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SCRIPTURE - Mark 11:24                                                          September, 2003

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

SUBJECT - NAME IT, AND CLAIM IT!!!!

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The subject for this month, is one of the most basic, and yet, the most misunderstood, and abused passages of scripture in the bible.

When I get through, many of you will see the point that I am going to make, in a whole new light. Others of you, will, no doubt, be offended, but, still, I have to do, and say, what God has directed me to.

First, take a good long look at the subject scripture.

What is it saying to you?? First, we see, that it is Jesus, that is speaking. And, as a matter of practice, substitute your name, in place of 'you.' In other words, make it personal.

Next, we see the term 'What things soever ye desire,' meaning that He is giving us an open ended range of things, to desire. But, we have to read on further.

It then says, 'when ye pray,' He is now telling us the first step to address these desires, and that is, through prayer, talking to Him. But, it goes on further.

He then says, 'believe that ye receive them,' Now, He stipulates an action, that on our part, exhibits faith in Him, and His Word. And what is the result of this??? 'ye shall have them.'

This, is the fundamental root scripture that has caused so much controversy in the church today, and I want to clear it up for you.

The true Church today, is divided on this issue. One group says, that Jesus is saying, you can have any and everything you want, no matter what the case is, money, riches, cars, luxury, and you name it. All you have to do, is ask Him, then go out and start claiming it.

Well, this type of mindset, though valid, can lead to abuses, which in turn will lead to your destruction.

How??

Because, first of all, when it comes to our 'desires', we are usually talking about things that will please 'us (our flesh). And our flesh, is selfish, greedy, full of pride, and an enemy of God, and we are told to mortify the deeds, or nature of the flesh. Our desires, as children of God, should be, to please the Father, just like Jesus did. So, we would only want (desire) those things that God wants (desires) for us.

Now, does this mean that we can't have all of these things?? No.

What it means is that God knows whether you have a need for these things, and if the need, is there, He will supply them. And usually, when you have a legitimate need for something, all you have to remember is this scripture, 'Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Seek His will and purpose for your life, and He will supply you with what you need.

A lot of saints today, are confusing needs, with foolish desires. A man, needs a job. He needs a way to get to and from work. He needs a place to stay. He needs clothes and shoes. And yet, while he needs a car, it doesn't have to be a Rolls Royce. While he needs a place to stay, it doesn't have to be a $1,000,000 dollar house.

Then, we have those that say that this name it and claim it stuff, is foolishness.

And here is where I have a problem with them.

First, the subject scripture validates it, because Jesus said it. He said, ask what you want, believe you have received it, and you shall have it.' There is no doubt about it. This is name it and claim it.

However, through observation, I have seen where the problem comes in, that causes these people to reject this type of action. If it is not because of the abuses of those that follow the scripture, it is because of their own self righteousness, or unbelief.

How so?? Because they figure, that if God hasn't done for them, what they asked of Him, then He must not do it at all. They figure, that they are so righteous and close to God, that it has to be the way they think it is. It never dawns on them, that they may not be as righteous, or operating in faith, the way Jesus said they should, to receive what they need, as they think.

The whole problem, usually comes down to, a lack of faith, on their part.

The subject scripture gives us the exact formula for receiving our desires, and that is, after asking, believe that I have received what I asked for, even though I haven't physically, received it. That, my friend, is walking by faith, and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7).

It doesn't take faith to ask for something. But, it does take a whole lot of faith to confess, and act as if you have received it, when there is no physical manifestation of it. It makes you look like a total idiot to those in the church, operating in the flesh, let alone, the world.

But, what should we care??

I remember when I was a child, about 7 or 8, and how I used to love to go out and play with my friends, especially on the weekends, and during the summer.

Well, one day, I went out, and all of my friends had gone off on their bikes, and I had no one to play with, and because I didn't have a bike, I was in total despair. I went in to the house bawling about how I didn't have a bike, and all of my friends had one.

My mother, who was raising me by herself, told me to call my dad, and ask him to get me a bike, which I did. When I asked him for one, I was still very sad. But, as soon as he said, he would get me one, it was like winning the biggest lottery in the world. All of the sadness left me, and I was jumping for joy all over the place. I went back out, and my friends had come back, and I ran and told them, 'I have a bike!!! I have a bike!!' Now, it was obvious to them and anyone else, that I didn't have it then, and my dad hadn't bought it yet, but what was I doing?? I was operating in faith, in his word. He said it, so I believed him.

