BELIEVING BUT NOT RECEIVING

Topic: Believing But Not Receiving

Bible text: Isaiah 59: 1-3, Jame 4: 3

Preacher: Femi S Olomola (A minister and Prophet of God)

Copyright© Femi .S. Olomola 2016 [All rights reserved!]

Publish by: Wefos Project Int'l Limited

Email: [email protected]

First Published [Summary Edition] 2016

ISBN: 978-978-953-658-0

RECAP OF LAST WEEK SERMON

In our previous week sermon, we talked about the filthy garment as the bedrock of all believer, comparing the physical and spiritual garment and that the spiritual garment represents your real self which becomes the output or status of your inner value. We also analyse the implications of a stain spiritual garment as majorly, the inability to do exploit both for God and yourself and looking at the different causes of a stain garment with major causes as generational or foundational stain or sin and that you will need a change of raiment for some level of spiritual exploit and how to maintain it. 

We shall be looking at the topic for this week "Believing but not receiving" because there are many out there that believe in the power of God, through our lord Jesus Christ but are not tapping into the blessing or are not receiving and we shall also be looking at the causes or does it mean that God's word (Matthew 21: 22) that says, believe and you shall receive, fail? As we go further we shall provide answers for all these and your experience shall not remain the same.

INTRODUCTION:

Believing in God is an act of trusting in him. Trust is a function of your loyalty toward the one being trusted and it doesn't come by chance but on account of the one being trusted. There are lot of people that has had experiences, one way or the other with our lord Jesus Christ either true personal encounter or testimony and so they believed based on this account that he had the power to heal, save, deliver and to do all things but still they found themselves not being able to comprehend the mystery of the work of faith while there are some that though they believed based on the above account found themselves utilising this great privilege created by our lord Jesus Christ to do exploit. The bible says faith cometh by hearing the word of God and which is true but most people hears the word of God, they believed but they are not receiving. To receive is a two ways communication which must not be broken for it to be effectual and we shall be looking into some of this consideration as we proceed.

God is love and a father indeed because everything found in your biological father is also found in him except the carnal desire of the flesh. You remember he created you in his image and breath some part of him into you to give you life to exist (Genesis 1: 27, Genesis 2: 7). Then if God is a real father and he created you in his image, then he is saddled with the fatherly responsibilities of meeting your need and make sure you are not lost and because he is the oldest immortal being and not a man, so he can never lie, or not fulfiling his covenant (Number 23: 19). 

One simple fact that forms the basis of our belief towards the above fatherly responsibility of God is that he is a covenant keeping God (Deuteronomy 7: 9, Exodus 20: 5-6, 2 Chronicles 6: 14). What do we mean by he is a covenant keeping God? Let's start by the perception of creation, when God created man, he gave them charge to exist as human being through forming man from the dust and breath life into their nostrils (Genesis 2: 7) and he gave man instruction that they should rule over all he had created, dominate the earth but they must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, that if they eat from it, they will surely die (Genesis 2: 16-17). 

Covenant is an agreement between two parties which involves rules and regulations binding or restricting the defaulter and could also come with some spiritual tone or backing. We see that the instructions giving by God in the above verse (Genesis 2: 16-17) become the covenant between him and man that they are free to eat from everything he had created and also rule their world but must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and when they eventually defaulted, he carried out his judgment on them by placing a curse on them all (Genesis 3: 1-19). Another thing is that he told them from the verse above that if they eventually eat from the tree which he commanded them not, they will surely die and we see that until Jesus Christ came to pay this debt of death for mankind which served as the fulfilment of the law, the grace to reconnect man back to God through faith was not totally available. The covenant that was set up, between God and man was actually fulfilled through the punishment of the curse and the death of Christ which proves that God doesn't joke with his covenant. So having known this, then you will be rest assured when God is making a covenant with you that you should obey him completely and walk with him diligently that he may bless you (Deuteronomy 28: 1-13, Matthew 7: 7-12, Matthew 6: 25-33).

If God who had made all these premises listed above, coupled with the fact that we strongly believe he is a covenant keeping God, then there must have been a breach one way or the other when man has fulfilled all necessary requirements and yet the promise of receiving, not coming forth or coming very slim, so we shall be considering what could be the causes of this breach over the covenant between man and God as we proceed.

