// Lynette Hagin

MY FATHER-IN-LAW, Kenneth E. Hagin, taught many of us the principles of exercising our faith to receive whatever we needed from God. I heard him quote Mark 11:22–24 hundreds of times.

"And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have

whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

After teaching on faith, he would say, "Keep the switch of faith turned on." You may wonder what that statement means. Simply put, it means that God wants us to live a fulfilled life.

John 10:10 says, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." To live the abundant life, we must practice what the Word says. One of the principles that God has established is found in Mark 11:22–24.

Let me paraphrase these verses in my words. Jesus said that when you speak to a mountain—your mountain might be finances, healing, difficult circumstances, family situations, and so forth—to be removed, do not doubt in your heart. Believe that what you have said will come to pass, and you will have what you say. When you pray, believe that you will receive the things you desire, and you will have them.

You may think that you have followed the principles of praying, saying, and believing. But the things you have prayed about, confessed, and believed have not come to pass yet. This is why my father-in-law would say, "Keep the switch of faith turned on."

Our part is to pray, confess, and believe. It is God's part to bring into reality what we have asked for. Many times His timetable is not the same as ours. We live in an instant generation. We are so used to having everything instantly at our fingertips that we get irritated if things do not happen quickly. I am guilty of getting aggravated at my computer when it doesn't respond as soon as I desire.

Often what we have asked God for takes time. That is why we must continue to believe and thank Him, for He is working on our behalf on whatever request we have given to Him. I hear people say, "Well, I prayed and asked God for something, and it hasn't happened. I guess it's not going to come to pass."

That statement grieves me because I know that person has just turned the "switch of faith" off and nullified what they were believing for.

I'm reminded of when Daniel asked God about a situation. Let's review those scriptures:

"Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, 'O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.' While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.

"Then he said to me, 'Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come' '' (Dan. 10:10–14 NKJV).

Many times there is a war in the heavenlies or God has to work out situations you are not aware of before your request can come to pass. I encourage you to continue to keep the "switch of faith" turned on. When I have made a request to God, I simply thank Him every day that He is working on my behalf for the request to become a reality in my life.

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

—Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)