Believe, Receive, Give
posted on January 22nd, 2010 / by Rebecca Gates / 16 CommentsIn Matthew 10:1-8, Jesus called His disciples together and gave them these instructions, “Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of God is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received.”
Before you click away because you are thinking this is another lofty teaching about healing, give God’s word another chance to transform your mind. For some reason we have no problem quoting and believing the part of this same passage where Jesus says, “Look I am sending you out as sheep among wolves.” Now that is something we can all relate to. We’ve been the lone Christian in the work place, the only one “not doing it” in our public high school, or maybe even the missionary smuggling Bibles into a closed country. But we have a hard time believing we can heal the sick! “Besides”, you might argue, “isn’t that scripture talking to the twelve disciples who are already dead?”
If you read Luke 10, the same story written by another person, you will discover that Jesus gave these instructions to 72 disciples, not just the 12 who were closest to Him. My point is this: we have been missing out on so many good gifts that the Father wants to give us simply because we refuse to receive His word with completely open hearts.
“Give as freely as you have received”. We have prayed for the sick to be healed, but then we add the disclaimer, “if it is your will”. We would rather explain away things like healing and deliverance or just skip over it in the word rather than be so bold as to receive it in our heart as truth.
I spent the first thirty some years of my life living like a spiritual orphan. I believed I was going to heaven because I received Jesus, but all that other stuff was for the truly godly ones, you know, the people behind the pulpits traveling around the world and writing books. I told myself that I was prideful if I ever dared to ask God for anything more. And yet my desire is to give my own children all that I have and more. I love baking them cookies because they think I’m the greatest baker. When they are sick there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to see them get better. I love to tell them how proud I am of them, even to just watch them grow and learn is my greatest delight. And I am not so unlike my heavenly Father in this way.
Something changed in me when I began to really pursue God whole-heartedly. I had a new revelation of His love untainted by religion. I pressed through my fear and religious beliefs one day after reading in 1 Corinthians 14:1, “Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives-especially the ability to prophesy.” There it was in black and white; the word of God telling me that I should desire these things and especially to prophesy because it strengthens and encourages and comforts others. That doesn’t sound prideful or selfish. So, awkwardly I muttered out a simple prayer asking God to give me the ability to prophesy because that’s what the Bible told me I should do. And, yes I received His word and gift freely, and therefore I have been able to freely give.
Have you found yourself skipping over passages in the Bible that seem too good to be true? What gift has your Father offered to you that you have rejected? Maybe it’s love or forgiveness of sin. Or maybe you are like I was and you just can’t believe that God would choose to move in a powerful way through you to minister to someone else. I assure you that He wants to equip you with everything you need to demonstrate His love and compassion to the lost and hurting just like Jesus and the disciples. Sometimes that may be an encouraging word, other times it may be to extend God’s healing touch to the sick. Whatever the need calls for, He has the answer. All we have to do is freely receive His word, His promises and trust Him in it. “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” Mark 16:17-18. This was the last thing Jesus said to the disciples before He was taken up to heaven and just after He gave the great commission. None of us will argue that we are to “go into all the world and preach the gospel, but we skip over the “frosting”.
I pray that today you would set aside all that you have been taught, all of your fears, inadequacies, and insecurities. Get alone with just you and your compassionate Father and ask Him to reveal the truth to you as you read what He has to say as if you were the only one in the world He wrote it for. Let it change your mind. Be transformed. Just receive.
Notice….FIRST comment of this great post!
Love this….”Let it change your mind. Be transformed. Just recieve.”
Here you go again, making me squirm and then causing me to reevaluate what I think all over again.
It’s one of the things i so love about you.
Great post, I’ll be doing some serious thinking on it today.
Loved it, love you! thanks for sharing your heart with us today!
Rebecca,
So, I guess I’m not the first to comment today!!:)
This was so good. I love how God is taking you to such deep places in your walk with Him to be able to freely share them with others around you. It is such a treasure to hear such wisdom from the words He has given you!!
