First, let us define "believing". How can we be expected to be effective followers if we don't have clear definitions and concepts than explain what exactly that means.
I say that believing is an action. It is acting in accordance with your confession.
It is not simply "holding a belief" or "having faith", which are both passive states and describe more what you have - like faith. (faith without works is dead!). Believing is to be-living what you confess. When I say "I believe that we should feed the poor" but I never seemed to do it myself I am not really believing it. When the man came to Jesus and asked him to heal his son - to which Jesus replied, "Doest thou believe", He was asking, "Are you acting in accordance with your confession?" The man replies " I believe (I do act in accordance with the confession that You can heal, in fact, that's exactly whay I am doing by asking!), help thou my unbelief (help me, please, when I do not act, when I sit still and don't take that step of faith)." If I confess that the Lord Jesus is the Savior of the world and lives in me personally, but never let Him out... then I am not living it, I am not truly believing, I am not a "believer" in the sense that you can know me by my love.
Receiving what the Lord would deliver us is to take full possession of it. If you speak a word over me, and it is from the Lord, and I do not take full possession of it - if I have not received it, then I am not in the will of God for that thing to come to pass in my life. Christ died for me, while I was yet a sinner. If I don't receive that, I am still yet a sinner.
When I put these things together I see that even were I to take full possession of it, but not believe it as we have said, that I do not demonstrate the ownership of that which I have confessed, then how is it to come to pass in my life. Had Pete not stepped out of the boat he would have forever been saying, "I know that in Christ, because He commanded it, I can walk on water... I just didn't that's all... didn't feel like it... didn't see the need in believing it, or demonstrating God's power in the situation. But believe me, He is real."
This may not have brought any clarity to the situation, and it borders on a very thin line of our work verses His work, but unless we are willing to let Him live through us and we are willing to do what we confess we can do in Christ Jesus, we can actually be saying to Christ, "I know that through You I can do all things, and I know that You want us to be lights to the world... I receive that. But I just choose not to act according to that confession." I want to say I want to obey... just don't obey.
Receive what the Lord has done for you and desires to give you. Then, demonstrate the power of that gift - a life in Christ Jesus lived in the power of the Spirit and love of the Father - by believing it.
Show the world our Savior.
SDG
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