And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 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. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:22-24 KJV

Jesus instructed His disciples that when you pray (Matt. 6:6), believe that you receive whatsoever you ask for (Mark 11:24—(it goes without saying that the “what things soever” must be consistent with God’s promise). But before you can believe God’s promise, you must first conceive it in your heart, i.e., have faith in God (Mark 11:22). Faith responds to the promises of God, and the promises of God is our foundation—the solid Rock on which we stand, and faith is the key that unlocks the door to all the blessings, riches, power, and kingdom authority.

So, when you pray, how do you “believe that you receive”? When praying for your desire, lay hold of (appropriate or claim) what you believing for and reckon yourself to have the desire rather than just begging for it (John 1:12; 14:13-14; Rom. 8:14, 16). By faith, imagine the thing desired and act as though it is so (Eph. 3:20; Rom. 4:17-21; Gal. 3:29), and, do not hesitate to lose yourself in your desire while praying. Feel the joy and continue to name it, claim it, confess it and possess it (Heb. 10:23).

Caveat: when you pray, if you’re conscious of the problem more than you are of the promised in God’s Word, you’ll be rewarded with more of the problem (Matt. 13:12; Joel 3:10).  “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you . . . [a]sk and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matt 6. 6; 7:7-8). Ask, seek, and knock. Conceive it; believe it; and, receive it!