SCRIPTURE: NEHEMIAH 2:7-8
“And I said to the king, ‘if it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.’ And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.”
OBSERVATION:
After asking, comes receiving. The receiving of faith is very different than experience the outcome of faith. We receive the answer in our spirits long before we see the results. Jesus put it best:
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” – MARK 11:24
Notice that we receive it, and then it becomes ours. In the scripture in Nehemiah, he receives the answers from the king, but it was some time before he saw the results of the king’s answer. Nehemiah received a letter, but there was a lot of work and effort between receiving the letter and experiencing the power that the letter brought. This is the way faith operates. We received the answer or the confident assurance of things hoped for. Then as we move forward, we begin to see what we received in our spirit become a reality in our lives.
God wants you to grow in your faith during The Story Initiative faith journey. He wants you to receive your commitment by faith and then move forward and work through you. God wants you to have a “letter” from Him that carries authority and provision to see the vision happen. Today receive by faith what God wants to do through you.
APPLICATION:
Prayer is the key to receiving from god. As you look at your commitment to The Story Initiative, pray until you receive faith for it. Pray until you know that God is going to come through on your behalf. This does not mean you will not doubt sometimes, but your faith will be stronger than doubt because it carries authority.
PRAYER:
“Jesus, today help me to receive from you. Give me the faith and confidence that I need during this faith journey. I want to believe with great confidence that you are able to provide a miracle in my life.”