Ask, ask, ask wisely! Don't stop now. In our very connected world, whether you need a weather forecast for the mountains ski slopes or driving directions to an upscale or downscale restaurant in downtown Manhattan, the answer may be just a call away. We oughta ask and receive ..with Jesus and then others in mind.
Let's keep doing that with God. No request is too great or too small to bring to God. All we need is simply a sincere desire to follow God's direction and faith that His way is best. Because Jesus "gives generously to all men without making them feel foolish or guilty," and we can ask for wisdom in faith without doubting (Jam. 1:5-6 phill). Please keep asking God for all you need!
"My Lord Jesus is ever with me along life's hyper busy way; I'll ask of Him specifically and then trust completely for guidance etcetera.. day by day." ~kVs
"We can't presume to know what's best when we begin to pray; so we must ask, 'What honors God?' Then seek His will and way." ~Sper
You've undoubtedly gotten on your cell phone with friends or family lately and even asked for some things.. when was the last time you called up your best Friend—the Lord?
"If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." ~John 14:14
"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways." ~Isaiah 55:8
Do you enjoy stepping aside from all the craziness to pray to the Lord for a time.. and even to hear from Him according to His Word, or do you quickly get bored and distracted away to other things before you are done with it.. feelin' that beyond a few sentences uttered upwards, it's all just waste of your time? Why let the devil win in making you think it's worthless to call on your loving Lord? When was the last time you prayed earnestly about your prayer life? Even that part of your Christian experience can be a subject for prayer.
Hey, getting' a hold of the Lord via prayer—that's your primary social network and it really satisfies more than all others! Sometimes when I get alone with Him my flesh just rudely interrupts me saying, "Ok, this is like.. so enough already.. and you are getting nowhere, Kurt. Stop. Think about all the things that you asked for and then gotten something else or nothing. It's cuz God doesn't care."
What a lie and so many of us swallow it. Perhaps you've been there before too.
But I'm glad if I simply ignore the protests of my flesh and of the enemy, if I just temporarily ignore the rings of the telephone that come in with precise timing, yes ignore all the distractions of Mr LuCifer who hates it when I pray, and ignore the light physical hunger pangs and inner growling of my stomach etc ..and just keep on asking and listening until I've prayed through (yeah, 'til I've connected in worship and intercession ..until the Holy Spirit says that I'm through).
Are you barely scratching by financially ..or worse than that? Need a job? Do you currently need healing and keep waiting for this to happen ..until you feel real discouraged like God is all out mad at ya and loves to cause pain by ignoring you? The enemy sure wants us all to believe that jive.. that God now hates us, is real mad, and we are now cursed forever when it comes to prayer or receiving from Him. Yes, Satan wants you to turn to other things and people to have your needs met. He doesn't really care where you turn, just as long as it's not to Jesus.
When was the last time that you asked the Lord to touch and heal you (not saying that God will always physically heal everyone who asks for this while they are still down here on earth, but He will indeed heal some people and He has good reasons for everything He does)?
When was the last time you asked God in faith for the provisions that you need? When was the last time you received specific direction for your life? When was the last time you asked God for His kind guidance and direction? When was the last time that you led someone to the Lord? Well, when was the last time that you ask God to use you in this way?
Why pray to God through Jesus Christ? So glad you asked.
Cuz God still loves you deeply, wants to bless you, and said to.
Cuz we all were designed for this most important ministry (Yes, your first ministry priority is to Him not to others).
Cuz its God's appointed way for us to gain what we need. (Ye have not because ye ask not. Yes, He is your Source for all that you need every single day, so ask biblically. If you feel like the Lord is gleefully punishing you like a mean dad, or no longer loves you at all, has forgot your name or where you live.. or feel that you've received 10,000+ "No" answers from Him while living with that incessant silence and you no longer have any motivation inside to pray anymore, then keep asking).
Cuz it's the excellent way for us to overcome: fear, anxiety, doubt, inner emptiness, the creepy world system (that's ordering you to live for pleasure and yourself), the demands of your old nature, all wicked slimy spirits of darkness, and persistent worry. (It's been said, "When your knees keep shaking together, kneel down on em").
Cuz there's a certain inner loneliness that won't go away without doing so.
Cuz we all need true fulfillment, a purpose bigger than ourselves, a clear world-changing vision from God with appropriate tasks attached ..otherwise we'll do nothin' but dream and the vision will turn out worthless. We each have a part to play so to speak!
Cuz we must hear from the Lord and make the right decisions instead of merely thinking we will (You are now.. the sum total of all the decisions that you've made up to this point. Yes, we all make our decisions and then our decisions make us).
Cuz it's how we grow, how we glorify God, and how we advance spiritually, instead of shrinking back and getting weaker.
Cuz we are made ready for Christ's appearing doing this. Are you ready for the Rapture of the Church that will happen soon? Look at Jerusalem today and what's going on in the Middle East and gains some holy fear of God if you need to.
The Bible says, "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (Jam. 4:2-3, nkjv).
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." ~James 1:5
"When with expectancy we pray according to God's will, we'll see Him working in our lives His purpose to fulfill." ~Sper
I say that we miss on asking amiss and then ask God with right motives ..in faith so that we will glorify the Lord today.
What is prayer? You know, it's hearing from and talking to the one living God through the Jesus of the Bible. You can pray silently, out-loud, real loud, on your knees, standing up, with eyes open or closed, with arms up or down, in church, or at home, or in the locker room at school - physical posture and location doesn't matter at all with God! Would you like to restart or perhaps even start a prayer life?
