Believe and Receive

Let’s suppose you were a parent with five children. One of your sons came up and asked if you would take the family to the mall. You reply, “Sure. We’ll go there this afternoon.”

A minute later, your other son who overheard his brother asks if you would take the family to the mall. You reply, “I already told your brother I’d do that.”

Seconds later, one of your daughters who was within earshot of her brothers approached you and asked about going to the mall. What would your answer be? By this time you might be a little annoyed but if you were a good parent, you would still say “yes.”

Within the next couple of minutes, your two other daughters ask the very same thing. You reply in frustration, “Didn’t you kids believe me when I said ‘yes’ the first time?”

This scenario sounds ridiculous, but this is how many people approach God in prayer. There was one prayer group I briefly attended where this sort of thing happened all the time. After discussing our prayer requests, we each took turns uttering petitions before the Lord. The first person prayed for several of the requests. Then the next person did the same thing, repeating many of the requests the first person already prayed. Then the third person did likewise and then the fourth and so on. 

Many people seem unconvinced God heard their prayers the first time. Some Christians cite the persistent widow in Luke 18 to justify their pestering God with the same need. Keep in mind the widow was dealing with an unjust judge.

On the other hand, the Lord wants to give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). Whenever we need something from God, the best thing to do is pray and then keep thanking Him until the answer manifests. Jesus said in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”

Delays in answered prayer are not because God wasn’t listening. Sometimes they are due to demonic opposition. In Daniel chapter 10, the prophet had been fasting and praying for three weeks. Notice what the angel told Daniel beginning with verse 12… 

12 “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.”

There are situations we must be persistent in intercession when it involves other people’s wills. Examples would include the government and a loved one’s salvation. For the latter, it’s better to pray for laborers to cross that family member’s path (Matthew 9:38) instead of habitually praying, “Lord, save So-and-So.” God wants your family members in the kingdom more than you do but needs His people to get the gospel to them.

In some prayer meetings I’ve been to, one person would verbally pray for all our needs. The rest of us would be in agreement. In other groups, each person would pray for another person’s request. That way, everybody took part in praying. All petitions got covered without being mentioned over and over.

Jesus warned us in Matthew 6:7-8 against making “vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them.” So the next time you need something from God, avoid the temptation to keep asking for it again and again. Believe and then receive!

“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.” - James 1:6

The Name of the Lord

In Matthew 1:21, the angel Gabriel told Joseph (regarding his wife Mary), “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” The Amplified Bible further states that Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name for Joshua (“Yeshua”), which means Savior.

Occasionally I meet people who prefer to call the Son of God by alternative names. A few years ago while in New York City, I visited a church where the Lord was usually referred to as Yeshua. If I'm witnessing to a Jewish person, I'll use the name Yeshua. Otherwise, I call Him Jesus.

Isaiah 9:6 says, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” I believe the Lord doesn't mind His people calling Him by different names if done reverently. Married people refer to their spouses by a variety of names: “Honey”, “Sweetheart”, “Dear”, “Darling” and possibly some other nickname in addition to their actual first name.  

When it comes to receiving salvation, it’s important to call on the one name that makes this possible. Some people told me they will only pray to God and not mention Jesus at all. That’s like trying to drive a vehicle without any fuel in the tank. Acts 4:12 says, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Later in verse 18 of this same chapter, religious authorities commanded Peter and John “…not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.”

In today’s politically correct society, military and police chaplains have been pressured not to pray in the name of Jesus. Again that short-circuits the power of God from flowing in a person’s life. Their prayers simply won’t work. Look at what Jesus said in John 14…

  

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 

13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 

14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

Strangely enough, I’ve met individuals who object to the name of Jesus simply because the letter “J” didn’t come into existence until about 500 years ago. But regardless of what language a person speaks, there is power when the name of the Lord is spoken with boldness. One morning I was lying in my bed when I suddenly heard a voice speaking in my left ear. Initially, the voice repeated the word “attention.” Then it uttered all kinds of profanity at me. After putting up with it for about five seconds, I hollered, “Satan, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!” Then the demonic voice stopped.

