.
❤️ HOW TO RECEIVE GOD'S PROMISES BY FAITH.
All that God promises the believer in His Word can be received only by an act of faith.
This is true concerning salvation (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10); physical healing (Matthew 9:22; James 5:15); (Luke 11:13; Acts 2:38-39); Galatians 3:2,14); the provision of our material requirements (Matthew 6:24-34, note vs. 30); or whatever our particular needs and problems might be (Mark 11:24; Matthew 17:20). By faith we are justified (Romans 3:28); sanctified (Acts 26;18) and preserved (I Peter 1:5). By faith we overcome Satan (Ephesians 6:16) and the world (I John 5:4). By faith we have access to God (Romans 5:2); inherit the promises (Hebrew 6:12); stand (II Corinthians 1:24); walk (II Corinthians 5:7); live (Galatians 2:20) and die (Hebrews 11:13). The central importance of faith in the life of the Christian is clearly indicated in God's Word, for we are told that "without faith it is impossible to please him" (Hebrews 11:6), and "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). Nothing which the Christian has, is, hopes to accomplish, obtain, or become, is realized apart from a living faith.
Christians are rich spiritually, materially, and physically, but too few are aware of the fact, believing instead that we are not to receive any of our inheritance now, nor benefit from it in the present life, but only in the world to come. The Scriptures, on the contrary, declare that our inheritance belongs to us now, for God promises that "all things are yours...whether the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours" (I Corinthians 3:21-22). This is an amazingly comprehensive promise which almost staggers the imagination and challenges our faith. God has given us all things in Christ Jesus now as joint-heirs with Him (Romans 8:16-17; Galatians 4:5-7). He says that all things are yours now –in the world, in life, in the present, as well as in death and the life to come. If all things are yours in the present as well as in the future, then this means that you can enter into your inheritance rights now if you will exercise the faith to appropriate them. How do you do this? The same way in which you withdraw your assets from the bank which are on deposit in your name--you make application.
You must write a check. Jesus purchased all rights, privileges, wealth, dominion, power and authority in the universe by His redemption at Calvary. They belong to Him now. You as a joint-heir with Him are seated with Him in the heavens (Ephesians 2:5-6) and are authorized to draw on your account now by faith, for "all things are yours," now–in the present, as well as in the world to come. Your inheritance does not have to be begged and pleaded for; God does not have to be persuaded, "for all the promises in God in him (Christ) are yes, and in him Amen" (II Corinthians 1:20). God not only promises that all things are yours but here He assures you that He has already said "yes" to all that He promises to you even before you ask. The answer is always "yes" to any promise God makes to you if you meet the condition of faith. This means then, you have not because you ask not (James 4:2). You do not ask because either you lack the faith to take God at His Word, or you do not know how to ask.
The Scriptures are filled with divine assurances, privileges, rights, commissions, authorizations, rewards, prerogatives, powers, gifts, blessings and promises to the believer whereby God has made provision for our every spiritual, physical, and material need, as well as for the accomplishment of the work He has commissioned His Church to do. All these provisions and blessings are available to the extent that we are willing to press through by faith and appropriate them. How is this accomplished? There are five essential conditions of faith set forth in Scripture which must be recognized and observed in order to receive what God had promised.
THE FIVE CONDITIONS OF FAITH
1. GROUND YOUR FAITH IN THE WORD OF GOD.
The Apostle Paul declares” ...faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Or rendered more specifically: Faith comes by hearing and BELIEVING the word of God. This is the whole secret of faith. This is how faith comes to appropriate what God has promised to us and promised to do through us. Our faith cannot rise above what God has promised us in His Word, either specifically or in principle. For example, specific promises are made to us in such passages as Matthew 6:33; James 5:15; Psalm 91, and Mark 16:17-20. The principle of faith embracing any problem, requirement, or need is set forth in Mark 11:22-24 and Matthew 17:20.
Faith is believing God will do for, in, or through YOU what He promises in His Word. Faith is believing God. God and His Word are in one accord. Believing His Word is believing God. God will not fail to fulfill every promise which He makes to us for "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent; hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19). The general lack of faith among Christians today is primarily due to the fact that they do not KNOW what God's Word promises to the believer which can be appropriated and received by faith. The saints of the Old and New Testaments, including the prophets and apostles, were not supernaturally endowed with special faith more than any other believer (James 5:15-18). They received their answers to prayer, and the empowering to work miracles and perform mighty acts and deeds of God, by fulfilling the condition necessary to acquire strong faith–hearing and believing the Word of God.
2. ASK AND BELIEVE WHAT YOUR FAITH HAS EMBRACED FROM GOD'S WORD.
The second condition is to ASK. "Ask, and it shall be given you...For EVERYONE that asketh receiveth." Read Matthew 7:7-11. The promises of God are not fulfilled to us merely because we believe them–we receive only what we specifically state as ours by faith. It is not ours unless we appropriate it by faith. This is clear in the case of salvation; it is just as true regarding bodily healing or any other blessing God promises the believer. James says"...ye have not, because ye ask not" (4:2).
