“When your output exceeds your input then your upkeep becomes your downfall.” Everything God was telling me was confirmed the moment Gary Morgan spoke those words. God was producing a theme in my life and I was doing my best to do the one thing He was asking me to do…Receive. Like most I was struggling to receive His love…to receive God’s love.
Why Receive?
Before coming to SOSL, I was a youth director. I understand the feeling of pouring out all you have while yearning for breakthrough. I’d drive about an hour to the church two to three times a week. We even had 6 am prayer meetings Monday through Friday for a couple of weeks.
I was becoming tired and burned out. When I became tired I thought it was an attack from the enemy so I’d push harder. I was wrong. It was like I was running out of gas and to me the answer was drive faster.
My output was greatly exceeding my input. I was running on empty and I was afraid people would find out; therefore, I’d cover it up by being more energetic.
Serval times I took a week off and went to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (IHOP). When I traveled to IHOP I came back with a full tank. I could not figure out what was was filling my tank. I thought it was the prayer room and worship.
Thats when we started the weeks of 6 am prayer meetings. It helped some but I was missing something. Prayer and worship are important but in that time waking up at 5 am to make to the church was very overwhelming.
I was touching something important in Kansas City but I didn’t realize what it was. Looking back I see when I was in Kansas City, I was receiving instead of pouring out. At the time I didn’t know how to receive, nor did I now it was important.
The Solution
Later God called me to move to Nashville, TN and attend SOSL in Franklin, TN. That’s where I truly started receiving. I was on most of the ministry teams and attendded the school two days a week. On Mondays I’d leave my apartment at 8 am to be at school at 9 am.
We had an hour and a half for lunch and a couple of hours for dinner. I’d leave the church that night usually around 10:30 pm, sometimes much later, and then drive back home to pass out before going back in the morning for Tuesday’s class.
I was busy, but I loved it. I was ministering more than ever before, but this time I was not becoming tired. I was becoming more excited. I couldn’t wait for school. My input greatly exceeded my output.
I was receiving; therefore, I was able to give and give more than I thought possible.
God’s Invitation
One afternoon during my first semester of SOSL I was driving through Franklin, TN on my way home after class.
While stuck in traffic waiting to cross 1-65, I started to dialogue with God. “God, I want to go to nations. You said nations and now I am in a ministry school. Can I just skip the school and be sent to the nations now?”
God’s response shattered my illusions and opened the door to an intimacy I never thought possible. God responded, “If I send you to nations, what will you give them?”
This hit hard because I knew I had nothing to give. I had lived my whole life regurgitating the things I had learned without cultivating an intimate relationship with God. I had nothing to give.
Notice I said, “intimate relationship.” I had a relationship but I had not allowed myself to grow closer. I’ve always been somewhat hungry for God, but now I wanted more…a lot more. God was not asking me what I was going to give the nations as a rebuke, but an invitation. He was inviting me on a journey of receiving so I might give.
God wanted to expand my capacity to receive so I might be able to carry more of Him. When compared to what He wanted to give me, what I had currently was nothing. After this conversation…or invitation, school was never the same.
This is the same invitation that the Father extends to you. The exchange is everything you have for everything He has. He wants you to give, but first you must learn to receive. I know it seems real simple but to receive is one of the hardest things I’ve ever learned to do.
To be honest: I’m still working on receiving.
A Tangible Example
After writing for a while a good friend drove to visit and take me out for lunch. When the checks came she insisted on paying for my meal. I instantly refused politely and told her I’d get mine. She responded by telling me she wanted to buy my lunch and I should work on receiving.
We’ve all been in that situation. How many times have we been in church services and the pastor invited people up to the front to receive prayer and we didn’t go because we figured we could just pray ourselves? That was also an invitation to receive…that we did not take.
We want to pay so our pride stays intact, we don’t want to go to the front because we’re afraid people would think we had a problem and that might also hurt our pride. What if we’re missing out on being able to give to others because we will not allow others to give to us?
Before we give we must receive. You cannot give what you do not have. Therefore, God longs to give us what we do not have…so we may give it away.
Receive Defined
Webster defines the word receive in three ways:
1. To come into possession of: acquire. (Receive a gift)
2. To act as a receptacle or container for (The cistern receives water from the roof.) or in the same context: to assimilate through the mind or senses. (Receive new ideas)
3. To permit to enter. (Receiving guest)
What makes receiving so hard is the same that also makes it so easy. When you receive a gift you do absolutely nothing besides receive. You just receive the gift because it has been given to you. God wants to use all three of these definitions of receiving in your life!
Receive God’s Gifts
God is the Good Father and He has so much for His children. There are so many gifts He’d like to give us. We receive salvation as a gift and then also Holy Spirit as another gift. God knows what you need and… even more…your desires.
This might come as a shocker but I believe God’s desire is to give you your desires.
“Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)
I find it sad many people are not willing to receive the very thing they desire. Our Father who art in Heaven is freaking awesome. My prayers for you are:
1: You’ll learn to delight yourself in the Lord.
2: You’ll be positioned to receive the desires of your heart.
3: You’ll be positioned to help others fall in love with God and have their desires met.
