NOVEMBER 29

FAITH TO RECEIVE

MARK 9:14-24


“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:23-24)

Your faith is the key to receiving from God. It is faith in the love, mercy and grace of God Almighty. It is faith in the atoning sacrifice and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s your faith in His promises – that He will do what He said He would do. Actually, He’s already done it. We just have to accept it as ours. You’re never too young for a miracle, and you’re never too old. The man in Mark 9 wanted desperately to believe. He realized his faith played an important part in the miracle that was to come forth. He asked the Lord to help him, and He did.

Consider the following examples of receiving on the basis of faith. They apply to healing, but the same principle works for every need. In Matthew 9:22, it was the woman with the issue of blood; in Mark 10:51-52, it was a blind man; in Luke 17:17-19, it was one leper that returned to give thanks. All these people had one thing in common – Jesus told them, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” I believe He clarified the point in Mark 11:22-24 (emphasis mine), “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

If we believe, we receive the things we desire when we pray. When do we get the desire? When we pray. When do we believe? When we pray. When do we receive the things we desire? When we pray. Faith through prayer works you both individually and corporately. Just as a body of believers has corporate goals, you should have individual goals. You should pray about those goals. Faith believes, confesses, works, praises, and rests! The question isn’t, “Can God?” Yes, God can. The question is, “Will you believe?” I say, “Yes, God can, and yes, I will! (BN)