Now, if I could do this, for a man, even though he was my dad, and only human, meaning he could have failed me, how much more, should I believe what God has told me, and act accordingly?

You know, if you think about it, all of us that are saved, operate in this principle on one basic level, that, in some aspects, requires more faith than what is needed for these earthly things.

All of us, even those that reject the name it and claim it doctrine, will respond to the question, 'Are you saved?' with a definite 'yes.'

Why is that?? It takes more faith in God's word to believe something you won't see until after you die, if the rapture doesn't take place first, than it does for something that you can see today. We will do it because of what the bible says about it.

Here is where most Christians fail in this area. Jesus said, once you have prayed, 'believe that you have received it.' Most saints, will ask God for something, over and over again. If you are asking for the same thing over and over, then that means you haven't received it yet, doesn't it?? But Jesus said, 'believe you have received it.'

You can't believe you have received something, if you are still acting as if you haven't.

Some saints will site the parable of the woman and the unjust judge, Luke 18:1 - 8. In this story, Jesus refers to 3 personalities, a woman, an adversary, and an unjust judge. If you don't know, a parable is an earthly example of a spiritual truth.

The woman is being tormented by her adversary, evidently another person. She goes to a judge, to get, what is tantamount to a restraining order against this individual. At first the judge wouldn't do anything. But, the woman kept bothering him until he finally gives in and gives her what she wants.

Then Jesus says look at what this judge said, and He then goes on to say how the Father does things speedily, to relieve us.


People like to say, see,,,, the woman had to ask over and over for the same thing, so why are you saying I am doing something wrong?? Because if you want to use this as an example, then that means you will have to put God in the role of being the unjust judge, which is blasphemy. The unjust judge stated, that he neither feared God, nor regarded man. Does that sound like God??

Jesus then says, 'Luke 18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, ..... To many, that may be what they feel is license to ask over and over. What I believe it actually means is asking Him for things all of the time, not the same thing. Example, some people depend on God so much, that they consistently ask Him for everything as the need arises. They get in their car and ask Him to protect them as they go to and fro. They ask Him to bless their food, at each meal. They ask Him to bless them on their jobs, or outings. They ask Him to bless their families. They won't make a move without asking God for His blessing.

People like these, will more likely get what they want more speedily, because, they have total dependence on God, while others may feel they will only ask God for something, when they feel they can't handle it themselves. The key is, total dependence on God, so much so, that you realize, without Him, you would surely fail, and fall. It does not mean crying to Him day and night about the same thing. If it did, then it would be a contradiction to the subject verse.

Some people, because God, they feel, hasn't answered their prayer about something, will not ask Him for anything else, until they get what they want, first. This is foolishness.

Using myself as an example, there have been times when I was in pain, and I asked God for healing. After I prayed, I thanked Him for my healing, even though I was still in pain. If a person came up to me, and I was still in pain and they asked me how I was feeling, I would say something along the lines of 'blessed' or 'real good', not giving any confession of being in pain. After all, if I believe I have received healing, then I shouldn't go around confessing that I am still in pain.

I know this flies directly in the face of logic, but that is what faith does.

I realize that there are many good, and God fearing saints, that are crippled, lame, blind and more, that feel like I am somehow taking a swipe at them, and that is not the case at all. Some may be weak in this area or even ignorant of it. Others have accepted their condition, and are there to encourage others that they can make it, despite of their circumstances. But, the bottom line is, we can't use them as an example and say, because they are in that condition, then we should throw out the subject verse.

There are many saints today, in all denominations, that don't believe in divine healing. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It just means these people just won't experience it, unless they change their belief system.

Another thing, there was a brother in the bible, that Paul asked the saints to pray for, because he was sick. Many would say, see, some saints are meant to get sick, and stay that way. Well, my response to that is this. We don't know what the man did or wasn't doing to get in that condition in the first place, and we don't know if he got healed or not. You can't let an example of a person in the bible, contradict what Jesus says.

Paul, had a thorn in the flesh, this was something that Paul asked for deliverance from, but God told him that he should bear it. That thorn was a messenger of Satan, that was specifically assigned to Paul, to cause trouble, wherever he went to preach. That is basically the same thing that happened with Jesus, and what happens when any man or woman of God, who dares to preach the truth. That is something that I don't ask God to deliver me from.

So there you have it. I hope things are clearer for you now. God has given you an open door for deliverance, use it, the right way.
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