Believing but not receiving: 

Like i said above, receiving from God is a two-way phenomenon which involve asking then believe with faith that you have received (Matthew 21: 22) but there is one basic factor that controlled what you receive from God as a father and that is the wish of the father himself toward that which you are asking for. Every father like your biological father must either have a wish or dislike about your request and this forms the fundamental requirement that determines the success or failure of your request. The fact that God said ask anything in my name and it shall be granted (Matthew 7: 7-11) does not mean he does not look at what you are asking if it is within his interest towards his plan for you. Believe it or not, God has a plan for everybody he created on this earth (Jeremiah 29: 11), no matter their number, remember he is omnipresent (Jeremiah 23: 24, Proverb 15: 3, 2 Chronicles 16: 9), omnipotent (Revelation 19: 6, Isaiah 43: 13) and omniscience (Isaiah 46: 9-10, Psalm 147: 5) and so he is everywhere performing different wonder at the same time in different places and also working through different individual at the same time. He is the almighty, the creator of everything that dwells on earth, beneath the earth and in heaven . This is the big different between God and devil because the devil is not omnipresent and so he uses network of demons to fight and that he is a subject in God's hand since God created him for his own purpose until disobedience and proud was found in him that had made God to sent him away out of his paradise in heaven. 

God is speaking through the scripture above (Jeremiah 29: 11) which says that, for i know the plans i have for you, "declares the lord" plan to prosper you and not to harm you, plan to give you hope and a future. Beloved, know it now that God has a plan for you, and until you submit to him to obey him completely before the plan will start manifesting. Like i said above, the wish of God concerning your request form the fundamental requirement for God approving it and it must tally with the plan he had for you because he wants you to achieve that plan and becomes fulfilled just as we read above but there are certain requirement that you need that God doesn't compromise or think twice over it before delivering it to you and these are basic needs or amenities of life like, food, shelter and clothing. This is why God speaking in (Matthew 6: 31-34) that do not worry saying what shall we eat or what shall we wear, for the pagans run after all these thing but your heavenly father knows that you need them but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these shall be given to you as well. These basic needs of life are necessities of man and are very essential to human existence and God doesn't joke with it. The Bible verse above makes us understand that a believer does not need to ask for all these but seek God diligently first and they will be added to you.

Our bible text (Isaiah 59: 1-3) makes us understand that the hand of the lord is not too short to save nor is ear too dull to hear but your iniquities have separated you from your God and this means that one way or the other sin has caused the breached. Now we realise from all the above that God as a father is saddle with the fatherly responsibility to make sure we succeed in his plan through controlling the request being granted and the one being made, just as your biological father will not just give his child all he wish for but try to check every request being made to him if it is in proper stand that will not hurt the child. In fact the best way to live for God is to not serve him because of your need but seek his kingdom and his righteousness first as we have read above, then he will be the one to add whatever you need because he knows all that you will need, even the one you have not ask that you will definitely need in the future, he knows, because he is the omniscience who know all thing and determine every end from the beginning as we read above. So my humble advice to the one reading my sermon is to not bother about a job, or what to eat or where to sleep because all these are basic necessities of man which God is aware of, as he had earlier promised in the above scripture (Matthew 6: 31-34) but open up your heart to him and serve him with passion and seek his kingdom and as you are doing that, even without your request, he will be solving and providing for those need for you surprisingly. 

Now let's look at the causes of the breach of covenant between man and God that will not allow you to duly receive from God as against his promise or agreement with you as a son that believe and ye will receive (Matthew 21: 22), and despite your believe even the basic needs which form the necessity of your existence don't come forth as expected but before we go into that, let's run over the factors that control the acceptability of your request.

Factors that control the acceptability of your request:

i. The plan or wish of the father toward you and the request:  (Jeremiah 29: 11)

Like i have explained above, God has a plan for all his creature on earth but the devil would not want the plan to come to pass, therefore frustrating all effort being rendered through the man themselves. God is a faithful father, he loved us and keep calling us through his son to himself but when you refuse to heed to the call because of the spirit of the devil that would not let you go then he will live you to be watching maybe you will heed to that call during challenges of life and difficult times, since this is the best way to call those stubborn type of people with very stubborn spirit. 

Of course, the wish of God for all his follower or son that are obedient is to prosper them and give them a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29: 11). To prosper them as it is used in this context is to be moderately comfortable and not to live lavishly because when wealth has gotten to a certain level, it become an instrument for the devil if the one handling it, is not a mature believer, and this is why God determines or control the level of riches to go beyond basic need for every individual so they will not be an instrument in the hand of the devil. The only people who are believer or sons of God that will be able to manage riches above basic need properly are those that have fully crucify the desire for richness, or lost of the flesh to the cross with Jesus Christ and this is what God himself is looking out for before he may approve of it, because they are the set of believer that can easily give all they have to the needy to minister grace since they have no desire for it.

ii. Asking with bias motive:  (James 4: 3)

Seeking favour or request from God to use it to oppress others or cause them to be thinking if they really have a God is one great determinant that disqualified most request before him. Like i said above, God is omniscience and he knows all thing, even your heart before you speak he knows what is coming forth because he is the creator (Psalm 139: 4, Psalm 147: 5). 

