Keys to Receiving from God's Word

Living Abundantly 
According to God's Word Series

Read Time: 12 Minutes

Knowing what is available, how to receive it, and what to do with it after you have got it in the natural realm is simple. We are taught that from an early age. When we wanted to eat we just asked for it. When we wanted to fix dinner we went to the store and bought the food or obtained it from our gardens and brought it in and prepared it; however, many of us do not know what is available spiritually, let alone how to receive it or what to do with it after we've received it. Receiving spiritual things is just as easy as receiving things in the natural realm when we know how. 

How To Receive It

After we learn what is available in God's Word we need to know how to receive it and desire it. Receiving God's promises are just as simple as receiving things in the natural realm. We have learned that an abundant life is available, so how do we receive it? It does me very little good to know that an abundant life is available if I don't know how to receive it and what to do with it after I've got it.

Matthew 6
:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, 
   What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? 
   or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) 
    for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; 
    and all these things shall be added unto you.

How am I to get all my needs met? Seek God first, believe His Word. Don't fret about where our next meal is to come from or where the clothes comes from; God will provide it all. 

Luke 6
:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; 
   good measure, pressed down, 
   and shaken together, and running over, 
   shall men give into your bosom. 
   For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Here is another key to living the more than abundant life, give. This is more than just having your needs met. Give and God shall fill up your cup with an excellent amount (not just enough to get by, good measure), pressing it down, shaking it together to settle it and get the air out, and having more put in so that it runs over. That's our God!!

These are just a few of the principles that we need to know, believe and do in order to tap the resources of the more-than-abundant life that God has provided for us. God tells us in Ephesians 6 how to combat the wiles of the devil and has given us the tools to do so and what to do with the tools.  God instructs us in Romans 8 on how to renew our minds and pray so that we can walk with our Father and live a lively life not consumed by the carnal things of this world.

We can be told that we should pray, we can be told that we should give, and we can be told that we should renew our minds but that will never do us any good unless we are told how to receive and have the desire. This is what we need to know to receive the abundance in God's Word. 

What To Do With It After You've Got It

We also need to know what to do with it after we've got it. What good is it, or what is the profit, if I receive things from God but I don't know how to use them? In the natural realm, if you knew a garden hoe was available and you obtained one but you used it as a shovel it wouldn't work very well would it? This is the same principle in the spiritual realm. You can receive the gift of God which is holy spirit and if you don't know what to do with it after you've got it you couldn't use it to its fullest potential. We must find out what to do with the things of God after we have received them. This will allow us to tap the resources of the more-than-abundant life.

Here is a great example of what is available, how to receive it what to do with it after you've got it all rolled into one.

I Corinthians 12
:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

What is available:  The manifestations of the spirit of God
How to receive it:  It is given to us when we were made whole/born again (Romans 10:9, 10)
What to do with it:  To use to profit withal--to be all together profitable
          The uses:

:8 For to one [profit] is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; 
    to another [profit] the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
:9 To another [profit] faith by the same Spirit; 
    to another [profit] the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
:10 To another [profit] the working of miracles; 
    to another [profit] prophecy; 
    to another [profit] discerning of spirits; 
    to another [profit] divers kinds of tongues; 
    to another [profit] the interpretation of tongues:
:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, 
    dividing to every man severally [his own] as he [the man] will. [has the desire to]

In order to tap the resources of the more-than-abundant life we need the tools to do so. The nine manifestations of the holy spirit are the tools that the we use to live that more than abundant life that God has promised us.

Ephesians 2
:10 For we are his workmanship, 
   created in Christ Jesus unto good works, 
   which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

When we are born again of God's spirit we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works. This is what you do with it after you have got it.

II Timothy 3
:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, 
    and is profitable for doctrine,for reproof, 
    for correction, for [which is] instruction in righteousness:
:17 That the man of God may be perfect, 
    throughly furnished unto all good works.

God has given us His Word directly from Him so that we can have the doctrine, reproof and, correction which is instruction in right living so that we may be perfect which is complete, lacking nothing—throughly furnished unto all good works. The good works do not come first. God has given us His Word and holy spirit so that we may have the ability to do the good works.

How are we going to find out what is available from God, how to receive it and what to do with it after we've got it? We have to go to God's Word which is His will and let it speak for itself. People may tell us many things from the Word or what God does or does not do, but we need to see it from the Word. Jesus Christ said, "It is written. . ." We need to get to the place where we can also say, "It is written." We need to know from God's Word what His will is, how to receive His promises and what to do with them after we've got them. The only way we are going to know God's Will is to go to God's Word. Dr. V.P. Wierwille said frequently that, "the Bible is the revealed Word of God; this Word of God means what it says and says what it means, and God has a purpose for everything He says, where He says it, why He says it, how He says it, when He says it, and to whom He says it." (Power For Abundant Living, 19)*

Needs and Wants Parallel

Another key that is vitally important to tapping the resources of the more-than-abundant life is having your needs and wants parallel. If your wants are great and your needs are small you are not lined up properly with God's Word. You will get answers to prayer if your needs and wants are parallel to each other and with the Word. 

I John 5
:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him,
    that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
:15 And if we know that he hear us,whatsoever we ask, 
    we know that we have the petitions that we desired of  him.

We must ask according to His Word. We must put forth effort to know His Word.

Matthew 18
:19   Again I say unto you, 
        That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, 
        it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

The word 'agree' is the Greek word sumphoneo; to agree harmoniously or to symphonize. When two people agree together they are in harmony with their needs and wants parallel.

John 14
:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, 
    that [the reason being] the Father may be glorified in the Son.
:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

When you ask in the name of Jesus Christ you are to ask according to God's Word so that you may glorify Him. You are to have your needs and wants parallel and in line with the Word of God. We must know the Word of God so that we know the Will of God. When we know God's Will we can pray with effectiveness and see signs, miracles, and wonders like God has intended for us to see.

The Word of God, which is God's Will, contains the resources for us to live a life that is more than abundant. We must obtain the keys to receiving the promises of God.

We must find out:

  1. What's available
  2. How to receive it
  3. What to do with it after we've got it
  4. We must have our needs and want parallel with the Word
  5. We must recognize that God's ability equals His willingness

We will then be on the road to living a life that is more than abundant.

___________________

*Wierwille, Victor Paul. Power For Abundant Living. American Christian Press, New Knoxville, OH, 1979.