Name it & Claim it

23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:23-24)

I was talking to my friend at the proverbs31 conference about Christianeze, she is a new Christian and confused. “Name it and claim it,” is one of those phrases that I’ve never understood and you hear EVERYWHERE. Anyone else? So, I looked into its roots and want to unpack it for you. Let me explain below:

It’s roots are in the verses in Mark 11:23-24, Malachi 3:10, Philippians 4:10, and more.

My personal conviction is this:

Belief in God’s saving work through Faith is different than belief in your Faith’s saving work through God. Read that again. 

Faith in Christ is our justification not Faith in Christ as our means to material blessings, dreams, and joy.

The “Name it and Claim it” or “Word of Faith Movement,” cannot exist without negating Gods sovereign will.

I believe the, “Name it and Claim it” philosophy is all about where you position yourself. Are you kneeling in prayer asking God in Faith in his good character that, “Thy will be done” or are you asking in Faith that, “My will be done.” 

Does not our God warn us against, “Worldly desires” in James 4, Mathew 6:19-21, Hebrews 13:5, and Colossians 3:1-4.

We see stories of people like Joseph who were sold into slavery, spent many years in prison. Did he not have enough Faith? We see Paul’s thorn in the flesh in-which he asked for it to be taken away. Did he not have enough Faith? We see Jesus asking for his cup to be taken away from him. Did Jesus not have enough Faith?

But, similarly… does God not say that he is good and does not desire harm for his children. What-if instead of believing and claiming God’s blessings, we believed in God’s character? Believing Gods goodness amidst hard circumstances. Believing God’s loving nature. 

Something I love about Gods word is it needs to be taken in-context and goes hand in hand with the meta narrative. When we take it out of context we get confused:

“Finally, when the rest of Scripture is taken into consideration there are many conditions placed on God’s promise to answer prayer in addition to faith. We must “abide in Him” and let His Word “abide in us” (John 15:7). We cannot “ask amiss” out of our own selfishness (James 4:3). Furthermore, we must ask “according to His will” (1 John 5:14). Even Jesus prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup [His death] pass from Me” (Matt. 26:39). Indeed, on all except God’s unconditional promises, this “if it be your will” must always be stated or implied. For prayer is not a means by which God serves us. Rather, it is a means by which we serve God. Prayer is not a means by which we get our will done in heaven, but a means by which God gets His will done on earth.” (https://defendinginerrancy.com/bible-solutions/Mark_11.23-24.php)