D
In verse 24 the Lord Jesus said, “All things that you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and you will have them”:
１
Received is the crucial word in Mark 11:24; faith is believing that we have received what we have asked for.
２
The promise in this verse is comprehensive because it speaks of “all things.”
３
Mark 11:24 speaks not only of the necessity of faith but also of the nature of faith; faith refers to the past, not to anything in the future.
４
According to the Lord's word, we should believe that we have received, not that we will receive—v. 24.
５
To hope means to expect something in the future; to believe means to consider something as having been done.
６
Faith is not only believing that God can or will do a certain thing but also believing that God has done that thing already.
E
If we pray according to God's will for the fulfillment of His economy, we are one with God and have the assurance that we have received what we have prayed for—Matt. 6:9-10:
１
If we ask the Lord for things that satisfy our desire, we can never have the faith in God to believe that we have received what we asked for; this is because our prayer is not according to God's will for the fulfillment of God's economy.
２
If we are absolutely one with God, we can have God as our faith and pray according to the knowledge of God's will for the fulfillment of His economy, and we will believe that we have already received the things that we asked for and will receive them—Mark 11:24.
Morning Nourishment
Mark 11:22-24 And Jesus answered and said to them, Have faith in God. Truly I say to you that whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says happens, he will have it… All things that you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and you will have them.The promise of Mark 11:24 is very comprehensive. It is one of the biggest verses in the Bible. John 3:16 speaks of “everyone,” but this verse speaks of “all things.” John 3:16 tells us that “everyone who believes into Him… would have eternal life”; Mark 11:24 tells us that “all things that you pray and ask… you will have them.” This is a very comprehensive verse; “all things” includes everything. But this verse has a condition: we must believe. If we do not have faith, we cannot have what we ask for. This verse not only tells us of the necessity of faith but also the nature of faith. (CWWN, vol. 46, p. 1211)
Today’s Reading
The nature of faith… [is not] the necessity of faith—this is apparent. The question is about how to believe, and [Mark 11:24] is the only verse which answers this question. “Believe that you have received them, and you will have them.” How should we believe? “Believe that you have received.” The way to believe is not that we will receive or can receive or that we are able to receive or are going to receive, but that we already have received. Faith is that we have received, not that we will receive one day… Believing with all our heart that we can receive or that we are going to receive… is hope, not faith… What is in the future is always hope, not faith. Our Lord did not say, “You must believe that you are going to receive.” On the contrary, He said, “You must believe that you have already received.” It is something already done by God, something given to us by God. Whenever our faith is in the future, it is not faith but hope. (CWWN, vol. 46, p. 1211)Let us consider the meaning of a living faith. Only after we know what a living faith is can we exercise this faith… Everyone knows the word faith, but the faith of many people is not truly faith; their faith does not produce any effect on them. The Bible tells us that the old man is dead. Many people say that they believe this, but their faith is not effectual. They do not seem to have died at all.
To many people, faith is merely a mental consent; it is not a genuine believing in the heart. In their mind they agree that something is good and logical. Brothers and sisters, never consider this as faith; this is merely a mental reckoning. After one hears a doctrine, he may appreciate its excellence and logic. But knowing a good doctrine does not mean that one has faith in the doctrine.
Mark 11:24… is the only place in the entire Bible that tells us what faith is… Faith is believing that we have already received… Only one kind of faith is acceptable to God. The word have in Mark 11:24 is a very important word. If we believe that we have received something, we will have it. If we hope that we will receive it, whatever we have is not faith.
[Faith] is saying, after [a sinner] prays, “Thank God, my sins have all been forgiven by the Lord! Thank God, I am already saved!” Perhaps he will say this with tears in his eyes. This is faith… It is not believing that our sins can be forgiven or will be forgiven but believing that our sins are forgiven. Many people are clear at the time of their salvation what faith is. They believe that they are already saved, not that they will be saved or forgiven. But when they hear the next step of the truth, they give up the faith that they had before. At the time they are saved, they believe that they have already received. But when it comes to the next step of the truth, they can only believe that they will receive… After they are saved, they have no faith concerning Christ’s work in the other areas. (CWWN, vol. 43, pp. 628-631)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 46, chs. 179-180; CWWN, vol. 43, ch. 74; CWWN, vol. 6, pp. 879-885; CWWN, vol. 41, ch. 14