THE 11/11 FACTOR (From Mark 11 & Hebrews 11) A LESSON ON RECEIVING

Before you can conceive, you first have to believe.

You receive whatever you conceive.

Conceiving comes through conversation and intimacy.

In conversation you ask and receive.

To receive your promise you must embrace your seed.

To receive your promise you must say you have it.

To receive in the end you must believe to the end.

Mark 11:22-24  22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

HEBBREWS 11: 11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 

BELIEVE, CONCEIVE RECEIVE

Mark 11 (THE FIRST 11) teaches to believe God, and then have a conversation with God and others (including what stands in the way,) about what you are believing.  Believe that you receive them right there.  The bible says if you do this you will have what you say!  That's what the bible teaches.

This is not some formulaic robotic speech that I'm talking about.  When you truly believe you will say what's in your heart!

"Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks! (Luke 6:45b)

Hebrews 11 (THE 2ND 11)  shows two things:

1.  A promise must be conceived and a promise must be carried. At the end of the gestation period you receive the promise.

2.  Sarah believed God that she was able and faithful and brought to birth a promise that came years later at a time when it was literally impossible to receive and yet it came.

HOW LONG?  (AS LONG AS IT TAKES!)

Hebrews 11 also teaches how long to believe God for something. Abraham and Sarah believed for close to 100 years!  They were a young couple when they left their home land and Sarah became pregnant at 99 years old!  Abraham never saw his promise fulfilled on earth with his natural eyes and yet it was fulfilled.  There are some things you may not see this side of heaven but that doesn't mean they won't be done!  If you can't believe until death, you aren't really believing!

If you haven't believed for 100 years, you aren't qualified for Hebrews 11 faith!  That's not something people like to hear yet it's where God wants us to walk!

HEBREWS 11:  13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

DON'T HAVE LAZY FAITH

Some may use the above passage as an excuse to get lazy in faith but Abraham never got lazy in faith. He believed the promise of God during his walk and did not become lazy in faith saying, "Oh everything will come to pass in heaven!"  Remember this did not come to pass in heaven. It came to pass on earth. It was Abraham that was in heaven yet his people were on earth walking in the promises he believed God for!  Don't ever give up.... no not ever!  Abraham believed God and walked it out! Along the way he glorified God with his mouth!  We have to do the same!

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; (Romans 4:20)

If God has given you specific timing then it will surely come to pass by that time.  Here are some examples:

• Sarah was told about when she would deliver Isaac.
• Mary was told approximately when she would deliver Jesus!
• Daniel was told Babylonian captivity would last 70 years and was also given end time secrets on timing!

Those are only a few!

MORE ON 11- THE SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL

Hebrews also gives us the summary of it all in verse 1.  Faith is now.  Now we believe and now we receive.

There are things God has promised that we can have now!  We should walk about in health, love, love, joy, peace, and prosperity now!  We should walk around with the fruits of the Spirit now! We should see the evidence of God's work in our lives now! The Holy Spirit lives inside of us now and his power is available now!  Faith is now and the promises of God are now!  We have to believe that we receive NOW!

HEBREWS 11:1 NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

But, there were many others that were not given timing and the requirement to receive was to believe until the end.  There are some things that God has timing for and you will have to wait on God's timing!  If you walk away from the promise even before death you will never receive it but if you believe to the end, you will surely receive!

And that my friend is my 11/11 FACTOR in a nutshell!