However, when you ask, ask in simple, childlike trust in God. Faith does not plead and beg for what God has promised; this indicates a lack of faith. We are not asking in faith if we think we have to persuade God to do what He has already offered to do for those who ask. God is ready and willing to bestow what He promises upon those who in quiet assurance take Him at His Word and ask, believing. He does not have to be persuaded for He has already said "yes" to all His promises in Christ Jesus "for all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen'' (II Corinthians 1:20) Since God has already said "yes" to everything He has promised you ever before you ask, then the answer you seek can never be "no" if you ask in faith! "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive '' (Matthew 21:22).
3. BOLDLY DECLARE WHAT YOU HAVE BELIEVED AND ASKED
What you say according to the Word of God is your faith speaking. This is faith's way of expressing itself. "For with the heart man believeth unto... and with the mouth confession is made unto" (Romans 10:10). If we genuinely believe that God will keep His promise to us, it will be expressed by what we say.
Jesus in Mark 11:23 also emphasizes the significant relationship between what we say and receiving what we ask: For truly I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be removed, and be cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he says.
We always receive what we say that is in harmony with Scripture if we hold fast. This is why the Scripture places such a strong emphasis on it. (cf. Matthew 10:32-33; I Timothy 6:12-13; James 1:6-7; Mark 11:22-24). If we speak doubt, then we receive nothing. If we say what God's Word says, then He will bring it to pass. If, for example, you ask for bodily healing, and later begin to express doubt and anxiety because it is not seen or felt immediately, your condition will never rise above what you say and believe according to Scripture. Stating doubt imprisons your faith so that it cannot be released, for "you are snared with the words of thy mouth" (Proverbs 6:2).
If your words do not agree with God's Word, then it is not faith speaking. Faith always agrees with God's Word. Why? Because this is the literal meaning of the verb "to confess" in the New Testament Greek: homologeo means "to agree with," "to speak the same language," "to confess." If, for instance, you say, "I prayed for the healing of my eyes, but I wonder why they do not seem to get any better? However, I am hoping that I will be healed sometime," you can never expect to receive healing by faith, for your words do not agree with God's Word. His Word declares "by His stripes you were healed (Isaiah 53:5). The reason for failure is clear, for Jesus said when you pray believe that you have received your petition (Mark 11:24). He said you are not to doubt in your heart but believe that those things which you say shall come to pass. We must, therefore, make sure our words, as well as our later statements, are in harmony with God's Word. If we fail to ask for and say what we believe His Word promises us, then we receive nothing; but neither do we receive if our words do not remain in agreement with what God's Word teaches.
4. ACT ON YOUR FAITH.
There is a difference between heart faith and mere intellectual belief. Often people think they have genuine faith, but they do not act their faith. The Scriptures show that when true faith is present it will produce works of faith, that is, corresponding actions. When Jesus anointed the blind man's eyes with clay and commanded him to go wash in the pool of Siloam, this gave the man an opportunity to put his faith into action. James declares, "Faith, if it hath not works, is dead '' (2:17). In Mark 2:1-5 we read that Jesus "saw' the faith of the men who lowered the man sick of palsy down through the roof. Obviously you cannot see faith–but you can see faith at work! It is to their faith in action that Jesus refers.
One should settle the matter before hand; if we have faith that God will keep His Word and heal us, then we will act like it. If we feel the need of anything in addition to faith, then we do not have faith to be healed. One should not "try''divine healing as one means of "cure" which we think sometimes works for some people and just might work for us. This is a popular misconception of the scriptural doctrine of healing through faith and always results in failure. When genuine faith is present it alone will be sufficient. When faith alone is sufficient to walk by, then we are acting in harmony with our faith. Ask God to show you how He wants you to act your faith if you are uncertain (James 1:5) Others sometimes ask for deliverance from an evil habit or some besetting sin by faith, but continue to remain bound to the habit or sin, waiting on God to deliver them. We must act our faith. Genuine faith will always produce corresponding actions that are in agreement with our statements of faith.
All the heroes of faith recorded in Hebrews, chapter 11, are said to have done something which gave evidence of their faith. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain...by faith Noah...prepared an ark...by faith Abraham offered up Isaac...by faith Moses.. .forsook Egypt," etc. When true faith is present we will always act on it. If you are believing a promise of God, you may not know the exact moment you will see it come to pass, but it always comes as you are acting in agreement with God's Word! It will never come in the midst of speaking doubt, questioning, or failure to act on your faith.
