The Word of God has much to say about believing and receiving what God has for us as born-again Christians. Everything we will ever need in this life will come forth by believing what Jesus did for us on the cross through His death, burial and resurrection. All His promises are yes and amen unto the glory of God by us. They are not ‘maybe, sometimes, not yet, no’ but they are all yes and amen – II Corinthians 1:20.
Matthew 21:22 tells us that whatsoever things we ask in prayer believing, we shall receive. Mark 11:24 states the same thing. In I John 5:14-15, though, it makes it very clear that this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us, whatever we ask, we know we have the petitions that we desired of Him. You may be thinking, “Well, how do I know what the will of God is?” The will of God is always in alignment with the Word of God. It may not be found word for word what you are asking or believing for, but if you look at the Bible as a blueprint for your life, you have guidelines in there that will always direct you in the right path for whatever it is you need in your life.
There are times you may not even know what it is you need, and this is where the wisdom of God comes in. James 1:5-8 tells us that, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” You may be thinking you need or want one thing, when the truth is you need something else. So ask God for His wisdom, and He will give it to you. Many times, and maybe I should say most if not all the time, God is after something in your heart that needs to be changed. Anything that God does in our life will almost always begin with a change in our heart (and not the one that pumps blood!). So when you ask for God’s wisdom, then believe and receive what He tells you because it’s always for your good.
There is a story in John 4:46-53 of a man whose son was sick and at the point of death and was wanting Jesus to heal his son. It says in verse 50 that the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him and because the man believed His word, his son was healed and lived. If we will believe what God tells us or what we read in His Word, we will receive what He has for us. This can apply to any given situation you might be in. God is no respecter of persons, but He responds to faith. It says that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).
God’s Word always works. And if it’s not working in our life, it’s always on our end – it’s never God. I Thessalonians 2:13 says (and you can read the previous verses where it’s talking about walking worthy of God) that, “For this cause also we thank God without ceasing, because, when you received the Word of God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectively works also in you that believe.”
If we will believe what God says, what His Word says, we will receive everything in this life that we need for a fulfilling and satisfying life. Jesus died and rose again to give us life, peace, godliness, holiness, provision, protection, righteousness, health, joy, love, forgiveness, etc. There is nothing He will withhold from us because He is that good of a Father. You may not have had a good example of a loving earthly father, but our Father in heaven is full of unconditional love for us – so much so that He sent His one and only begotten Son, Jesus, to come to this earth to die, be buried, go to hell (so that we wouldn’t have to) and be raised from the dead so that we could walk in newness of life. Do you need a new life full of all the above? Well, Jesus is the answer. He can give you a life right where you are that is so fulfilling and satisfying that even you will be amazed. But it’s a life that is surrendered to His will, His desires for you. And if you will dare to believe Him and what His Word says, you will receive just that. If you doubt and refuse to believe, you will do without any of it. Again, we have a choice in the matter of which life we will walk in – a life of gloom and doom or an abundant life that only He can give. John 10:10 tells us, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might it more abundantly.” You have a choice in the matter – choose life!
John 15:7 says, “If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.” Therefore, we can’t ask for wrong things if we are abiding in Him and His Words are abiding in us. It’s a win-win situation.
The same way you received Jesus into your heart, is the same way you will receive anything and everything you need from Him for your life – and that’s by faith. What Grace (Jesus) provided, faith (our part) receives. You believed in your heart and confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus and you received Him into your heart. So today, believe His promises for you – make them personal as you read them in His Word and receive all that He has for you. Where you are today in your life does not matter – you can have everything you need for an abundant life if you will believe and receive what He has promised you in His Word.
An example I’m reminded of is in Daniel when he was in the lion’s den and then also in the fiery furnace – but he worshipped and praised God in the midst of these terrible situations – and God delivered him in victory every time. He believed God and received deliverance. Remember, God is no respecter of person’s – what He did for those men and women in the Bible, He will do for you. Praise God!