When I was born again in 2008, the love of God was almost overwhelming. As an adult, I had only been to church pretty much as a CEO: Christmas and Easter Only. I certainly had no idea that Jesus literally meant what He said in Mark 11:24, “Whatever things you desire, believe you have received them when you pray, and you shall have them.”

Later, I started attending a church, and I did become focused on trying so hard to live up to Jesus’ teachings and some of the Mosaic Law! I say, “some” simply because it was just whatever was trending at the moment.

Sin Trends

If you are fat, you ignore what the law says about gluttony or twist it to mean something else. If you are divorced, it is the x-spouse’s fault so you can’t be held accountable for that. God forbid, if you are homosexual, you hide it, find a church that doesn’t focus on it because they know you are there, or just start a church. Whatever you do, make sure you point out other people’s sins, smoking, drinking, debt, pride, etc. so you don’t have to deal with your own even though the Bible says that we have all done it!

Jesus Hates Religion

If you weren’t rebellious enough to get up and walk out during the service, you might wind up in tears at the altar during the altar call. I used to wonder why I would get so angry and nauseated at church! It’s because Jesus hates man’s religion!

Jesus talking to the church:

So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:16

The Apostle Paul talking about the church:

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 3:5

You cannot be a man-pleaser and be a true disciple of Jesus! You can be born again and barely getting by like I was, but that is not God’s best for you! Be a disciple! Choose life and that more abundantly!

New Creation

What makes Jesus sick, makes me sick because He abides in me! I am a new creature because of what Jesus has already done.

Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. He gives me the desires of my heart-His desires-in other words-YouWillWantTo do His will. That’s why Mark 11:24 says, “Whatever things you desire, believe you have received them when you pray, and you shall have them.”

Holy Spirit

Religion that I had found so prevalent in every church I attended was not good, but it kept me coming back to Jesus’ finished work. I was also reading and studying the Bible and getting some revelation of God’s love. The particular denomination I was attending believes in the trinity but not in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Not knowing this, I had prayed to be filled with the Holy Ghost because I read it in the Bible. Thank You, Jesus!!! I knew there was nothing I could do to obey this command from the Apostle Paul except ask!

There was no manifestation or “proof” of speaking in tongues for me at that time. I had been in enough religious settings that I knew I didn’t want that “weird thing.” I have found out since then that the Holy Ghost is not weird; He is God! Religious people are weird; and mean as hell. I know firsthand because I was one of them.

I Wanted To Be Filled!

Having never seen a “Holy Spirit filling station, I asked to be filled just like I had asked to be saved. I knew without a doubt that I was saved. Now, I also knew without a doubt that I was filled with the Holy Spirit! I still didn’t put that with Jesus literally meaning, “Whatever things you desire, believe you have received them when you pray, and you shall have them.”

Speaking in tongues and the many benefits of being baptized in the Holy Spirit are mentioned way too much in the Bible for me not to decide I wanted that too. I couldn’t make myself speak in an unknown language though. It was still just too weird! I tried for years!

Hunger and Thirst

I knew how to be hungry and thirsty for food, but I wanted to hunger and thirst for His righteousness. Again, I asked! God’s will is not a mystery! It is written in His Word: ” Whatever things you desire, believe you have received them when you pray, and you shall have them.”

Because I desired and asked, I would get up at 2 o’clock in the morning to read and study the Bible for hours before I had to start cooking breakfast and getting everyone off to work and school etc. I had spent years trying to understand the Bible before I was born again. Being able to understand was miraculous!

The Bible is no ordinary book! Before being born again, I didn’t understand it, and the enemy was able to steal it out of my heart.

The Theif Comes To Steal

And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

The sower sows the word.

And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

Mark 4:13-15

The Word is the Seed!

Jesus explains that The Parable of the Sower is key to understanding all parables. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God! If you don’t understand what you are hearing, the enemy comes immediately to take away the Word that was sown! If the enemy can take away the seed, how can you believe the Word? How can you mature by reason of use when you don’t even understand what you’re supposed to be using?

But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:14

One Sunday, I was talking with a lady at church about the Bible. She asked me something about the beatitudes. The What? She had to show me. Oh, yes, I had read it before, but I didn’t know it was called the beatitudes. I was unlearned in the doctrines of man just enough that I could believe what I did understand in the Bible!

Knowledge of God

Jesus said that life eternal is knowing Him. Knowing God is His will for your life. Why not ask right now for His will to be done in earth as it is in heaven? Do you desire to know Him more? He is love. Ask for a revelation of His amazing love for you and the whole world knowing that Jesus said and means, “Whatever things you desire, believe you have received them when you pray, and you shall have them.” I did and I do.

Now I understand when I would ask God, “Why did he cut her up and send her off in twelve pieces?” and “Why did King David kill that young man?” and “Why did Abraham do that…twice?” etc. God would say, “I have no idea!”

