Always learning...

It is so awesome that we are not expected to be perfect in the Lord's eyes for He knows our human tendencies weigh us down.  We forget how to pray effectively, to love unconditionally, to stay focused on Him, to follow His precepts.

Sometimes we feel as we are going down the path that He has led us only to realize that we have totally turned in our own direction.  Life fills us with so much on a daily basis that suddenly we realize that we are not depending on our Father as we should.

I love to learn new and effective ways to pray or to be reminded of how to pray effectively.  We all get into a rut sometime in our prayer life and need help re-establishing our relationship with the Father.

Phillipians 4:19 says that God will provide for all our needs.  I believe sometimes we take this out of context plus we usually feel that God has let us down when He has not provided what we asked for.  But where is the problem with God or us.

Does the Lord have the power to provide?  Yes.  Does He have the integrity and willingness to provide for us?  Yes. The Lord is ever faithful in His Word and His promises to us.  (2Cor. 9:10)  So what's the problem?

Our mistakes:

• We fail to distinguish between needs and desires.  Desiring is not a sin but sometimes we expect the Lord to provide when it is not a necessity.  If it is not within His will - it cannot be done. 
• Surrender our desires to the Lord and ask Him to conform our desires to His will.
• Sometimes our desires do conform to His will.  He delights in giving us what will conform us to a Christlike character.  "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)
• Sometimes we take Scripture out of context.  The passage of God's provision was a guarantee given to the believers in Philippi who were already providing amply for Paul's ministry.  The principle of God's faithfulness in providing for those who are giving generously is found throughout the Bible.
• And God has some conditions: 

1. Obey. (Are we following His precepts or are we continuing to live in sin knowingly each day?)  We are all sinners and continue to sin as we grow but sometimes we do not heed God's warnings to stop a certain behavior or to do something He needs us to do.  Knowingly disregarding these warnings or requests leads to disobedience. 
2. Ask Be willing to put down your pride and ask God for what you lack.  Do not try to tackle an unexpected problem on your own.  Trust in God that He will provide the means necessary to resolve the situation according to His will not that of your own.
3. Believe.  (Mark 11:24)  "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."Caution.  This verse does not tell us to just go and tell God we need a new car in Jesus' Name, we need more money in Jesus' Name.  God is our ultimate provider.  He knows exactly what we need when we need it.  Our hearts need to be pure before the Lord and our motives need to be pure.  If we are greedily and hungrily going before Him demanding of Him, do you think He will provide?  No.  Why not?  Because we are not conforming to a Christlike manner.  If your child came before you demanding of you, would you concede?  I should hope not.  Why?  Because they will continue to be demanding and disrespectful of you.
4. Participate.  God will not do for you what He has equipped you to do.  In other words, for example, if you are just relying on God to provide you an income continuously but you do not want to work and you have the ability to do so, do you think it will be given to you?  However if you have the ability and you continue to look for work and are unable to obtain a job because of lack of availability then the Lord sees you working towards the goal of working and He will never let you be without.  Laziness warrents no blessings.  Do all things daily as if you are working for the Lord.
5. Wait.  God knows when we need it.  We must trust in Him to provide when the time is right.  If you become inpatient and try to rush ahead of Him, you will miss all the richness He has planned for you.
6. Accept.  God's way of meeting your needs may not be what you have envisioned or hoped.  We must be open to accepting whatever He chooses to provide to us.  It may not make sense to us but by trusting Him and accepting His ways we can look back in amazement at the wisdom of His divine strategy. (Isa. 55:8-9)
7. Prioritize.  We must keep our eyes on the Lord and not on our own needs.  (Matthew 6:33)  "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."  Our greatest needs are not the most obvious ones but those that have to do with the development of a Godly character.

This Thanksgiving season spend time thanking God for the less obvious blessings in your life.  For example, although He may not have provided financial prosperity, He might have produced trust and contentment within you.  Instead of physical healing, He taught you that His grace is sufficient in your weakness.

God Bless!  Recognize your overflow and thank God for it!



Not a believer or follower.  Read more about Jesus.  Allow His amazing gift to free you in your life today!