Author: Jodie

Raging sea

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Luke 8:22-25 New Life Version (NLV)

22 On one of those days Jesus and His followers got into a boat. Jesus said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” Then they pushed out into the water. 23 As they were going, Jesus fell asleep. A wind storm came over the lake. The boat was filling with water and they were in danger. 24 The followers came to awake Jesus. They said, “Teacher! Teacher! We are going to die!” Then Jesus got up and spoke sharp words to the wind and the high waves. The wind stopped blowing and there were no more waves. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” The followers were surprised and afraid. They said to each other, “What kind of a man is He? He speaks to the wind and the waves and they obey Him.”

Yesterday morning, while singing the chorus of ‘Your love never fails’ on our worship team, I was reminded of being tossed to and fro on the raging Caribbean Sea…..

On the final night of our 4-day Disney cruise, I began feeling the motion of the ocean far greater than I had experienced the previous days. While packing for the next morning’s departure, the doors inside our stateroom began opening & closing on their own! As Doug and I tried to maneuver through the adjoining rooms, we occasionally had to brace ourselves against the walls and furniture to keep from falling over. At first, my response was jovial ‘uh…are we sailing through a hurricane, or what?!’ But, as the lurching continued, scenes of Leonardo Dicaprio & Kate Winslet in the motion picture ‘Titanic’ began playing in my mind. Although Doug tired his best to assure me that it was a huge ship and that the crew knew exactly what they were doing, fear began to creep in…one wave at a time. 30 minutes later, I insisted that he retrieve the children from the kids clubs so that our family could be together (just, in case, the warning bells sounded, signaling us to don our life jackets and report to our meeting station, just as we had practiced on the first day of our vacation!) After all the children dismissed my concern and whined about having to come back to the cabin “early” (it was 11:00p) we quickly began getting ready for bed, knowing that we had an early wake up calling the next morning in order to disembark on time. As my head hit the pillow, the fear of dying at sea began to consume me, but the reality of being seasick, knowing that vomiting was imminent took precedence. After I lost my dinner, dessert and glass of wine, I returned to bed and began praying. Immediately, I was reminded of the above passage and I quickly felt a sense of peace that God would also calm the seas that were tossing our boat about.

All of us encounter raging seas in our lives from time to time. Some of them are completely unavoidable. Some, unfortunately, are brought upon us because we have chosen to disobey God and navigate unchartered waters. Regardless, we, just as the disciples did, have Jesus in our boat- all we need to do is call out to him….and he will bring a calm to our hearts, even as the waves continue to crash all around us.

“And when the oceans rage

I don’t have to be afraid

Because I know that you love me

Your love never fails”

-Your love never fails, Jesus Culture

Eve, Sarai & Me

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Genesis 16:5 New Living Translation (NLT)

Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!”

Since the marriage of Adam & Eve, wives have been telling their husbands what to do and their husbands have willingly gone against God and done it! I wonder how different the stories would have been if Adam would have whispered in the garden “now dear…I understand the serpent made you think it was ok to eat this fruit- but God forbids it and I WON’T do it!” And what if Abram would have said, “honey, I know how desperately you want to have a child, but God has promised that my descendants will be many. Let’s wait for His timing to give us a child, instead of me having sex with your maid!”

I’ve obviously never been a husband, so I can’t begin to understand the pressure they must face in being the head of the family. For Doug, it not only means spiritually being responsible for 4 kids, and me but also physically providing for a family of 6. And with all that pressure, I’m sure, at times, husbands just want to make their wives “happy” so they whimper “yes, dear” and go along with her plans.

But that is not always a wise choice.

My husband loves to work in the yard- I do NOT. He has grand dreams of having a beautifully landscaped lot that looks like one of those model homes you see on commercials for Lowe’s Home Improvement. Sure- I wouldn’t mind looking at all that gorgeousness, but I don’t want to spend the money or time to obtain it. But…the loving wife that I am J chose to surprise her beloved by buying him used brick patio pavers from a friend for his birthday (he had been dreaming about adding a patio to our backyard for years). Just orchestrating the purchase of said pavers and picking them up, with the help of our go-to-guy without Doug finding out about it was a major undertaking!!! Then, after the birthday unveiling, he had to decide where/how the patio would be installed. Trouble was, Doug was out of town working most of the time, and so I was left to come up with a plan in order to get the project completed for the summer.

The project began the middle of March.

My 1st plan didn’t work because of the slope of the yard and drainage issues.

My 2nd plan didn’t work because there were too many tree roots and the shed that was built in our backyard (prior owners) wasn’t even with the angle of the house and well…it would have been crooked and looked stupid!

