“You Do Not Have Because…”

“You do not have because you do not ask.” ~James 4

“Ask, and it will be given to you.” ~Jesus in Matthew 7

“If you don’t ask for His blessing, you forfeit those that come to you only when you ask.  In the same way that a father is honored to have a child [ask] for his blessing, your Father is delighted to respond generously when His blessing is what you covet most.” ~Bruce Wilkinson, “The Prayer of Jabez”

I’ve already written about “Ask” (My Word for 2013), but I wanted to share this little message with y’all after today’s bold-faced reminder that I need to be “Asking” more. Oops! :) 

I wanted to remind you in case – amidst the ‘Twenty-Thirteen’ noise – you’ve also forgotten to seek our Father’s hand & blessing in your life each day.

There’s no need to turn this biblical idea into an entire doctrine, as many have done. Yet – with that in mind – let’s remember simply that God wants us to ask Him for divine help. 

For favor. 

For guidance & wisdom. 

For blessings in our lives. 

For His hand of protection.

For His love to shine in our hearts so we truly believe He loves us.

We don’t ask so we can spend our God-given blessings on the wrong things. 

We ask so we can serve Him more faithfully. So that our needs (& our family’s!) will be provided for. So that we don’t succumb to temptation because we’re empty & have unmet legitimate needs. 

We ask so that we can walk in His perfect grace & will for our lives. So that we can fulfill His plan for our lives – to know Him more and to freely share our gifts with the people around us! :)

In light of this, are you & I beginning to see more clearly why He loves when we ask Him to meet all our needs?

Jesus taught us in The Lord’s Prayer to ask His Dad for our daily bread!

And guess how often we should seek this bread from Him? Yep, daily! (I know, mind blown).  

God’s assigned each of us a portion for every single day we’re living on earth. Wouldn’t it be a SHAME to forfeit His provision simply because we didn’t believe it existed… or because we doubted that something so good & so craved by us could actually happen? And happen every day at that!

This, my friends, is called doubt. Doubt is our enemy.  

In Hebrews 11 we learn that, 

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

God is daring us to believe that He has what we need. He’s even daring us to believe that He’s real! We can’t please our heavenly Father or receive His full benefits without first believing in Him AND His goodness.

So… are you in need?  Then what are you waiting for – pray for God to take care of it! 

“And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4

Love, Summer

 

Our Daily Bread

“Come.  Eat.”

The Lord has been speaking to me the last few days about bread, over and over again.  Bread is something we all need.  Often.  

Give us this day our daily bread! 

Jesus taught us this simple prayer, one we should say to the Father when we don’t know what to pray for.  We don’t know what we need, but He does, so when you’re in need and don’t know what you’re yearning for, follow Christ’s example and ask your good Father for your daily sustenance.  He’s ready to give it.

But we must ask for it.  And we must come to Him to receive it. 

—

The Compassion of the Lord

1 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
My steadfast, sure love for David.
4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for He has glorified you.

6 “Seek the Lord while He may be found;
call upon Him while He is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
8 For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts.

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall My word be that goes out from My mouth;
it shall not return to Me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

12 “For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

-Isaiah 55