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Receiving from God is a major concern for every Christian. We all want to pray and be assured that we will receive from God. Because we have needs in our lives. And, as long as we are here, we will always have needs—whether it is healing, provisions, and everything else that are needful for our living. So, we will always need to receive from God. We will never arrive at a point where we don’t need to receive from God anymore in this life.
Our entire existence is hinged on God. We are not made to be self-sufficient, or to be independent of God. Only God is all-sufficient. It is in Him that we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:22-28). So, we won’t ever arrive at a point where we don’t need to receive from God anymore. As long as we live, we will always have needs, and will always need to receive from God.
But often, we worry about whether we will receive what we pray for. We ask, “Can God do what I’m asking?” “Is He willing to do it?” These questions cause many not to pray or have expectations to receive from God. But we don’t have to let such worries cripple us. Because God has already revealed Himself as rich, generous, and willing to bless His children. We only need to learn how to position ourselves to be able to receive from God.
We don’t receive from God—not because God is unable or unwilling to give, but because we are ignorant of how to receive from Him. The fullness of God is for the benefits His children (John 1:16). The revelation of His riches should always excite us, assuring is of what is available to us (Romans 8:31-32). But there is a disposition that guarantees that a man can never receive from God (James 1:5-7). God is a giver, not a taker. Where God makes a demand of anyone, it is not because He is in dire need. It is always for three reasons:
- To use us to meet a need.
- To test our hearts, whether we truly love Him, or we love just His gifts.
- To position us for His blessings.
But, in His true nature, God is a Giver. He delights in giving. It is we who must learn how to receive from God. Therefore, this subject is of great importance to us. In this article, I want to look into three of God’s characters that guarantees us of always receiving from God.
Receiving from God: The Starting Point
The starting point of learning how to receive from God is learning God, not ten things to do to receive from God, e.g. pray, believe. Now, these things are necessary to receive from God. But there is that which must underlie those acts—which empowers them to produce. It is the knowledge of God—His attributes. Otherwise, we will do them and still not receive.
For example, asking is vital to receiving from God (Matthew 7:7). But we won’t ask, if we don’t know that God can do what we want to ask. Therefore, the number one module on how to receive from God is the knowledge of God. To look to God for whatever needs you have in your life, two vital questions must be answered:
- Can God do it? This deals with the issue of God’s ability.
- Will God do it? This deals with the issue of God’s willingness.
Matthew 4:24 says that the fame of Jesus’s healing works spread everywhere. Then, in Matthew 8:1-3, a leper, having heard the news of Jesus’s healing works, came to Him to be healed. I like you to pay attention to what He said.
“Lord, you have the power to heal me, if you really want to.” [TPT]
He had caught, as it were, the revelation of Jesus’s ability to heal. But he was not sure if Jesus would be willing to heal him. These are two crucial issues we must settle every time we desire to receive from God—whether it is healing, or finances to fund a plan. As a child of God, you have the right to look to God for any need in your life. God is not only interested in healing your body. He is interested in prospering you, or giving you children too! God is interested in the totality of your life.
You should also read: EFFECTIVE PRAYER THROUGH SONSHIP: 5 PRACTICAL KEYS TO PRAYING AS GOD’S CHILDREN
But, whatever we desire to receive from God, these two issues must be settled in your mind—God’s ability and willingness to do what we desire. If we don’t lay hold of God’s revelation on these two matters, it will be difficult for us to receive from God, because we will never be bold enough to believe God for anything. We can never receive from God beyond our understanding of these two things—His ability and willingness. We will always restrict our asking to the degree of our perception of God’s ability. We will never ask God beyond how much we think He is worth.
On the other hand, some believe that God has ability to do anything. The revelation of His power to heal, prosper, turn situations around, or make fruitful, is not lost on them. Ehat they struggle with is God’s willingness to do it for them. But if we are ever going to receive from God, these two revelations of God as able and willing, must be settled in our minds equally.
Now, let’s look at each of these three characters of God.
Three Characters of God that Guarantee Receiving from God
God’s Ability
The first vital issue to settle when it comes to asking and receiving from God is the ability of God. God being willing to help us is not enough to make Him dependable. But along with willingness must go ability. Have you seen people with huge compassion for people in problems? They even get emotional and cry with people in problems. They are willing to help, honestly. The problem is just that they lack the ability to.