5. HOLD FAST TO YOUR STATEMENT OF FAITH WITHOUT WAVERING.
Sometimes there are those who seek to appropriate a promise of God by faith, as for example, His promise to heal their disease. They believe His promise and start out good, but if it is not seen and felt immediately, or soon thereafter, they find they cannot maintain a positive statement of faith in God's promise, and thus they do not receive the answer. The problem here is that they did not meet the first condition of receiving by faith, that is, they did not ground their faith solely in the Word of God. Their faith was shallow, being based partly on God's promise and partly on visible circumstances, feelings, or their symptoms. Genuine faith never says what it sees or feels in the natural realm, for this may not appear to change immediately; but faith says what God's Word promises in the face of all apparent circumstances to the contrary. Therefore, we are admonished: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)" (Hebrews 10:23).
Jesus teaches us in Mark 11:24 that when we pray we are to believe that we have received when we ask, and that we shall see it manifested. The significant thing is that it is always after we believe and say that we have received, that the answer is seen. Sometimes it is a moment after; at other times it is a week, month, or longer before the answer is seen in the visible realm. But true faith continues to say that God has heard and granted our request and that we have it " by faith". We must always receive in the faith realm, before we shall ever see it in the natural or visible realm. Faith is not concerned with the calendar–it is based on what God has promised, not what physical circumstances appear to indicate at present.
In John 9 the blind man's healing was not seen immediately. It was not until after he had walked to the pool of Siloam, and after he had washed, that he came seeing. The ten lepers did not receive the manifestation of their healing when they asked, nor immediately after Jesus granted their petition. They were healed "as they went'' (Luke 17:12-14). Abraham waited many years for the manifestation of God's promise to him of a son, holding fast to his faith without doubting (Romans 4:17-21).
Sickness and disease have been repeatedly defeated by holding fast the promises of God in the face of all apparent evidence to the contrary. Satan often will not withdraw his symptoms until he has made trial of your faith, for he well knows many begin to waver and doubt in time of trial and testing. Hold fast to the promise and Satan will be forced to withdraw his work in your body. Satan's power over you to afflict or oppress increases or decreases in direct proportion to your statements of faith or doubt. Therefore, "let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised). Whatever you ask by faith, refuse to look at the problems or circumstances involved; keep your eyes on the promises of God, boldly believing and speaking what His Word says, and He will surely bring it to pass when the trial of your faith is completed.
In summary, we find that there is one important principle undergirding all these five conditions of faith. It is important that we keep constantly in mind the following principle of faith, then the form and content of our prayers, speech, actions, and conversation must change.
PRAYER. Once you have asked in faith healing for yourself, then to continue to pray for healing, instead of giving thanks that God has already heard and granted your request, even though the manifestation is not seen as yet, is evidence of a lack of faith. If we pray ten times asking God for the same thing before we receive, we have prayed nine times in unbelief! This means His promises which He said Yes to. Jesus said "when you pray, believe that you have received." After you have asked in faith, praise and thank God daily for the answer, for you must see it in the faith realm first, before you can ever see it in the visible realm. Read Mark 11:24 and Matthew 21:22.
OUR WORDS. After the prayer of faith, what we say must then also change from "I believe that God can heal me and will if I ask," to "I know that God has heard and granted my petition according to His Word." Our statements of faith always refers to the past tense, never the future. We must never say "God is going to heal me," for this does not agree with what God's Word says (Mark 11:24; I Peter 2:24), and indicates you do not really believe that you have already received your request when you prayed. Our words must not be based on what we see, feel, or what outward circumstances seem to indicate, but solely on what God says had been done for us when we prayed.
ACTIONS. Not only must the form of our prayers and speech change after we believe a promise of God by faith, but our actions must change to correspond with our faith. We must act out our faith, for "faith, if it hath not works, is dead." Naaman, the leper, was healed according to the Word of the Prophet Elisha only after he had acted on faith and washed seven times in the River Jordan. Noah was saved because he acted on his faith, for we read "by faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet...prepared an ark to the saving of his house" (Hebrews 11:7).
CONVERSATION. Faith never thinks, talks, nor listens to doubt, regardless of symptoms, pains, feelings, or apparent circumstances to the contrary. We are to "hold fast to the profession of our faith without wavering" (Hebrews 10:23). Faith speaks positively of what God's Word says has been done. It does not say "I am believing for healing for my eyes and it will come, but at present they are still weak and I have difficulty doing my work, etc." our conversation must change; it must not be centered on our illness, symptoms, of feelings, for this is an admission that Satan still has the victory over us and the power to keep us in bondage. Say, on the contrary, that he has no rights to afflict you, and that his work in your body has been overcome by faith in God's promise. Hold fast and Satan will turn loose! Refuse to talk about your illness, your symptoms, your pains, your problems; this is admitting that they have you bound. Talk faith and God will bring it to your sight. The image will become the actuality. Since you receive what you say (Mark 11:23), then center your conversation on your faith in God's promise to you, not on outward circumstances. Edited. Shared.
❤️
Lord willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.
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