Some Christians start out believing God. Then they get in the middle of a trial and say, "I thought God was going to come through for me, but I guess He's not."

When believers do that, they've just quit receiving - they've quit moving with God. When they quit moving, God quits moving. It's not that God wanted to, but He couldn't move like He wanted to until they started moving again in obedience to His Word. In other words, they stopped moving, they started saying the wrong things, and they got over in the arena of worry and doubt.

They say, "Well, I thought God was going to...blah, blah, blah...." Actually, that's about all words like that amount to - a bunch of blah. Blah nothing! It's like listening to some songs and then realizing the words don't mean anything! For example, I grew up in the 1950s, when quite often, backup singers would just sing words that didn't mean a thing!

A lot of believers do the same thing spiritually. They start believing God. Then all of a sudden, instead of speaking and moving in line with God's Word the way they are supposed to, they start speaking doubt and unbelief. Because their words have nothing that God can work with, He is hindered from moving on their behalf.

It's your move! What are you going to do?
You may be doing something, but is it the right something? You're making the wrong move if you're speaking doubt and unbelief. And when you make the wrong move, God can't move. You've got to make the right move - that is, you've got to believe God and say what His Word says about your situation.

You Can't Earn God's Blessings - They Have to be Received
You can't speak doubt and unbelief and expect to receive from God. And you can't earn the blessings of God through works. You've got to receive by faith what God has already promised you. Many people base their ability to receive from God on what they can do three-quarters on their own works.

A lot of people get into do, do, do and don't, don't, don't until that's all they see. They forget about the simplicity of receiving from God based on what He has already done for them. They believe if they can get in enough "do's and don'ts," that will determine if they measure up and if God can help them.

I didn't say a person could just live any way he wants to live and still receive God's blessings. I'm talking about the mentality of living by "do's and don'ts" in order to get things from God. That is not the way you receive from God!

Of course, you've got to live right and in line with God's Word. But the way you receive from God is to simply take His blessing by faith. Just receive it! I've seen in the Word of God that some people get healed simply by taking their healing. If you'll check it out, they weren't following all the "do's and don'ts," yet they received anyway. You see, it's by faith that we receive the blessings of God, not by works.

I talked about the "do" Christians. Now I want to talk about another group. I like this group. They are what I call the "done" group, and I'm going to get in with them! You can get in with the "do's and don'ts" group if you want to, but I'm going to get in with the "done" group. That means I am trusting in what Christ has already done!

Christ has already done it! He has already paid the price for everything we need in life. We don't have to pay the price all over again, because it is finished (John 19:30)! All we have to do is accept what He has done and keep moving on with God. Jesus Christ arose victorious over death, hell, and the grave! I'm talking about what He has done! He arose victorious over all the power of the enemy.

Jesus has it all - all power. And He said to those who are His Church, the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ: "I give you the power of attorney to use My name" (Matt. 18:18-20; Mark 16:17). Jesus has already done it! He did all the work of redemption by going to the Cross! That why I'm going to get on the done side! And if I walk on the done side, accepting what Jesus Christ has already done for me, I don't have to worry about the "do's and don'ts."

God's Word Can Change Things
I have been overseas many times where I have seen people get born again and transformed by the power of God. Then I've gone back a few years later, and I've seen that they have changed not only on the inside - in the inward man - but also on the outside. They not only learned how to walk in divine health, but their financial circumstances also improved.

I've also witnessed people who have come into our local church and gotten born again. Then as they begin to live in line with the Word, I've seen them begin to live in line with the Word, I've seen them begin to change too. That's why I like the chorus that says, "Something on the inside, working on the outside...."

When you get the Word on the inside - in your heart - it's going to show up on the outside! When you get on the inside all the benefits that God's Word says belong to you, they will start showing up in your life on the outside (1 Tim. 4:15).

By way of illustration, one of my church members who attended RHEMA Bible Training Center moved his family prematurely to go out-of-state to minister. Later, he realized he'd missed God, so he brought his family back to Tulsa and to RHEMA Bible Church. He said it this way, "I missed it, but I came back home."

When this man came back, he hardly had anything and was barely making it financially. He had an old car, and after a while, he had no car at all. I prayed and talked with him, and soon he received an offer for a job locally. He took that job, and as time went on, many other offers came along. But he knew that wasn't what God wanted him to do.

So I kept encouraging him. He stayed put because that was where God wanted him, and just recently, there was a write-up in a local periodical that said he was a prominent man in this city!

Just a few years ago, this man didn't have anything! But God blessed him and his family. They learned the benefits of moving with God when God said to move. As a result, God moved on this man's behalf and prospered him in every area of his life.

We've got people like that all over our congregation. I can see where they've come from and where they are now. It's not because our pastoral staff is so smart or super-spiritual. It's because the people found out what God's Word says and they started moving in line with God's Word. Then God produced the results spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, materially, and in every area of their lives.

What do you want from God? It's your move. Freely it's been given, so freely receive it!

Move With God and Receive the Benefits
What exactly does it mean to move with God and receive His blessings and benefits? The words translated "receive" mean to take, grasp, embrace, seize, or catch, as one would capture a prize. Those are just a few definitions.

As I said, if I were to give someone some money, he would simply have to reach out and take it in order to receive it. But notice he couldn't just reach out with two fingers and barely take hold of it. No, he'd have to grasp, embrace, or seize it and take hold of it. That's the reason some people are losing out with God and not receiving His blessings. They're just barely reaching out and barely getting hold of them.

But, friend, you can open your hand wide, reach out, and grab hold of the blessings of God! And once you've grabbed hold of the blessings, just grit your teeth, so to speak, and hold on to it. When you do that, the devil can't hold on to your blessings or prevail against you not matter how hard he tries.

As I said, many people are just barely taking hold of the blessings of God, and the devil is ripping the blessings loose and stealing them every time. But reach up and grab hold of the blessings you desire from God's Word. Grit your teeth and say, "devil, it belongs to me. You're not going to take the blessings away from me! They're mine; I have them now. I receive them!"

Friend, it's up to you to keep on moving with God to receive the blessings of God for your life. God is for you; He's not against you. And He's always ready to bless you and meet your every need. But God is waiting for you! So rise to the occasion and receive whatever it is you need from God! It's your move!

Source: It's Your Move by Kenneth Hagin, Jr.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers