In the real estate industry, these two words are two of the most important, significant, essential words in the industry: Able and Willing. Or Willing and Able. They are so significant that they are worth defining.

Able [ey-buh l] adjective

Having the necessary power, skill, resources, or qualifications; qualified:

willing [wil-ing] adjective

1. disposed or consenting; inclined:
2. cheerfully consenting or ready.
3. done, given, borne, used, etc., with cheerful readiness.

Let’s suppose that a 3-million-dollar mansion is on the market for sale in your area. Well as a real-estate agent, their goal is to find a “willing” and “able” buyer for that home. If they do, being that the average commission ranges from 3% to 6%, the seller can earn a potential $90,000 to $180,000. Since the house is a beautiful mansion, finding “WILLING” buyers is the easy part. Ninety percent of the people in the city would cheerfully express their willingness to buy the home. In fact, they would be ready and inclined to buy it immediately. The problem is that 90% of those are not “Able.” Why? Because the reality is that they cannot afford it. They lack the necessary resources called money. What if the seller’s agent spent an insurmountable amount of time marketing and showing the house to a group of people who were not able to afford it? People who lack the necessary qualifications, skill, or resources to buy the mansion. Wouldn’t you agree that that would be a waste of time? A wise agent aware of the two words “Able and Willing" starts with identifying those who are able. Those with the necessary qualifications and resources to buy the mansion. The goal is to use creative marketing and consistency. This should make the "ABLE" buyer "WILLING." In the Bible, a pupil needing something from God often prefaced his request with, "...if You are willing."

Matthew 8:2 NKJV says, And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, you can make me clean.”

Even Jesus himself in Luke 22:42 NIV says. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me.

No one ever questions whether the Most High God is ABLE. Why? Because God does not in ANY WAY lack the necessary power, qualifications, or resources to heal you.

Luke 1:37 ESV For nothing will be impossible with God.

Jeremiah 32:27 ESV “Behold I am the Lord, the God of all flesh, is there anything to hard for me?

The question is never is He ABLE. It is always, is He WILLING? No other person, group, or religion has ever claimed to heal all, as Jesus did. The Bible makes a clear declaration that God the Son, on several occasions, healed ALL.

Matthew 15:30 TLB And a vast crowd brought him their lame, blind, maimed, and those who couldn’t speak, and may others, and laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all.

Matthew 4:24 NLT. News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed-he healed them all.

The Bible in those two verses even describes some of the ailments, maladies, and diseases that were healed in the ALL.

“All sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics," says chapter 15 in Matthew. Lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, declare chapter 4.

Well, now we know that we serve a God that is Able. The next step is to discover the secret to causing this able God to become willing. This is what we will do in this book. All the chapters will reveal hidden nuggets that can be mimicked. By doing so you will discover some things that you are not doing on your part. This lack may be dissuading this Able God to be willing.

My grandmother’s generation coined this phrase, “Lord Willing.” This phrase ended almost every statement that leaned toward a
plan of action. “We’ll be able to move into our new house next week, Lord willing.”

“I’ll see you next week, Lord willing.”

“We are going camping in the summer, Lord willing.”

“Lord willing” is an expression that means “if the Lord wills” or “may God do whatever he wants.” This phrase conveys hope or intention, while demonstrating acceptance of God’s divine will.

“Lord willing” can be an act of humility, acknowledging that we do not know what tomorrow will bring. It can also be a way of making plans with open hands, trusting that God will do what he wills.

James 4:13–17 ESV says, Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and
make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

This passage is basically saying that the sovereign God does whatever he wishes when he wants and whatever way he desires. He moves according to his own will. Despite that reality, however, there still is a way for mankind to conduct themselves in a way that will convince and move the will of God to act on your behalf. The first thing you can do is to ask God to change your circumstance. The second thing you do is ask Him with the right reason.

James 4:2-3 NLT declares. 2. You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong-you want only what will give you pleasure.

Asking God for it is another way of saying pray to God. The first step in getting God to move on your behalf is to petition your heavenly father through prayer. This is significant. Why? Because the text implies that God’s lack or delay in responding and meeting your need can be attributed to both (1) if you pray and (2) the motive behind your prayer.This should teach us of the great power of prayer. We can almost conclude that this is a spiritual law. That God does not give unless we ask. I can almost conclude that the ones who receive little from God are because little was asked of God. Be incredibly careful that we do not confuse the purpose of prayer. Prayer is not used to persuade or manipulate God to do our bidding. It is not to ask God to be our servant and help us gratify our desires. Such prayer is blasphemous. The purpose of prayer is to align our will with His. It is to become in partnership with Him. We should pray to him and ask him to accomplish his will on earth through us. And according to the Bible, it is God’s will for us to not only prosper but to be healthy.

3 John 1:2 ASV Beloved, I pray that in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

John is reminding believers that present material prosperity and physical health are part of the will and desire God has for us. Nevertheless, some live in poverty and disease simply because they do not seek God’s best, follow God’s principles, and walk in faith. They have a soul problem. John says, “even as thy soul prosper.” He makes an analogy between the condition of our health and the condition of our soul. My people would be desperately ill if their physical health were instantly in the same state as their spiritual health.

This prosperity and health are assured as the final outcome for all believers. (Revelations 21:4).

We will learn how to pray about this in later chapters. Prayer is like a 3-man relay race. Each person in a relay has a section of the race that they must complete in order to reach the finish line. The finish line in this case is becoming completely healed. In a relay race no one can complete the section assigned to their teammate. Everyone must accomplish or do their own part.

In the race to complete healing, God has a part to play. The Doctors have a part, and you and I have a part to play. So many people live defeated unhealthy physical, mental, and emotional lives because they have failed to do their part. They have yet to complete their section of the race in order to heal.

There is so much more that can be done on our part in order to compel an “Abel” God to become “Willing.” Let us begin the journey of discovering and unearthing these hidden nuggets and learn what we can do on “OUR PART.”