Believe, Receive, Have

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.


This was Jesus' lifestyle and this is what He taught. Let's break it down into the original Greek.
Believe--pisteuo-to think to be true, to be persuaded of
Receive--lambano-to take with the hand, lay hold of
Have--esomai-"I will be." This Greek word is the future first person plural of 'to be.'


What Jesus is literally saying here is, When you pray, be persuaded that I will give you the things you are asking for, take ownership of them in your heart and that's where I will be. 


How deep is that promise? In verse 23, He declared to His disciples that even if they were to command a mountain to be cast into the sea, it would happen. Does that sound far-fetched? Let's see.


Like a lot of other folks, I get paid twice a month. Today is July 22, 2012. I am scheduled to get paid on the last day of this month. Technically, that's nine days away. We believe that the company we work for is truthful and even though we do not physically have the money in our hands, we have laid hold of that event in our hearts, souls and minds. We go a step further. We have already planned and settled into our hearts what we will do with those funds when the 31st gets here. And, you do the same thing. We lay hold of something on the inside and we are convinced of something before it manifests. The more often it happens, the stronger our faith in the fact.


Jesus says that answered prayer is the same way. You become persuaded that it is yours, you lay hold of the future fact-------then did you notice what He said?
He said, when you are persuaded of and lay hold of the promise----THAT IS WHERE I WILL BE. Jesus, Himself takes charge of the outcome.


As this promise takes hold of us, let us rise like a mighty army and TAKE BACK our families, our communities and a lost world. Let us take back our finances and the future of our children. Let us take back our well bodies and the health of anyone we pray for.


Be persuaded, lay hold and know where Jesus is. He said He would be right in the middle of our answer.


That's good stuff. Pass it on.