God is Good

He never even thought of such evil as people do!” Yes, God says that people do things that have never entered into His heart or mind! Following are three examples in the book of Jeremiah about people burning their own children worshipping a false god:

1. “…to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.” Jeremiah 7:31
2. “They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:” Jeremiah 19:5
3. “And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.” Jeremiah 32:35

Pie in the Sky?

I knew that I would have a mansion when I got to heaven. My husband was believing for a nicer house NOW! I had become just religious enough to know that I should be “satisfied with what I have now.” What I have is God’s will for my life; right? Long story short: I was riding in my car one day “secretly” admiring other people’s nicer homes and wondering why I wasn’t supposed to have one–in this life. You know, because if I was supposed to have one, God would just drop it down on me! Right? I felt the Lord in my spirit ask, “Why don’t you support Wesley and believe for that house he wants?”  I got so excited. We were in that very nice house within a few months. It was all miraculous. 

Freedom

I had believed in everything God has for me, but the only way I could see myself having those things: healing, a nice house, freedom from sin, shame, guilt, and condemnation was in heaven. Not now; not in this life. I would say that I had a mansion on a hill and have the greatest faith and confidence in that hope, but that was the only way I could receive the vision.

But God!!!

I want to emphasize that the above paragraphs describe a very sad and joyous time in my life. The truth that God would make a way for me, even me, was crazy overwhelming. I had tried for years to understand Christianity and longed to go to church and feel like I actually belonged there. Finally, I did! Thankfully, I was so excited about finally being able to read and understand the Bible that I asked in prayer for a hunger and thirst for His Word and His righteousness!

Spiritual Warfare

There was an all-out war raging between what I was getting hours every day with Jesus and what I was getting at church and from the world! I love and miss my many church families! That’s right, I attended so many different churches of many different denominations and of course nondenominational churches that I jokingly called myself a church hopper.

The people in church love my family and God. Many of them were just as confused and deceived as I was. Many times my husband and I both wondered if the people in the church were reading the same Bible we were reading! It was a pitiful and desperate time in our lives!

The Love and Faithfulness of God

The love of God and His faithfulness let me know I could hear His voice. When He spoke that Word to me in the car, hope was conceived in me that I would have a nice house NOW! Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God!

Doubt and Unbelief Were Lost

I already had a new house in my heart and mind! Jesus said, “Whatever things you desire, believe you have received them when you pray, and you shall have them.” I suddenly desired a new house because I knew God wanted me to have it. I believed I had already received it because God is not a man that He should lie!

I was able to participate in the process of buying that house with absolutely no doubt or unbelief–they were lost! All of it was completely effortless on my part! Hallelujah!

The Big Snag

Even when we ran into a “big” snag. Wesley marveled at my faith and bragged on me for a while.

It didn’t “look” like we were going to get the house. The underwriters found a problem, and we had no solution.

We were in the truck headed to get this huge $300 dining room table when we got the phone call that we weren’t getting the house. This table would not fit in our current home. It was a very expensive table that Wesley had found dirt cheap at an estate sale. If we didn’t go ahead and get the table, it would be gone.

I just looked over at my husband and said with such great confidence, “We are going to get that table and put it in our new house!” Hallelujah! We were days away from closing and had already made arrangements to move the table in. There was literally nowhere else to put it. 

We closed on schedule, and the table was perfect for our new dining room! Hallelujah!

Believing is Seeing!

Therefore I say unto you, Whatever things you desire, believe you have received them when you pray, and you shall have them.

Mark 11:24

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that I was supposed to get that house and that table. That was a specific Word from God for my family at that specific time. I was only able to receive that specific Word from God because I was filled with His Spirit and diligently seeking Him.

My Sheep Hear My Voice

For the longest time, I thought John 10:27 was only talking about the written Word of God. If we don’t know the Bible and what is written, we will not be able to discern His voice about our specific life choices. But God does want to speak to us concerning every “little” thing in our lives because He loves us!

Don’t Give Up

There is no telling where my life would be now if I had only believed God and His Word! As amazingly abundant as my life is now, the best is yet to come. From this point forward I choose to only believe!

Unfortunately, I continued trying to incorporate man’s philosophy and some of my other experiences into faith. I had wanted to fit in for so long, and I didn’t want to give that up! We lost that house and had to move back into the same one we had moved out of. I don’t even remember what happened to that table.

We cannot walk by physical sight and faith! We cannot neglect to spend time with God and expect anything from Him. This is not because He wants to punish us! Why would He not give us ALL things if He was willing to give us His Son??? He has already done it all, but we have to know how to receive everything He has for us. The more you get to know Him, the more YouWillWantTo.

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Romans 8:32