Chapter 3 - Not Automatic
Jesus rebuked Peter because Jesus was putting into effect the principle of the God-Kind of Faith, and without that, there would have been now resurrection. If He had not said it, it would not have come to pass. You need to hear what I am telling you. He had to live just like you – He was you example. When you know you are about to die in the natural, you must start declaring what God has said. You need to tell anything that would keep you from doing that, to “get behind me get out o fmy house and out of my way. Sorry, I cannot hangout with you anymore because you are ruining my resurrection.” The resurrection came to pass because Jesus exercised the God-Kind of Faith. We must destroy the religious spirit that we have been under that makes us think the plans of God are automatic. It was not ever automatic for Jesus. In Mark 11:23-24, Jesus said, “Whoever says and …believes that those things He says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” He said you are not going to get what you pray; you are going to get what you say.
For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast in to the sea,” and does not doubt in his hear, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says (Mark 11:23).
That is why I am telling you whatsoever you desire when you pray, believe you receive. I am telling you to believe you receive when you pray, because you are not going to get what you pray, you are going to get what you say. I am telling you to believe that you receive when you pray, so that right after you pray, you will say, “I have what I just prayed for.” When you say, “I have what I just prayed for,” you will have what you say because you do not get what you pray, you get what you say. (Read these lines again!) That is why a lot of people pray who for deliverance, do not receive it. After they prayed to be delivered, they do not say “I am free.” Your saying and your praying are not in agreement – You do not get what you pray; you get what you say.
Only when what you say is in alignment with what you pray will you see it come to pass or manifested with regularity. Putting this principle into effect assured Jesus of the resurrection. It was the will of God for Him to die and be resurrected, but just because it was God’s will did not mean it was going to happen. As the Word of God was revealed to him, Jesus grew in the knowledge that He was going to die and be raised again the third day. He began to put into effect the vital principle of faith – speaking what He believed!
Jesus had to exercise His faith to be resurrected. It was the will of God but the will of God does not have to be done in the earth unless someone exercises their faith. The will of God will not be done in your life – even though you know it – if you do not exercise your faith because the will of God is not automatic. People think, “Well, once I know God’s will, everything will be all right.” No, everything will not be all right. If you do not exercise your faith, you can know God’s will and miss it by a thousand miles.