Our bible text (James 4: 3) makes us understand that you ask but did not receive because you have asked so that you can consume it upon your pleasure. You see, our God is a loving father, the most faithful one and he cares for everybody both the rich, the poor, and the less privilege and so he does not want you to use your wealth or riches to create tension among others, instead, he want you to use that wealth he had given you to minister grace to others and be a blessing to them rather than making them feel less important and so because of this, he hate it totally being proud with the wealth and become a tension or tyrant in the society because wealth usually comes with pride and the devil use it as an instrument except the fellow is genuinely crucified with our lord Jesus Christ on the cross and though he is dead but lives through Christ, and if God eventually sees any of his children in this manner, he will make sure the wealth is withdrawn from him (James 4: 6). Do you now see how loving this our father is? he loves the poor with heart (Deuteronomy 5: 7-11, 2 Corinthians 9: 7), please make sure you are reading all the bible text as this will enable proper understanding and deepen your believe and also shame the devil.

iii. Asking without thanksgiving:  (Philippians 4: 6, Psalm 50: 23, Psalm 100: 1-5)

Beloved, the only channel to connect to God's presence is by giving him thanks (Psalm 100: 4), this is the mystery of God. Unlike your biological father that if you thank him too much might become irritating or annoying to him, the more you give God thanks, the more he shows mercy over your predicament. sometimes we ask a lot, but refuse to thank him a lot and i am telling you now based on my experience with God, to show gratitude and being thankful than your request then you will see God in action but your thanks must be genuine from your heart with the love of God because he sees your heart first and he knows everything.

Thanking God for what he had not done is like believing he had done it and that is what God loves most, for you to have faith in him and believe it is done. The scripture above (Philippians 4: 6) makes us understand that we should not be anxious about anything but by prayer and thanksgiving, make your request known to God. This is one of the great determinants towards the acceptability of your request because so many of us are just too anxious about our request and becoming too expectant and God will be wondering, why has this request cloud this son like this? or does he believe i can't do it? The truth is that when you are too expectant about your request, you will quickly and easily get tired of the awaited period to receive, even the devil uses this as a tool by putting in your heart that anxious and over expectant spirit that will eventually make God not listen anymore. 

Beloved, i tell you the truth, the best attitude towards your request to God is to put the request behind all your thought and relationship towards him, because by doing this, you are telling God that, father I know you are a powerful God and so I'm not bothered about this, though i need them but i know its takes you nothing to have it done for me and by the time you begin to start giving him thanks that it is done. You have won God's heart over that matter and i tell the truth, he will not waste any more time to get it resolve for you because you have won his heart but caution must be taken not to try to be smart to God because he knows he sees your heart and knows everything.

iv. Sin: (Proverb 11: 20, Proverb 15: 18)

One of the greatest thing among all that will determine the acceptability of your request is sin, especially if the fellow has not given his or her life to Jesus Christ or maybe has backslide because if God love a fellow by reason of his obedience and diligent walk with him and he committed a sin by mistake, even without his knowledge, God might forgive him and just apportion the appropriate punishment that he deserves and make sure he reveal his sin to him so that he will learn, just like the way your biological father will punish you to caution you of future occurrences and never cast away. God is too pure and holy to behold sin (Habakkuk 1: 13) and so the prayer of a sinner will be an abomination to him (Proverb 15: 18). Just imagine if you have a lovely white garment that is so white and whenever you put it on, you look so unique and lovely and people admire you a lot for that,  you can imagine how you will be extremely careful for that your garment not to be stained, this is how sin is to God. He is too pure to behold sin and so he doesn't dwell, where there is a sin.

When you are living in sin, without reconciling your way back to God and you are praying to me, that prayer, he might not listen. There are a lot of people that are living in sin one way or the other and having their garment stained just as we  discussed in our last week sermon (The Filthy Garment), please get it and read it for a proper understanding in this section.

