Last week I said another thought came to me as I was typing. Well a lot more has come to me and keep coming to me. Since I wrote on living by feeling, low and behold, guess what I have been doing. The complete opposite. I have been living by feelings. I guess God needs to get it through to me a bit more. As I stated I write to encourage myself too. I enjoy looking back and saying wow I wrote that. Wow I need that lesson again. Etc. Well on to what I want to discuss today.
I don’t know about the rest of you but have you ever been told that you cannot keep asking God for something, because that doesn’t display faith, or that you cannot bully God into giving you something. That once we ask we should leave it in his hands and don’t ask any more. Or my best one yet you cant ask God to prove himself to you because of whatever reason they come up with.
Well let’s look at the bible and see if any of these things are true.
There are many verses in the bible that tells us to “Pray continually†to “pray and not loose heart†to “petition†and to “pray without ceasingâ€. To me this is continually asking (praying) for the desires of your heart. Look at the parable of the persistent widow.
Luke 18:1-8
New International Version (NIV)
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’â€
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?â€
She continually begged for justice. She continually begged for help and the judge wore down and gave it to her. I am not saying we will wear down God but Jesus states that if this man who doesn’t fear man or God can do right how much more will our father do, who loves us do for us.
Also we are not saying that God is a genie and we make a wish and it comes true. There is a stipulation for our prayers to be answered. The main one is that it must line up with the Word. God isn’t going to grant a wish just because we ask.
Also with prayers we must have faith. The bible says whatever we ask and if we believe we will receive. Now I have been told many things about faith and most importantly that you cannot have doubt and faith at the same time. Yes you can!!!! Look at the man with the son of seizures. He pleaded with God help me with my unbelief. We are humans. If there is something we doubt we take that to God also in prayers. He will calm our doubts and prove himself GOD.
Jesus often says we only need a mustard seed of faith. A mustard seed is so small but it grows mightily. So as we add to our faith the more we get. So the question comes how we grow faith. Well iron sharpens iron, so guess what, faith grows faith. When we are faithful in our part with little God will increase. As the bible says whom much is given much is expected, but that doesn’t mean if we are given a small measure that is all we get. The bible also says to those who are faithful with little, more will be added. So little by little we grow faith.
Here are a few physical exercises that can grow faith
When you have doubt go back to either your journal or the jar and remember what God has done already for you.
Lastly I have been told we cannot test God or ask him to prove himself. Hello!!!, have you not read the story of Gideon. He did. I am not saying that we need God to prove himself every second with great things in order for us to believe him and have faith, but God does know we are human and sometimes we need a jumpstart. I remember saying ok God if you can fix anything please make the next time my husband contacts to me he says sorry. This was after having a really big fight and I thought he would never speak to me or when he did the first thing would be see what you did etc. Well guess what, the next time my husband texted me he said I’m sorry. Those were his first words. Sometimes we ask God for things and we forget, But God doesn’t. I entered a swipe and win contest (in this completion there was three %2500 vouchers and the grand prize of $10000 voucher). Well I had asked for one of the $2500 and said ok maybe two would be nice, I went and got a new debit card to be eligible etc. I totally forgot. Then the final day came and I didn’t get a call. So I said ok I guess they called while my phone was out and you need me to be a better steward. Well something you need me to learn. The next week I got the call to say I won the Grand prize of $10, 000 voucher. See to me the most exciting thing about this wasn’t that I won or that I won the grand prize. God know I was faltering and growing weary and if God can answer a prayer for something I forgot about. Imagine what he has planned for my restoration. .
So remember continually praying does not mean we don’t have doubt. We are just putting our petition before the Lord. I hope I made sense and helped someone today. I know I need to get back into my prayer closet. I don’t know about the rest of you but when I stop praying continually things just go down Hill.
REMEMBER PUSH
Pray
Untill
Something
Happens
And they pray some more.
Have a blessed day
I don’t know about the rest of you but have you ever been told that you cannot keep asking God for something, because that doesn’t display faith, or that you cannot bully God into giving you something. That once we ask we should leave it in his hands and don’t ask any more. Or my best one yet you cant ask God to prove himself to you because of whatever reason they come up with.
Well let’s look at the bible and see if any of these things are true.
There are many verses in the bible that tells us to “Pray continually†to “pray and not loose heart†to “petition†and to “pray without ceasingâ€. To me this is continually asking (praying) for the desires of your heart. Look at the parable of the persistent widow.
Luke 18:1-8
New International Version (NIV)
The Parable of the Persistent Widow
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’â€
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?â€
She continually begged for justice. She continually begged for help and the judge wore down and gave it to her. I am not saying we will wear down God but Jesus states that if this man who doesn’t fear man or God can do right how much more will our father do, who loves us do for us.
Also we are not saying that God is a genie and we make a wish and it comes true. There is a stipulation for our prayers to be answered. The main one is that it must line up with the Word. God isn’t going to grant a wish just because we ask.
Also with prayers we must have faith. The bible says whatever we ask and if we believe we will receive. Now I have been told many things about faith and most importantly that you cannot have doubt and faith at the same time. Yes you can!!!! Look at the man with the son of seizures. He pleaded with God help me with my unbelief. We are humans. If there is something we doubt we take that to God also in prayers. He will calm our doubts and prove himself GOD.
Jesus often says we only need a mustard seed of faith. A mustard seed is so small but it grows mightily. So as we add to our faith the more we get. So the question comes how we grow faith. Well iron sharpens iron, so guess what, faith grows faith. When we are faithful in our part with little God will increase. As the bible says whom much is given much is expected, but that doesn’t mean if we are given a small measure that is all we get. The bible also says to those who are faithful with little, more will be added. So little by little we grow faith.
Here are a few physical exercises that can grow faith
- Start a journal of your walk. I do this prayer and I am also just getting back to journaling. It helps when you go back and you see how many prayers God has already answered.
- Keep a clear jar and every time a prayer is answered or a good thing happen put a stone or a pebble in the jar. As the jar fills, you faith will grow
When you have doubt go back to either your journal or the jar and remember what God has done already for you.
Lastly I have been told we cannot test God or ask him to prove himself. Hello!!!, have you not read the story of Gideon. He did. I am not saying that we need God to prove himself every second with great things in order for us to believe him and have faith, but God does know we are human and sometimes we need a jumpstart. I remember saying ok God if you can fix anything please make the next time my husband contacts to me he says sorry. This was after having a really big fight and I thought he would never speak to me or when he did the first thing would be see what you did etc. Well guess what, the next time my husband texted me he said I’m sorry. Those were his first words. Sometimes we ask God for things and we forget, But God doesn’t. I entered a swipe and win contest (in this completion there was three %2500 vouchers and the grand prize of $10000 voucher). Well I had asked for one of the $2500 and said ok maybe two would be nice, I went and got a new debit card to be eligible etc. I totally forgot. Then the final day came and I didn’t get a call. So I said ok I guess they called while my phone was out and you need me to be a better steward. Well something you need me to learn. The next week I got the call to say I won the Grand prize of $10, 000 voucher. See to me the most exciting thing about this wasn’t that I won or that I won the grand prize. God know I was faltering and growing weary and if God can answer a prayer for something I forgot about. Imagine what he has planned for my restoration. .
So remember continually praying does not mean we don’t have doubt. We are just putting our petition before the Lord. I hope I made sense and helped someone today. I know I need to get back into my prayer closet. I don’t know about the rest of you but when I stop praying continually things just go down Hill.
REMEMBER PUSH
Pray
Untill
Something
Happens
And they pray some more.
Have a blessed day