My 3rd plan attempted to trick the eye into believing the crooked patio and shed were built together that way, on purpose.

Finally, installation day arrived! (there is not enough space in this blog to go into the fiasco on that day. Let’s just say, things did NOT go according to plan and there were some extra people around giving their not-asked-for opinions!)

Later that night, after ½ the patio was installed, we realized the plan was flawed….so Doug and I ripped out part of the pavers and reinstalled them into the 4th plan.

May, June, July….

The 4th plan brought about more drainage problems & exposed the foundations around the shed. So…we came up with the 5th plan. After the patio was completed, we hired a contractor to build flowerbeds around the foundation to hide the ugly cement. Problem was, they were installed while we were away, and when we returned, they were MUCH taller than we had expected. The 6th plan included turning part of the flowerbed into a bench for more seating around the patio.

It’s now September and when my husband asked me to come inspect the job a few days ago, I immediately noticed an extra board that was nailed onto the shed, in order to cover a small gap from the seating to the shed. In order to make my frustration known, I recounted the fact that THIS was not MY project and that it was already WAY over budget and that it STILL wasn’t finished and now WE were going to have to rip the board off and fill the holes and try to find the right paint to match to cover up the mistake on the 6th plan!!!!! Basically, in my mind, it was all Doug’s fault.

After my ever so patient husband left to go speak to the contractor, I looked down and low and behold, there was my bible. So, I figured that in my irate state, it might be a good idea to pick it up and read it. And wouldn’t you know it…the above-mentioned verse just POPPED out at me!

The 7th plan included me going to my husband to seek his forgiveness. I had used him as a scapegoat for the frustration I felt about all my failed plans.

Now, the disastrous patio project wasn’t a result of my husbands sin, or mine but it did remind me that unfortunately, Eve, Sarai & me have shared similar stories of leading our husbands into sin, and then blaming them for the consequences. My actions, just like Eve & Sarai’s not only separated us from God but they also ripped apart the intimacy that we are supposed to share when we are united as one.

The enemy uses the blame game in marriages all the time. Even in something as stupid as an over budget, poorly constructed patio project! What was just a series of unfortunate mistakes could have easily lead to a huge argument with choice adjectives & finger pointing had Doug not had the fruit of the Spirit and I had not had eyes to see the plans of the enemy.

So, take a lesson from a woman who has blindly followed the plans of the enemy many times before:

Be sure you are constantly connected to the Holy Spirit so that you don’t make selfish, impatient plans that will lead you and your husband to sin. Otherwise, you may be kicked out of the garden & have to deal with a pregnant sister wife!

A wall

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Proverbs 17:9
New Living Translation (NLT)

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven,
but dwelling on it separates close friends.

When a husband or wife says “I’m done” its usually followed by a long dissertation of failures & sins their spouse has committed against them. Their anger and accusations makes it evident that their love has died. Why?
Why do so many couples find themselves at this crossroads?
Why do so many choose divorce as their only solution to the problem?
Because, when we are offended, it’s much easier to dwell on the other person’s faults instead of choosing to forgive. Over time, our dwelling grows into bitterness and resentment and completely chokes out the love that used to be in its place.

I’ve been at that crossroads. And I was tempted to take what I thought would have been the “easy” way out, but I chose not to. Why? God intervened and I obeyed….by choosing to forgive.

Doug and I have many opportunities to sit and listen to other couples’ dissertations and our heart breaks at the wounds that have been inflicted on each spouse year after year of their marriage. Occasionally, we meet with a couple that have built a fortress around their heart, in order to protect themselves from further wounds. After we have given them the opportunity to spill all of their anger, hurt, frustration & unmet expectations, we ask the crucial question: “are you willing to forgive them for ________?” their initial response is usually “no.” At this point, it is almost impossible to crack the mortar that they’ve allowed the enemy to build around their soul. But, if we can see even an ounce of willingness behind that wall to break free from the bondage it holds them in…. we will put on our safety goggles & sledgehammers and help begin the painstaking process of disassembling that wall with the truth of God’s love and the power of His forgiveness!          Deconstructing is a difficult, but amazing process to witness, as the Holy Spirit removes the bricks of unforgiveness one by one. After the debris is cleared, perspectives are radically changed and in their place are hearts that were willing to forgive faults, because they themselves have experienced- perhaps for the first time- the depth of Jesus’ love and forgiveness. It’s not that these couples aren’t “saved” and attending church, they are. In fact most of them are doing all the “right” things. The only problem is, they haven’t had a truly genuine, intimate relationship with their Creator…and until they do, the bricks of unforgiveness will continue to build a fortress, keeping their spouse- and ultimately, God at bay.
I’ve heard it said that the enemy’s primary objective is to keep us from salvation through Jesus Christ. If he looses on that account, his next plan of attack is to keep us from fulfilling God’s destiny for our lives. There is no greater evidence of this ploy than in the countless numbers of marriages that sever their vows made to each other and to God because the enemy has convinced them that their spouse is the enemy- and doesn’t deserve their forgiveness.