The breach of God's promise as it is written in (Matthew 6: 31-34, Deuteronomy 28: 1-15, Matthew 7: 7-1, Matthew 21: 22): 

Let's look at where man has breached or broken the covenant or promise made by God that when you believe, you shall receive according to (Matthew 21: 22). Like i said above, our God is a covenant keeping God, he can never fail nor lie and he is entering into a covenant with you by his words that believe in him and whatever you ask shall be granted. Because there are a lot of cases out there that though they believe and know the power of God but receiving is not sufficient even for basic necessities of life. As it is earlier said, receiving from God is a two ways phenomenon which involve communicating to God through prayer, service, or request and God communicating back through revelation to unlock your success and manifestation of his blessing but when the communication from God is not coming forth or is void of revelations, then there would have been a breach of agreement on your part of responsibilities because God can never fail.

i. Sin: 

As its being illustrated above, sin becomes the primary factor that will cause a breach of this communication between you and God and it comes in different forms, some of which are the followings:

a. personal disobedience to God's word (Galatians 3: 10)

b. ungodly marriage (Deuteronomy 7: 3-4)

c. ungodly friendship (2 Corinthians 6: 14-18)

d. the act of the flesh as listed in (Galatians 5: 19-21).

ii. Curse: 

Curse is one of the things that can cause a breach of communication between you and God and it can also in three different forms which are listed below:  

a. Generational  (Exodus 20: 5-6, Hosea 4: 6)

b. Foundation or birth (Psalm 11: 3)

c. Self-induced  (Deuteronomy 28: 16-62)

iii. Filthy Garment as illustrated in the previous week sermon, please get it and read because it forms the fundamental background of a believer.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, let your needs or request be a second priority in your relationship with God, though you need them and he knows even before you realise you will need them but he is waiting to observe your relationship toward him in regards to your request and always make sure you give him thanks at all times and even show gratitude with dancing sometimes if you can, because dancing and praising him as a form of showing gratitude carry much power.

He is God, the almighty and the all-sufficient, so whatever maybe your request is nothing to him. And so, I want you to live with this believe so that you will not be so anxious or over expectant over your request because the devil might use this as a tool against you. Always live like whether the request comes or not, you will serve your God and be committed to him, then before you know it, your answer shall find you. I pray the lord give you the grace for proper understanding into this in Jesus name.

Confession:

If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour and you are convinced that you need him to come into your life so you can also tap into the grace available through shedding of his blood, and be sure you are ready to repent from all those sins of fornication, adultery, lying, sexual immorality, pride, jealousy, hatred, idolatry, selfish ambition, witchcraft, impurity and debauchery, dissensions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the likes, then locate a quiet place, be sober and be on your knees, then made this little confession but remember to be sure of what you are doing, so that you will not be using God to play, when you respect him and give him honour, he will also honour you in the sight of men (Matthew 6: 6).

Lord Jesus, i come with total humbleness of heart to ask for forgiveness of my sins and accept you as my lord and saviour, please forgive me of all my sin (you can begin to name them if you know them) i surrender my life to you and i want you to come and take full charge over my life and i accept you as my lord and my saviour, please cleanse me with your blood that you shed on the cross and make me a new man leaving old things behind, i promise to serve you and do your will at all time and I ask for the strength to carry on. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me.

Congratulation, you have made a step forward in tapping into his grace, now for you not to fall back, you must look out for a good holy spirt filled church or a good Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG) to worship and begin to study the word of God, if you have just done this, you can also contact me for direction and get a free copy of my book (Why do people suffer and Why does God allow it) and publications to strengthen your faith. May the lord give you the grace to carry on in Jesus name.

Preacher's Note:

It is my greatest desire that this sermon minister grace unto your soul but this is not enough, to be a friend of God as we have learnt above require deep knowledge of God, because it is until you have this knowledge that you can take your place and do exploit for God and yourself, and so i will urgently urge you to be rooted and grounded in the word of God, in other to deepen your faith, knowledge and relationship with God. you can also look out for one of my books or publications written on "why do people suffer and why does God allow it"  This will go a long way to minister grace to you as i have compiled series of eye opener in the book about human existence and the relationship towards knowing the true GOD, which will be the basis of your success in all sphere of life, and if you are blessed by this ministration, then do not hesitate to like our page on facebook (Youth and Single Empowerment Club, YASEC), where we come together as a movement in all strategic part of the country, hold mighty crusade and revival session, and edify ourself by his word and above all sing deep long hour praises to God and invite artist to keep us lively in the lord. Like our page where you will be getting my online free publications of touching God message and your experience will never remain the same.

May the lord bless you as you do.

Personal Contact:

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Copyright© Femi .S. Olomola 2016

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electronically, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

Publish by

Wefos Project Int'l Limited 

Elelewon, Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria. 

Tel: 07010795629 

Email: [email protected]

First Published [summary Edition] 2016

ISBN: 978-978-953-658-0