“Then Agrippa said unto Paul, almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. “
Acts 26:28 KJV
“There are some who seem to be always seeking for the Heavenly pearl(Matthew 13:45-46 KJV), but they do not make an entire surrender of their wrong habits. They do not die to self that Christ may live in them. Therefore they do not find the precious pearl. They have not overcome unholy ambition and their love for worldly attractions. They do not take up the cross and follow Christ in the path of self-denial and sacrifice(Luke 9:23 KJV).
Almost Christians, yet not fully Christians, they seem near the Kingdom of Heaven, but they cannot enter there.Almost but not wholly saved, means to be not almost but wholly lost.”
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…….And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, |He heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Mark 11:22-24 KJV; 1 John 5:14-15
Prayer and faith are closely allied, and they need to be studied together. In the prayer of faith there is a divine science; it is a science that everyone who would make his lifework a success must understand. Christ says, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”Mark 11:24. He makes it plain that our asking must be according to God’s will; we must ask for the things that He has promised, and whatever we receive must be used in doing His will. The conditions met, the promise is unequivocal (undeniable).
For the pardon of sin, for the Holy Spirit, for a Christlike temper, for wisdom and strength to do His work, for any gift He has promised, we may ask; then we are to believe that we receive, and return thanks to God that we have received.
We need look for no outward evidence of the blessing. The gift is in the promise, and we may go about our work assured that what God has promised He is able to perform, and that the gift, which we already possess, will be realised when we need it most.
Education pg. 257 – 258
True faith lays hold of and claims the promised blessings before it is realised and felt.
Loud Cry Compendium 