“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways”. – James 1:5-8
LIGHT FOR NOW: The prayer of faith demands the believer being active rather than passive.
Observe James’ word in chapter 5; “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15). James explains what the “prayer of faith” is. Recollect that there are activities involved in receiving – Acts 2:1-4; Acts 2:38; Acts 2:16-19. In Acts 2:38, we saw how the term “gift of the Holy Ghost” or “the Holy Ghost upon” was used to explain utterance. The same term was used in Acts 8:16-17 “(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost”.
They had believed the gospel earlier in Acts 8:12, 14 “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Verse 14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John”. Hence, they had received the promise of the spirit (Galatians 3:14; Ephesians 1:13). The indwelling of the spirit is the right and privilege of everyone who has believed the gospel. Paul further explains this truth in Romans 8:9-11 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you”. This was corroborated in 1Corinthians 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” In other words, there was an action from those who were recipients of the spirit. They “received from or took advantage of” what God has placed in them. That receiving was evident from the actions they took. Glory!
INSTRUCTION: Take from what is in you by consistent prayers.
CONFESSION: I consciously receive in prayer as an act of my will. I choose not to be passive. I choose to actively receive in prayers by speaking my expectations in Jesus’ name, Amen.
QUOTE: In receiving, the believer is not expected to be passive but active.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: ROMANS CHAPTER 8, EVENING: 1CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 3
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 