"Believe that you receive them..."
Mark 11: 24 “Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
Mark 9: 23 “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Matt 9:29 “Then touched He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.”
Matt 17: 20 “If you have faith as a mustard see, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
You must expect to obtain the things for which you ask. You need not look for an answer to prayer, if you pray without any expectation of obtaining it.... If you pray without an expectation of receiving the blessings, you just make God a liar.” Charles Finney, Lectures on Revival.
“I have come to see that in past years I have wasted much time over praying (in a way) that was not effective prayer at all. Praying without faith is like trying to cut with a blunt knife—much labor expended to little purpose. For the work accomplished by labor in prayer depends on our faith: ‘According to your faith,’ not labor, ‘be it unto you.’.... I have been impressed lately with the thought...that people fail in praying the prayer of faith because they do not believe that God has answered, but only that He will answer their petitions. They rise from their knees feeling that God will answer some time or other, but not that He has answered already. This is not the faith that makes prayer effective. True faith glories in the present tense, and does not trouble itself about the future. God’s promises are in the present tense, and are quite secure enough to set our hearts at rest. Their full outworking is often in the future, but God’s word is as good as His bond and we need have no anxiety. Sometimes He gives at once what we ask, but more often He just gives His promise (Mark 11: 24).” Eileen Crossman, Mountain Rain, (Robesonia, PA: OMF Books, 1987), p. 75
“Satan’s tactics seem to be as follows. He will first of all oppose our breaking through to the place of real, living faith, by all means in his power. He detests the prayer of faith, for it is an authoritative ‘notice to quit.’ He does not so much mind rambling, carnal prayers, for they do not hurt him much.... However, once we attain to a real faith, all the forces of hell are impotent to annul it.” Eileen Crossman, Mountain Rain, (Robesonia, PA: OMF Books, 1987), p. 93.
“Faith is not believing that God can, but that He will. It is kneeling and making the prayer, and then saying, ‘Father, I thank Thee that it will be so; I thank Thee.’ Then rising and going about your duties again, saying ‘the thing is settled.’ Going again and again, and repeating the prayer with the thanks, and then saying as you go off, ‘that matter is assured.’” S. D. Gordon, Quiet Talks on Prayer.
“Faith is the indispensable condition of all true prayer.... We have often prayed, and failed to lookout for the blessings we have sought. The stately ships of heaven have come up to the quays, laden with the very blessings we asked; but as we have not been there to welcome and unload them, they have put out again to sea.” F B Meyer, Elijah, (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1978), p. 97.
“Unbelief sees something in God’s hand, and says, ‘I cannot get it.’ Faith sees it, and says, ‘I will have it.’ D L Moody, Prevailing Prayer, p. 61.
“We do not enjoy the fullness of blessing which the Lord has prepared for us, because we do not ask in faith. If we would exercise faith in the word of the living God we should have the richest blessings. Ellen White, Testimonies, Vol 6, p. 63.
I have frequently seen that many [of the children of the Lord] do not exercise that faith which it is their privilege and duty to exercise, often waiting for that feeling which faith alone can bring. Feeling is not faith; the two are distinct. Faith is ours to exercise, but joyful feeling and the blessing are God's to give. The grace of God comes to the soul through the channel of living faith, and that faith it is in our power to exercise. True faith lays hold of and claims the promised blessing before it is realized and felt. We must send up our petitions in faith within the second veil and let our faith take hold of the promised blessing and claim it as ours. We are then to believe that we receive the blessing, because our faith has hold of it, and according to the Word it is ours. "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24. Here is faith, naked faith, to believe that we receive the blessing, even before we realize it. When the promised blessing is realized and enjoyed, faith is swallowed up. But many suppose they have much faith when sharing largely of the Holy Spirit and that they cannot have faith unless they feel the power of the Spirit. Such confound faith with the blessing that comes through faith. The very time to exercise faith is when we feel destitute of the Spirit. When thick clouds of darkness seem to hover over the mind, then is the time to let living faith pierce the darkness and scatter the clouds. True faith rests on the promises contained in the Word of God, and those only who obey that Word can claim its glorious promises. "If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." John 15:7. "Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight." 1 John 3:22.... If the enemy can lead the desponding to take their eyes off from Jesus, and look to themselves, and dwell upon their own unworthiness, instead of dwelling upon the worthiness of Jesus, His love, His merits, and His great mercy, he will get away their shield of faith and gain his object; they will be exposed to his fiery temptations. The weak should therefore look to Jesus, and believe in Him; they then exercise faith." Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 72