I love the part where you said,”Something changed in me when I began to really pursue God whole-heartedly.I had a new revelation of His love untainted by religion.” I feel like that is me right now!! I feel as though He is taking me higher with Him and I am so excited about the journey!! You are an amazing daughter of the King and I love being apart of this life with you!!
Love You!!
~Maree
“Don’t skip over the frosting”.. love that! What a good word today! This encourages all of us to go deeper and not skip anything! It’s all His Word and if He says it, we should pray about it and expect great things! Thank you my dear friend. It is so evident in your life that God is doing such a great work in you, and has given much wisdom. Bless you!~
Enjoy the journey, Celeste
Loved what you had to say, Rebecca! It’s definitely a challenge to me to go deeper. You’re so right on!
Thank you for using your gift to inspire and encourage so many! Keep up the amazing work!
This really resonated with my heart today on such a deep level. I especially identified with your question about skipping over the passages that seem to good to be true. Thank you for challenging me…I will be chewing on this for awhile!
Love this truth! What a great word and encouragement for me and something that the Lord has really been showing me over the last 4 months! And your words are so true. We go around without our frosting as if He intended that just for “special” people. This has been my mindset for so long. I’m so thankful that I’ve finally taken off my “crazy glasses” and He has shown me the truth! Who wants cake without frosting anyway?!?
Thanks for the confirmation! I have been hemming and hawing about asking the Lord for a certain gift–I know I’m supposed to expect great things, but now I REALLy know. i love you-thanks for such an easy-read and heart to share~m
Bravo, Rebecca!
Your hunger after His gifts spurs me on… away from resignation and towards asking again, if that makes sense.
Thank you for reminding and exhorting us to pursue ALL that He has for us.
Rebecca, I love the part where you wrote about how you love to bake cookies for your children, take care of them when they are sick, and take great delight in them. That example makes it easier to grasp God’s love toward us. Thank you for challenging us not to “settle” for less than God’s best. You are a beautiful lady.
Great message Rebecca.
The Lord did the exact same thing in me several years back with the verse about prophesying. Then I thought it was only for a few, now I can’t imagine life without God giving specific words to me and to others through me.
18 months ago I started a “tradition.” At least one season out of the year, I start asking God – show me where my beliefs don’t line up with Yours. I spend several weeks letting Him show me things and asking Him to change my heart and mind to agree with His. I want HIS heart. It always amazes me the “religious” things that have me thinking wrong or even denying His Word. It also never fails that He does something truly AMAZING as I align my beliefs with His truth. (The first time He gave me Psalms 127 and I was pregnant with Jonathan before I even came into complete agreement with Him.
I guess He knew I’d come around – and what a SWEET blessing I got out of it!
Sorry for rambling! Thanks for the great word!
Love ya girl,
Kisha
BOOM! Look at my little evangelist go!! I have also been enjoying the regular miny sermons lately at home!
Love ya
T
Thank you for this awesome word Rebecca!! Stepping out in the amazing gifts that God has freely given us will enable those around us to know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Our world needs God’s loving touch!! This is a wonderful reminder!!!
“…skip over the frosting”
Not sure I’ve ever heard that word used to describe God’s Word, but I LOVE it! Who doesn’t smile at the thought of frosting? What a perfect word picture for the sweetness and goodness of God’s Word!
I love the way you avoided the preachiness that could have come from this and just shared your heart with us. Isn’t that what makes God’s message so incredibly easy to receive? It’s His heart flowing through one of ours and into the ears of His children.
“Get alone with just you and your compassionate Father and ask Him to reveal the truth to you as you read what He has to say as if you were the only one in the world He wrote it for.”
Loved this line! As if I were the only one He wrote it for…a new perspective and outlook for me!
Babs
R-
I have watched you believe, receive, and give in your own life and your a different person because of it!!! Thanks for inspiring others to the freedoms you’ve found in His word. I know this heart was encouraged to embrace miracles, He said we can have um … I wanna see um!!! Holla, YES, and AMEN!
Love you lovin’ HIM!
~Ris
I’m always so thankful to hear that God is able to use my struggles and victories to encourage others. Thank you for your comments.