Summary

To receive anything from God, it is important to understand what He has made available for us. The Bible tells us that God will provide all of our needs in life; in fact, He has already done this, and He is waiting for us to accept it. This is a serious commitment God made to us, because the Scriptures say that all, not just some, of our needs will be met. Jesus fulfilled that commitment when He went to the cross two thousand years ago, but some Christians still operate as if this never happened. Believers must know what to do to lay hold of what is available to us. There are spiritual laws that govern provision and receiving, and we must be aware of these laws. Knowing how they operate helps us to move into a position to receive.

1. Everything we need has already been provided in the Word of God.
   1. God promises He will provide everything we need. Our provisions have been put inside a seed, which is His Word.
      1. The Bible says that God will supply all our need according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
      2. God has already made available everything we need that pertains to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
   2. The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred (Mark 4:14-20).
      1. The seed is the Word of God. The Scriptures say we are born again by incorruptible seed, which is the Word (1 Peter 1:23). This seed never fails, and always produces.
      2. When we encounter a situation, we need to find the seed in the Word we can apply to that particular issue. The seed works for everyone: God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).
      3. The Word of God is seed, water, and light that changes us from the inside.
      4. God operates secretly and quietly, but surely. The Word is not a fable, but the truth.
      5. When we sow a seed, the ground must be good. People with "wayside” hearts do not understand God’s Word (Matthew 13:19).
      6. We must not just hear this parable, but understand it deeply enough to “get” it.
      7. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding (Proverbs 4:7).
      8. When we meditate on the Word day and night, we will make our way prosperous and have good success (Joshua 1:8).
   3. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you (John 15:16).
      1. God intends for us to be fruitful. The Word is not the variable that determines if we will see harvest; the variable will always be our hearts.
      2. We should not simply hear the Word, but receive it. We receive it if our ground is good and our hearts are right. We must not get distracted from it.

2. Our hearts must be good in order for the seed to take root and grow.
   1. My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings…Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee (Proverbs 4:20, 24, 25).
      1. There are plenty of things we can attend to, but God deliberately tells us to listen to His Word. Everything that concerns us is contained in the seed of the Word.
      2. When God gives us a vision, Satan’s attack is to try to distract us and give us two visions. The enemy wants us to focus on something other than the Word.
   2. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, healing  and health to all their flesh. Keep  and guard your heart with all vigilance  and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:21-23, AMPC).
      1. The enemy tries to get us to uproot the seed from the center of our hearts. He will use lack, problems, persecution, tribulation, or any other means he can to do this.
      2. The three gates that allow entrance into the heart are the eyes, the ears, and the mouth. The three ways to get seed into our ground are what we see, what we hear, and what we say. We must place the guards at each entrance of each gate.
      3. We have a right to choose what seeds we plant, and we will reap the harvest. Sometimes we make the wrong decision and discover our mistake later.
      4. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12).
   3. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Romans 5:5).
      1. When our hearts are pure, we will not struggle with the things that make others feel ashamed or guilty. To a person with a pure heart, all things are pure. It is okay for us to enjoy life.
      2. The love of God that has already been poured into our hearts is the fertilizer that makes the soil of our hearts work.
      3. When we know God loves us, we can love others. The enemy will try to contaminate our good soil by introducing things like fear, stress, or strife.
      4. We have inside of us the authority to determine what kind of life we have, and we use that measure for our own return.
      5. 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 (Luke 6:38).
      6. We must learn to think right so that what comes out of our mouths will line up with God’s Word. If we live this way, when we begin seeing our dreams come to pass, we can declare, “This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23).

Scripture References