"Name it and Claim It" vs. True Authority in Messiah - NCCG.ORG Ning Network Archive 2008-10

Q. There has been a lot of different beliefs regarding healing and our authority in Christ. I am seeking to know what God says and two scriptures referenced for "name it and claim it" doctrine (although there are many more, all taken out of context it seems) are Mark 11:23 and Isaiah 53:4-6.

A. I take it that in asking about "name it and claim it" you are refering to what is sometimes called "Word of Faith" teaching. While it is true that the words we utter in faith are very powerful it is also true that modern "Word of Faith" teaching is rife with errors, a number of which have proven very destructive to the lives of believers. Very often "Word of Faith" teaching has degenerated into belief in one's own godhood and in the power inherent in one's own words. This, by the way, is identical to the doctrine that fuels magic and sorcery, being the operational concept in the casting of spells, which is forbidden in Torah. "Word of Faith" teaching can thus be a conduit by which believers are brought unwittingly under the influence of demons. Due to "Word of Faith" errors, it is not uncommon for "Word of Faith" believers to operate by the Holy Spirit one moment, by soul power the next moment, and by demonic power the next moment - thinking all of it is equally of God! Let's look, now, at Mark 11:23 as an example of what I'm talking about. (Duet 18:9-14, I John 4:1)

For truly I say to you, Whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and be thrown into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be to him, whatever he says. (Mark 11:23)

This verse is quoted by "Word of Faith" teachers as meaning that if you speak a word, and if you believe without any doubt what you are commanding will happen, then the thing you say must happen - even if it is something as big as moving an actual mountain.

Now, before we take a closer look at this verse, realize that this "Word of Faith" teaching about the verse is virtually identical to pagan newage teaching which states you are god and that you can create your own reality by what you believe and say. As I mentioned already, this is the underlying assumption involved in magic. Is Y'shua really telling us that we are to practice magic? Not a chance!

Let's look at the verse now, in context of the whole thought:

Mar 11:22 And answering, Y'shua said to them, Have faith in God.
Mar 11:23 For truly I say to you, Whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and be thrown into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be to him, whatever he says.
Mar 11:24 Therefore I say to you, All things, whatever you ask, praying, believe that you will receive, and it will be to you.

Y'shua prefaced His statement with the command to "have faith in God." The verse following that statement is thus about faith in God - not about faith in the power of your own word or faith in a certain outcome.

In other words, verse 23 starts from the assumption that you have already prayed and God has already told you to command the mountain to move ..that is why you believe it "will happen" - because you know without doubt that it is His will for the mountain to move. Then, when you command the mountain to move, you are speaking in accord with God's revealed will - so the mountain moves!
That this is a true assessment of the verse is also shown by Y'shua's summary of His meaning in the very next verse: "Therefore I say to you, All things, whatever you ask, praying, believe that you will receive, and it will be to you." This verse shows that Y'shua's statement assumes that you have already prayed and received a knowledge of His will in the matter and your command of the mountain is in accord with that, so you will "receive" what you say. Thus, this is not about the power of your word, but is about "receiving" what you ask in accord with the will of God, by the power of God. God is thus exalted as the Giver. Faith is thus shown to be "in God" - not in one's own word or in an outcome one forces into being through a magic spell.

The will of YHWH is the primary factor in receiving whatever we ask - not the power of our word or the strength of our faith in a certain outcome. Faith in the context of Y'shua's comments is simply agreement with God regarding His will in any matter. Whenever we agree with God and act in accord with His will then that will is released into our lives. This is about living in fellowship with YHWH and seeking to please Him according to His will. It is about coming to know beyond doubt what His will is in a given matter and then speaking and acting in accord with it. This is not about us acting like little gods telling God what He must do because we said so! We are to obey Him - not the other way around.

Yochanan explained it this way:

And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)

These words rightly assume that what we receive of Him must be "according to His will." Really, why would God be obligated to act against His own will? That is foolish. Speaking of "foolish" here is another verse to think about.

Don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:17)

It is foolish to assume something is the "will of the Lord" just because we want it to be. On exactly this basis many believers foolishly go on "believing for" something that never was God's will to begin with. No matter how hard they "believe" that outcome simply is never going to happen! I've known people to give up on God because they "believed for" something and then it never materialized. In reality, that was not God's fault at all. It was their own fault because they were "foolish" in "believing for" something that never was God's will in their case. They would have done better had they done what the rest of the verse says;"understand (G4920: suniemi) what the will of the Lord is."

"Understand" comes from a word that literally means "to put together" - in other words, actively work at perceiving the will of God through some diligent spiritual detective work. This is exactly the opposite from simply assuming His will to be whatever we say it is. We must be diligently pursuing our relationship with God, to understand what His will is for us as an individual, so that we each can act in accord with His will in working out what we do with our life in His service. Then, when we pray according to His will, "we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." (I comment on Isaiah 53 in my book, Announcing Judgment Day.)

http://tsiyon.org/newsletter/archive/2009/07_24_09_vol_4_30_tsiyon_...

Reply by Lahry Sibley on July 25, 2009 at 8:14am

Absolutely outstanding message brother. God bless you with joy in your soul for obeying God and presenting His Will and purpose in truth. Amen and amen!

IN Him,

Lahry

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