Another time while evangelizing on the streets of Minneapolis, I approached two girls who told me they worshiped Satan. When I started sharing the gospel with them and mentioned the name of Jesus, one of the girls ran away screaming!  

Never let anyone try to discourage you from using the name of Jesus. It’s one of many weapons God has given us to maintain victory over the enemy.

“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” - Philippians 2:10-11

Just

One of the things the Lord used to prepare me for ministry was Toastmasters, an organization people join to improve their public speaking skills. In every Toastmasters meeting, the person assigned as the grammarian introduces a “word of the day” to encourage speakers to expand their vocabulary. My particular Toastmasters club also used a clicker whenever the person speaking uttered filler words like “um”, “ah”, “er”, and “you know.”

I’ve noticed many Christians habitually insert the word “just” whenever they are praying or praising the Lord. Listen closely the next time you’re at a church service or prayer meeting. You will likely hear people say, “I just pray that…” or “I just praise You for…” or “We just thank You…” Perhaps you picked up that habit because you heard other believers doing the same thing.

The Bible does say, “The just shall live by faith” and the blood of Jesus justifies us. But I don't see how the overuse of the word “just” adds extra power to prayers and praise. Maybe I’m nitpicking but I feel Christians use the word “just” just too much.

I like the advice given by comedian Tim Hawkins, "Just finish the prayer!"

“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” - Matthew 6:7

"You Never Know"

A phrase that some people use that I'm starting to find annoying is “you never know.” Occasionally I hear believers say something like, “You never know what God will do.” It must grieve the Holy Spirit to hear His people say clichés like that. The truth is we can know what God is doing if we are sensitive to His leading. Jesus said in John 16:13 that the Spirit of God “will guide you into all truth” and “will tell you things to come.”

Another often-used phrase similar to this is “God moves in mysterious ways.” Some believers quote this like it came out of the Bible. This saying actually originated from an 18th-century hymn written by William Cowper. The promises of God are not mysterious but His methods of bringing them to pass can be. As Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’”

It’s true that some spiritual matters remain a mystery. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” For example, you may not know why a certain individual died at a young age but God may choose to reveal the reason to those that need to know.

Amos 3:7 says, “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” God uses His people to warn the world of coming judgments. Examples include…

• Noah and the coming flood (Genesis 6:13)

• Abraham and Lot of the future destruction of Sodom (Genesis 18:17; 19:14)

• Joseph and the seven-year famine (Genesis 41:30)

• Moses and the ten plagues on Egypt (Exodus 7:1)

• Jonah and the destruction of Nineveh (Jonah 1:2; 3:4)

Sadly, some people remain ignorant of what God is doing in the earth because of listening to the wrong voices. 2 Timothy 3:6-7 mentions that in the last days there will be “gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Every time I read this passage, I think of housewives and single mothers who constantly watch tabloid talk shows on TV, filling their minds with useless information that won’t make a positive difference in their lives.

Occasionally when I’m out evangelizing, religious folks try to tell me that nobody can know for sure if they will have eternal life. But 1 Timothy 2:4 says that God “…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” That will happen as more of God’s people share the gospel with sinners and they respond to it by receiving salvation. Jesus said in John 8:32, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” But truth alone doesn’t make anyone free. It’s knowing it and then applying it in their lives.

We can know the will of God by reading our Bibles, claiming His promises, and staying in communion with Him. But we can bring negative things into our lives simply by speaking the wrong words. As Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Let’s get “you never know” out of our vocabulary. Let’s believe God will bring revelation to help us fulfill His plans and purposes on the earth.

“The Holy One has anointed you, so all of you have knowledge.” - 1 John 2:20 (GOD’S WORD Translation)