A Container of His Presence
God not only wants you to receive the gifts that He has for you but He also wants you to become a receptacle or container of His presence. With that God wants to assimilate through your mind and senses sparking a new way of thinking thats integrated with Him.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
Paul is telling us not to confirm to this world but be transformed. Then Paul tells us how to be transformed; by the renewing of our mind! Oh, so all we have to do is think completely different! Thanks, Paul.
What Paul knew was that God wants to help. He longs to fill us up to the point that He assimilates through our minds and senses sparking a new way of thinking thats integrated with Him.
“But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2: 15-16)
Here Paul tells us that we have the mind of Christ. Paul also uses the phrase “appraises all things.” Earlier in Romans 12:2 Paul used the phrase “prove the will of God.” Prove or approve and appraise point to the same conclusion.
Paul is saying that we know the will of God and compare all things with it. Bill Johnson stated it beautifully when He compared it to us being art appraisers.
We Are Art Appraisers
An art appraiser knows art. He or she studies art, loves art, and can recognize art. I’ve been at art actions where priceless pieces of art were being sold. I say priceless because I couldn’t afford them but some people there could.
I’m talking about paintings done by some of the masters like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Rembrandt. People were paying a ton of money for these paintings.
It’s a little humbling when you see somebody buy a $40,000 dollar painting and then you buy a Thomas Kinkade. For the record I love my Thomas Kinkade and think that it is a wonderful piece. The one I bought is titled “Sunrise” if you must know.
Along with my KinKade, I also bought a piece of paper that tells me how much it’s worth. The piece of paper is not much to look at; however, it’s important when coming to insure the painting against stupid people…mainly myself.
That piece of paper comes from an art appraiser. Somebody that knows the piece of art I own. An art appraiser for Picasso’s paintings can pick out an authentic Picasso even when it is mixed in with a pile of imitations.
The appraiser can do that not because he studied fakes but because he studied the real paintings. That is what God longs for us to do with Him. He wants to become so intimate with us that we’re able to look at an imitation and say, “No this isn’t God.”
Knowing God
To know God is one of the greatest privileges we have. God wants us to be able to approve His will in our life. We’re to make sure it’s sent from Him, is not a counterfeit, then seal it with our approval.
“For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. (Christ Jesus) That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” (2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV)
When you say, “Amen” what you’re saying is “so be it” All promises, the will of the Father, find their yes in Christ Jesus. Meaning they’re fulfilled by what Jesus has done. Then, through Christ, we give our amen.
1: God speaks forth a promise.
2: Jesus shows up.
3: We look at the promise and go, “Yep this is God. Let it be done.”
As we begin to have our minds renewed we’ll begin to receive more than we thought possible. Holy Spirit ignites inside of us; sparking a new way of thinking that’s integrated with Him.
Receiving Jesus
Finally, Jesus stands at the door and knocks. Will you receive Him? Permit Him to enter in? When people come over to visit me, there’s an understanding that every room is permissible for them to explore…except my bedroom.
People are just particular about their bedroom. It’s their private space, the place where they sleep, get ready in the mornings, or do that special cuddle…if they’re married.
I’ve noticed that houses tend to have more doors on the inside of the house then on the outside. Maybe when Jesus says He stands at the door and knocks, He’s not always referring to the outside door.
The Christian life is more than allowing Jesus to come into your house just to stay in the sitting room…where everything is neat and clean. Jesus came to help clean house. He wants you to receive everything that it means to be born again.
That’s why when you go to your bedroom, Jesus stands at the door and knocks. Will you receive Him into the most intimate places…where you feel like you’ve messed up and want so badly to fix yourself before anyone notices? You don’t have to worry about fixing yourself before you approach God.
God Loves You Where You Are
John Arnott said, “God loves you where you are but He loves you too much to keep you there.” God will help you move forward in Him. You are not on this journey alone.
Receiving is a process not a one time event. I receive Jesus into my life. Then I receive Jesus into my life. Even later, I receive Jesus into my life. Even though I received salvation the first time I received Jesus, I receive increased freedom every time I invite Him past the foyer and into the living room.
The freedom increases every time I invite Jesus to enter different rooms so He may do what He does best…love. God loves to love! His love is free for us. We do nothing to earn it…we just receive it. We don’t work for it…we just receive it.
I’ve done nothing in my life that causes me to earn God’s love. What I do is open the door when He knocks and in return He opens the door when I knock. We invite each other in. We receive each other.
Conclusion
We can receive God’s love through all 3 definitions of the word “receive.” When you receive God’s love…you receive God’s gifts, become a container of His presence, and open the door when He knocks.
Remember, God longs to give us what we do not have…so we may give it away…including love, freedom, forgiveness, and anything else your heart desires.
Quiet Time Challenge
One of the best ways to receive God’s love is through having a consistent and life-giving quiet time with Him…if this is a struggle for you…don’t worry. I’ve got you covered. Join me for a free 5-Day Quiet Time Challenge.
In addition to receiving my free quiet time guide, detailing the five things I do when having a quiet time, you’ll also receive one email a day during the challenge to help kick start your quiet time. Join the challenge and get my free guide.
Take the Quiet Time Challenge
Question: In what ways are you looking to receive God’s love? Let me know in the comments below.
