Receiving From God

We receive from the Lord in the same way that people in the Bible received from the Lord—whether it is salvation, healing, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, or some other gift God has provided. We receive by faith.

This fact is emphasized in James 1:5–7, which tells us what to do if we are lacking something in our life. The Apostle James said that we are to ask of God, but instructs us to ask in faith in order to receive.

JAMES 1:5–7
5  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.
6  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.
7  For let not that man think that he shall receive ANY THING of the Lord.

James begins this passage talking about receiving wisdom, but he ends the passage talking about receiving anything. Well, healing, or anything else the Word promises, is certainly included in “anything,” because “anything” includes all things!

Does “anything” also include the baptism in the Holy Spirit? Certainly, it does. And a person receives the baptism in the Holy Spirit the same way he or she receives anything else from God—by faith.

GALATIANS 3:55  He [Paul] therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

The Bible tells us how the Apostle Paul was able to minister the baptism in the Holy Spirit and to work miracles among the people. It was “…by the hearing of faith.” But if we’re not careful, we’ll think, Well, yes, but Paul was an apostle, and God endowed the apostles with special power. If we had their same power and anointing, we could do the things they did. But Galatians 3:5 just told us exactly how Paul ministered! He did it by the hearing of faith! In other words, those people received from God through Paul’s ministry by their hearing faith preached to them.

Culled from rhema.org