As I concluded my teaching at the church on worship, a friend approached me and shared what the Lord had said to her.
“We are not prepared to receive the outpouring God has planned for us.” He said.
Those words took me back to another time a couple decades ago when the Lord said I was not prepared to receive something He had for me. It was when I was leaving Norvel Hayes Ministries to begin my own ministry. I received the following prophetic word from one of the associate pastors.
“God is taking you into a place of intimacy in Him. He has great things for you, but you cannot receive them right now. You must increase your capacity to receive before you can have them. In these intimate times with God, you will increase your capacity to receive all God has for you.”
At the time, the prophetic word made no sense to me, I felt sure I could receive anything God had for me. I was very wrong. It was up to me how much I could receive, just like it was with the widow woman in 2 Kings.
So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors–empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So, the oil ceased.
The oil only ceased when she had no more containers to hold it. Had she gathered a hundred more containers, increasing her capacity to receive, the oil would have continued to flow. It is the same with us. Our faith receives and produces what it has the capacity to receive. When our faith is increased, we will experience increase.
If you recall, the prophetic word said the intimate times with God would increase my capacity to receive what God had for me.
Psalm 34:9 says, Worship God if you want the best, worship opens doors to all His goodness.
During those intimate times of worship, my capacity to receive increased. Though it took several months of spending intimate time with God, I was finally able to receive all He had for me.
I know I write often about confession, hope and refusing unbelief, and these are all important things. However, as the prophet said, it was the intimate times that brought increase to my capacity to receive all God had in store for me. Sitting at the feet of Jesus, spending time in the presence of the Lord. Remember, Jesus told Martha, “Mary has chosen the most important thing, sitting at My feet.” So, it is with us today. It is still the most important thing – the main thing.
Does God have something so big for you that you don’t yet have the faith to receive? Do you feel it stirring on the inside of you? If so, begin today strengthening your faith and enlarging your capacity to receive. Start by spending intimate times in the presence of the Lord. When your capacity to receive is in line with His promise, the manifestation will come. He cannot deny Himself or His word. Our job is to increase our capacity to receive, His job is to manifest the promise. And He is faithful to His word.
Over the years the Lord will speak these simple words to me, reminding me of the insight I received that day. He will say, “Increase your capacity.” Those words excite me today because I know He has something big on the horizon for me. So it is with you. Pray today and I ask God if you need to increase your capacity to receive. If you do, take steps to set aside intimate times with God, I promise it will be well worth the effort