But the Bible not only speaks of God’s immense ability, it also gives us tons of cases where He demonstrated His ability over situations on behalf of His children.
Ephesians 3:20:
“Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.” [TPT]
Jeremiah 32:26-27:
“Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”
When we require God’s intervention in an area, before we pray at all, we must get into Scripture to see if there is a case when God did a similar thing. Oh, we will find even cases worse than ours, over which God demonstrated His power.
- You need healing from a health issue, perhaps for which there is no medical hope for? There is the story of the woman with an issue of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living on medical care, but never got healed. She only touched the helm of Jesus’s garment, and was healed (Luke 8:43ff).
- Are you drowning in a sea of debt, to individuals or institutions? There is a story of the widow whose husband left a hill of debt for (2 Kings 4:1ff). God gave her a miracle that paid off her debt, and made her rich.
- Are you in a foreign land and need God to make room for you there? There is the story of Joseph, a Hebrew in Egypt, but who, despite intense oppositions, God promoted to be Prime Minister.
As you read these, the reality of God’s power over all situations hit you. This emboldens you to trust Him for the impossible. It gives you a ground to stand on to make your petition, and guarantee that you can have you request. You say to yourself, if God did it once, He can do it again.
God’s Willingness
The second vital issue to settle when it comes to receiving from God is the willingness of God. It is not enough to know that God can do a thing, but we must also be sure that He is willing to do it. A person can have ability, but not be willing to act. You can never receive anything from such a person. But, through the Bible, we have both the guarantee that God can, and is willing to.
Matthew 8:2-3:
2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “IF YOU ARE WILLING, YOU CAN HEAL ME AND MAKE ME CLEAN.” 3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I AM WILLING,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.” [Emphasis added]
God is willing! He not only is able to bless you, make you fruitful, or heal you, but He is also willing to do it. He wants to do it for you. God is not partial against you. Whatever you have seen Him do for other people, He is willing to do for you. You must be assured of His willingness.
You should also read: PRAYING ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD: 7 PROVEN KEYS
Guarantees of God’s Willingness toward us
There are three acts of God that give us guarantee of God’s willingness to do or give anything to us.
1. He gave us Jesus
Romans 8:31-32:
31 So, what does all this mean? If God has determined to stand with us, tell me, who then could ever stand against us? 32 For God has proved his love by giving us his greatest treasure, the gift of his Son. And since God freely offered him up as the sacrifice for us all, he certainly won’t withhold from us anything else he has to give.” [TPT]
Man’s greatest need is salvation, not healing, child-bearing, or job, etc. Those needs fall below our need for salvation, because it will cost God more to save man than to bless him or give him children—it will cost Him the life of His precious Son. Still, God did not hesitate to give Jesus to meet our need for salvation.
In that giving of Jesus was God’s clearest declaration of His willingness to give us all things that we may need for life. Nothing in God’s possession is of higher value than Jesus! So, if God could give us what was the most valuable to Him, then is it children, jobs, spouse, etc.—things of low values compared to Jesus, that God will hesitate to give us. Always say out loud to yourself: Since God gave me Jesus, there is nothing else He cannot and will not give me.
You see, receiving from God is a function of the understanding that underlies your asking, not the period you pray, or the posture you take in prayer, or how many times you call the name of Jesus.
Jesus is the signature of God’s generosity!
2. He gave us eternal life
The Apostle John, in 1 John 5:9–13, states the truth of God having given us eternal life. Then, in in verses 14, he said, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
The statement “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him” set our being given eternal life as a guarantee that whatever we ask the Father, we will receive. If He gave us the precious gift of eternal life, then there is nothing else that He cannot give us.
3. He gave us the name of Jesus
God giving us the name of Jesus is not just about granting us a title to use in prayer; it is the ultimate expression of His willingness to give.
By giving us Jesus—and the right to use His name—God proved that nothing is too good or too big to withhold from His children. The name of Jesus is God’s way of saying, “I’ve already given you My best; everything else is included.” The name of Jesus is the key that unlocks heaven’s storehouse. Jesus Himself said in John 16:23,
“Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you…”
God isn’t reluctant; He wants us to ask, receive, and enjoy His blessings in Christ.
God’s Generosity
The Bible speaks a lot about this quality of God. You won’t exactly see the word “generous”, but the idea fills the Bible. Actually, the word “gracious” is often used to capture this aspect of God’s character.
Psalm 145:15-16:
15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. 16 You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Psalm 36:7-8:
7 How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings. 8 You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights. [NLT]
What Does It Mean That God Is Generous?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “generous” as:
1. To be openhanded; to be liberal in giving.
So, God’s generosity means God is openhanded. God is not tightfisted; not stingy. Again, see Psalm 145:16:
“You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.”
God is not tightfisted! His hands are always open to meet the needs of His children. It is the reason we should be bold to approach Him to ask for whatever we need. We are guaranteed to receive.
2. Generous means “marked by abundance or ample proportions”.
So, God’s generosity means that God is lavish, overflowing, bountiful, magnanimous in His giving. He does not give grudgingly or sparingly.
James 1:5:
“But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all.” [GNT]
The emphasis here is not that God gives—we’ve settled that long ago that God is a Giver—but how He gives: lavishly, bountifully, and magnanimously!
It is important that these revelations of God settle in us, because how we view God defines how we approach Him in prayer. If we see God as stingy, we will always approach Him with small requests. Before we pray at all, we will have cut down on our petitions, hoping that He even gives us that small one. But that is not our God! He is not only able and willing, but He is also generous.
God’s ability describes His power and resources to do anything. God’s willingness describes His favorable disposition to do it. And, God’s generosity describes the volume or degree or extent to which He does what He does (Ephesians 3:20).
That God is generous means He exceeds expectations. He does over and beyond! When this revelation floods our hearts, we will cease to be small-minded and develop a large appetite. We will realize how little we have been asking.
Listen, friends! Take the limit off God! See, the limit of how much we can receive from God is the limit of our knowledge of His generosity.
God is not stingy!
God does not give grudgingly!
He gives generously!
Isaiah 55:7:
“Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.” [NLT]
Even with forgiveness of sins, God does it generously!
2 Corinthians 9:8:
“And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” [NLT]
You should also read: UNION WITH CHRIST: 10 POWERFUL MEANINGS IT HOLDS FOR BELIEVERS
In conclusion, beloved friend, receiving from God is easy when a person has grasped the revelation of God’s ability, willingness, and generosity. With such understanding, we are emboldened to ask, not according to the size of our needs, but according to the size of God’s ability. Listen! Our asking will always be restricted to the level of our view of God’s ability, willingness, and generosity. We can never ask God beyond our view of His worth.
This is why God’s word is crucial to receiving from God. It fills us with the revelation of God’s great qualities. We see God as powerful, rich, willing, etc., and also see myriads of cases where His immense ability were deployed to wrought mind-blowing miracles in even most difficult situations. This stirs up our boldness to ask for the impossible and helps us to release our faith for them. And, where faith is released, the ability of God is activated to cause to be whatever it is that the believer believes for.
Therefore, whatever miracle that you need or will ever need in your life, I tell you, you can receive. Your mind only has to grasp the revelation-knowledge of God’s ability to do it, His willingness to do it for you, and His generosity to do it beyond your imagination. The Apostle Paul says:
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20 NLT)
Has this article blessed you? Then, share it with other people who might also need it. Receiving from God is a matter that concerns all believers. And, please share your thoughts with us in the comments section. But most importantly, begin to live by the truth that you have learned here. And, you will see your approach to the Father get better and you will begin to receive from God as you are meant to—for you are a child of God.
More resources to help you;
Bible.org
How to Receive Good Things from God (Luke 1:53) – Emphasizes humility, spiritual hunger, and dependence on God rather than self-sufficiency.
GodLife.com
Receiving Blessings from God – Teaches that God has already given every spiritual blessing; believers must learn to access them by faith and alignment.
iDisciple
Receive from God – Explains that we receive only what God has already provided, through obedience, faith, and walking in His will.
TREM (The Redeemed Evangelical Mission)
Receiving the Manifestation of God’s Word – Bishop Mike Okonkwo teaches that faith mixed with the Word unlocks God’s promises.
Christian Today
5 Things Christians Must Do to Receive the Blessing of God – Practical steps: ask, believe, obey, give, and remain in Christ.
Crossroads Community Cathedral
The Key to Receiving God’s Blessing – Stresses obedience, walking in grace, and doing what God commands as keys to receiving blessings.
