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The following blog is a summary of a message preached by Pastor Eddie Lawrence.

Watch the Sermon HERE!

Many believers struggle to experience the fullness of what God has provided for them. While we may know about God's promises intellectually, we often fail to benefit from and enjoy what He's made available because we don't understand how to receive from God. The good news is that you can stop striving and start receiving by following three simple, biblical steps that lead to supernatural rest.

What Does It Mean to Receive from God?

The foundation of receiving from God begins with understanding how we become His children. In John 1:12, we read: "But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name."

Notice how receiving and believing are coupled together. Those who look upon Jesus and receive Him by believing in Him are given the authority (the Greek word "exousia") to become children of God. This isn't just a right—it's divine authorization to be part of God's family.

Have You Received Christ Jesus as Lord?

The passage in Colossians 2:6 provides crucial insight: "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him." This verse reveals two important truths:

First, it's not enough for Jesus to just be "all right" with you—He must be Lord of your life. You must acknowledge Him as your only means of salvation, placing your complete trust in Him rather than any human effort.

Second, the way you get saved is the same way you live the Christian life. Just as you received salvation through faith in Christ alone, you continue walking with Him through surrendered reliance on Jesus through His Holy Spirit.

Why Don't We Receive More from God?

The word "receive" in Colossians 2:6 (paralambano) means to take or embrace something—like extending your hands to receive a gift. Just as people eagerly extend their hands to receive money, we should be equally motivated to receive spiritual blessings.

Sometimes we don't receive because we don't think we're worthy, we doubt God's promises, or we fear disappointment. But God wants us to be more active in our receiving rather than passively waiting for Him to "zap" us with blessings.

Understanding God's Heart: He Freely Gives All Things

Romans 8:32 reveals the depth of God's love: "He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

This verse shows us God's heart toward you personally. If the Father loved you so much that He didn't spare His own Son but freely gave Him up for you, how much more will He freely give you all things? This demonstrates that you have total access to the total package of God's blessings.

The Holy Spirit Helps Us Know What's Freely Given

First Corinthians 2:12 explains: "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God."

Notice the past tense—these things "have been" freely given. They're already there for the taking. The Holy Spirit's role is to illuminate Scripture and help us understand what belongs to us because of Christ's finished work on the cross.

How Receiving Leads to Restoration

When you begin receiving from God, what you receive brings restoration to your life. Psalm 23:3 declares: "He restores my soul." The Hebrew word "shub" means to bring back to the original—to restore something that has departed.

We Are All Damaged Goods

Every person since Genesis 3 (except Jesus) has been damaged by sin. When you get saved, you're made righteous before God positionally, but the work of restoration continues throughout your Christian life. This involves:

  • Renewing old mindsets that need to be changed
  • Retraining faulty patterns of behavior
  • Healing from past hurts and trauma
  • Replacing lies with God's truth

God Doesn't Force Restoration

God is not a tyrant who coerces His children. Just as a bride must willingly consent to marriage, we must willingly receive God's restoration work in our lives. God's fruitfulness happens when there is consent in our hearts to receive what He's saying and act on it with a yielded, surrendered will.

Moving from "I Was" to "I Am"

The enemy wants you to live in your past, constantly reminding you of who you were and what you used to do. Instead, spend time declaring who you are now:

  • "I'm a child of the King"
  • "I'm a member of the royal family"
  • "Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world"
  • "My mind is being renewed"
  • "I have the love of God in my heart"

Finding Supernatural Rest

The final step in this process is rest. When you learn to receive from God and experience restoration, you gain supernatural rest in areas of your life where you previously struggled.

Jesus promises in Matthew 11:28-29: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest... you will find rest for your souls."

What Is Supernatural Rest?

This isn't just physical rest—it's supernaturally imparted rest given by Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit. It involves:

  • Cessation of striving and religious performance
  • Freedom from thinking you must earn God's approval
  • Confidence in your identity as God's child
  • Working from a place of rest rather than working for rest

The Sabbath Principle

While physical rest is important, in New Testament Christianity, we find our ultimate rest in Jesus. He fulfilled all the law and did all the work necessary for us to be made righteous. We freely receive it, and from that place of rest, we freely give to others.

Life Application

This week, choose one specific area of your life where you need restoration. It might be an area of hurt, a wrong mindset, or a pattern of behavior that needs to change. Instead of striving to fix it yourself, practice receiving God's grace for that situation.

Start each day by declaring who you are in Christ rather than focusing on past failures. When old thoughts or feelings arise, counter them with God's truth about your identity and His promises.

Remember that receiving requires action on your part—like turning on a faucet to access water that's already available. The water doesn't exist because you turn the faucet; you're simply accessing what's already been provided.

Ask yourself these questions:

  • What is God offering me that I'm not receiving because of doubt, fear, or feelings of unworthiness?
  • What lies about myself or God do I need to release in order to receive His truth?
  • In what area of my life do I need to stop striving and start resting in Christ's finished work?
  • How can I move from focusing on who "I was" to declaring who "I am" in Christ?

The goal isn't perfection but progress. As you practice receiving, experiencing restoration, and entering into rest, you'll find yourself better equipped to freely give to others what you've freely received from God.