Tag: give

Ask of God

Ask of God

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.  (Jas 4:2)

But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.  (Joh 11:22)

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.  (Jas 1:5)

These passages from the Bible remind us to ask God for the things that we need and for the things that we would like to have.  Certain Bible verses remind us that God will not withhold ANY good thing from the upright.  (Ps 34:10; 84:11)  Glory to God!

There are several Bible verses that remind us to ask God for what we desire; and they go on to explain that He will hear us and will answer our prayers.  (See Mt 7:7-8; Lk 11:9-10; Joh 15:7) 

The best part is that James 1:5 (above) reminds us that when we ask God for something that we need, He answers our prayer abundantly and without any criticism whatsoever!  Hallelujah! 

We serve a good and loving God.  He wants us to bring our needs, our hurts, and our sorrows to Him.  He wants us to recognize that He is available to us, and that He wants to help and bless us daily.  He wants to comfort us and to bind up our wounds.  (Ps 147:3; 2 Cor 1:4; 7:6)

Stop and take inventory of your life.  Determine what your needs may be and take them to the Lord right now.

So let us keep on coming boldly to the throne of grace, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  (Heb 4:16 ISV)

Give What You Have

Give What You Have

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”  (Ac 3:6) 

We can only give out of what we have received (or experienced) ourselves!

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.  (Eph 4:32) 

Since God has forgiven us of ALL of our sins, shouldn’t we extend that same forgiveness to others? 

Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?  (Mt 18:32) 

This is where the master had forgiven his servant a huge debt.  Then this SAME [released] servant had his fellow servant put in jail, because he owed the released man a small amount of money!  Shouldn’t the released man have shown the same compassion that he himself had received?

Through these concepts, we can learn several things, among which are: 

  1. a) We must acknowledge the good things that we, ourselves, have received from our heavenly Father before we can minister those things to others. When we acknowledge that we have received compassion, we’re able to share compassion. When we agree that we have received forgiveness from God, we’re able to forgive those who have hurt us. 
  2. b) We’re told by the Lord in His Word that we should be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving to others, because we have received those same things from God through Jesus Christ.
  3. c) We can only GIVE out of what we DO HAVE! Are you aware of all that you have in Jesus Christ?

Study what you DO HAVE in Jesus so that you may minister those wonderful blessings and gifts to the hurting and the needy.  The world is waiting . . . yearning for the manifestation of the sons (children) of God.  (Rom 8:19)

How Much More?

How Much More?

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”  (Lk 11:9-13, emphasis added)

The Lord Jesus is speaking here about the generosity of our heavenly Father, in that He wishes to bless us in many different and varied ways!  Jesus also encourages us, based upon everything that He has said up to this point, to ask the Father to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit!

What I want to ponder today is the heart of the Father who wants us to come to Him when we’re in need of anything at all.  He outlines that:

  • When we ask, whatever we request will be given;
  • After seeking for a specific answer to prayer, we will find (receive) the perfect answer; and
  • That when we knock at a door, that it WILL be opened to us. (This can be a spiritual, figurative, or physical door—a door of access, welcome, or opportunity.)

Then Jesus continues by reiterating that when we ask, we receive; that the one who seeks a blessing or benefit, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will conclusively be opened!  Then our Lord reminds us that when a child asks for bread, fish, or an egg, that any good parent would give their child exactly what they desire.  And if human beings, who were born in sin, are so good and kind and generous to their own children, then how much more good, kind, and generous will our heavenly Father be to us?

In making these simple yet affirming statements, Jesus opens up the entire world of God’s generosity right before our eyes. 

. . . but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.  (Ps 34:10b, underlining added)

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.  (Ps 51:12)

. . . no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.  (Ps 84:11c, underlining added)

According to God’s own Word, He has a generous Spirit and He withholds NO good thing from us.  What a great basis of faith—to enable us to trust in God’s love, mercy, and generosity.  He has promised that He has given us all that pertains to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him.  (2 Pet 1:3)