WHY HAS GOD NOT ANSWERED YOUR PRAYER? (PART 7, FINAL PART)
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (Mark 11 verse 24)
This is the final part of our quest on why people don't receive answers to their prayer in spite of the Lord's unequivocal statement in Matthew 7 verse 8 that "every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." All along, especially from part 3, I've tried to establish that there are tools with which to pull what's already existing in the spirit realm into the physical realm for our enjoyment.
Today, we consider one final tool in the arsenal of the believer that's available to help him out with receiving things available in the realm of the spirit. The Lord Jesus in Mark 11 verse 24 said:
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians had intimated us with the fact that everything we need is provided for us in the spiritual realm. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1 verse 3). In other words, our needs have been provided for in Christ. We may not always be able to see them; but no doubt, they are there. The Word of God reveals that we're already blessed! Indeed, it's an act of unbelief for any Christian to pray, asking God to bless him. Truth is, you're already blessed. The problem is that you just haven't heard God's Word preached to you the way it is, or perhaps, you haven't believed the truth, and seen it manifested yet. God has already commanded the blessing upon you, but you just haven't received it yet.
Some people think truth pertains only to things they can see with their optical eyes. But the truth is, we cannot see the things of the Spirit, which are even more true than the things in the physical world. That we cannot see them isn't to say they don't exist. That which is in the spiritual realm can only be made real in the natural realm through the instrumentality of faith. That's why God gave us "the measure of faith" to live our Christian life with (Romans 12 verse 3).
The Amplified version of Mark 11 verse 24 says, "... whatever you ask for in prayer, believe — trust and be confident — that it is granted to you, and you will [get it]."
So therefore, one of the tools by which we receive answers to our prayer is to believe that we have received whatever we have asked from God in prayer. The Bible says that once you so believe, "ye shall have them" (Mark 11 verse 24). That's amazing! On the contrary, once you don't believe God's Word, you've, in effect, called Him a liar!
It doesn't matter that you don't see, feel, hear, smell or even taste what God says He has done for you. You must put your faith in what He says about you; and if you are to see it come to pass, you MUST "believe — trust and be confident — that it is granted to you, and you will [get it]."; says the Amplified version of Mark 11 verse 24. This should be your stance, even in spite of contrary circumstances staring you in the face. Simply stand firm on what God's Word says and you are sure to receive what God promised.
Finally, and once you believe that you have received what you have asked from God in prayer, go ahead to thank and praise Him. But you say, ‘Why on earth Pastor Dele would I thank and praise God for what I have not felt, seen, or heard happen?’ One of the reasons to do so, among many others, is that God cannot lie! If He said it, it's as good as done! Romans 3 verse 4 says, "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged."
The truth is that there are blessings that have already been provided for us in the spirit realm in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1 verse 3). The moment you asked for it, God released it in the spirit realm and your responsibility was to receive it for your enjoyment in the natural realm. No wonder Jesus said:
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." - Matthew 7 verses 7 to 8.
PRAYER:
Dearest Heavenly Father, I believe all that You have done for me in Christ Jesus. I receive and enjoy them in life, in Jesus name.