As I mentioned before, I was one of those spouses at a crossroads- until God intervened. It happened on an ordinary day….walking through my house, grumbling about all the ways my husband had sinned against me and failed to fulfill his godly roles as husband and father. The Holy Spirit stopped me dead in my tracks and whispered “I died for him too…I love him & forgive him, just as I have you.”

A wall. A sledgehammer. Forgiveness. Flying debris. Love prospered.

If you truly want to change your marriage- don’t buy a self-help book. Read THE book and discover how Jesus forgave. Then ask Him to forgive you for all your faults. After the reality of His love and sacrifice washes over you, you will be compelled to extend that same grace to your spouse. And when you do, love WILL prosper.

But, if you find that you are stuck behind an impenetrable wall and are not able to forgive-don’t give up! Ask a trusted mentor for help. They, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, can help you demolish it.

Snow White or the Wicked Queen?

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Proverbs 15:1 New Living Translation (NLT)

A gentle answer deflects anger,
 but harsh words make tempers flare.

 

Proverbs 15:5 New Living Translation (NLT)

Only a fool despises a parent’s[a] discipline;
whoever learns from correction is wise.

These 2 verses go hand in hand in my life right now. Unfortunately, me and my children have been harsh and foolish instead of gentle and wise.

What is it in me that reacts so abruptly to disobedience in my children? I seem to have less and less patience for their errors recently- and it showed in my temper while on vacation. That, of course is the last place that you want conflict (6 people in a hotel room…) but, I suppose, when the kettle sits on the fire for so long, its bound to start screaming!

The real issue isn’t so much what my children are doing wrong, its that I am reacting in sin (not just anger) when they do.

Ephesians 4:26 New Living Translation (NLT)

And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”

So what is triggering these outbursts of emotions in me and squashing the fruit of the Spirit in my life?

Being offended….and not forgiving.

I’ve been a mother for more than a dozen years. In the beginning I was a 24-7 care giver and milking cow of an infant, than an infant and toddler, then an infant and 2 toddlers, then an infant, toddler & 2 kids! Although I was on call every moment of the day and night, I was given lots of hugs & affection & “mommy…I wuv you’s.” But eventually….that thing called sin began to emerge full force in their little lives. It started with “don’t touch that” “be nice to the kitty,” “be gentle with your sister” etc….but as the years progressed & the training of our children increased, so did their need for consistent discipline. Somewhere in the midst of those years, my heart began to harden towards them whenever I had to constantly re-teach & re-discipline in the same area over and over and over again. What I failed to realize is that bitterness & resentment had crept in and in order to survive in my role as stay at home mom, I began to just go through the motions of every day life…

Sadly, I am no the only mommy that has felt this way from time to time- but what is even more disturbing is that its almost taboo to talk about it! But, I’ve never been one that went along with the crowd, so here it is: the real struggles of a desperate housewife (& mom)!

While receiving ministry through RTF this area of unforgiveness towards my children surfaced what I was asked “Jodie…do you need to forgive your kids for ______?” I was stunned. The thought had never occurred to me. ME, forgive my kids? What for? I’m the parent, they’re the child…they are going to disobey! I’m supposed to disciple and train them….what needs to be forgiven?

Every offense against me….

Ignoring me when asking them to do something

Throwing a fit when told “no”

Giving me a dirty look while I explain why I said “no”

Mumbling and calling me names behind my back

Constantly interrupting my adult conversations

Playing instead of doing chores and school work

Talking disrespectfully to me

There’s plenty more….but I’ll stop there!

Shortly after I walked through the steps of forgiving each of my children I began walking in an abundance of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self control. It was amazing! However, sometime after that….I slipped back into my old habits of being offending, yelling & occasionally saying choice adjectives because I was annoyed that I had to discipline my kids in the same areas over and over and over again! Eventually, I realized that I needed to walk through the steps of forgiving each of my children….again. Does the forgiveness and discipline and training every end? Uh…..no. Because I had to do it all again this week, after visiting the happiest place on earth!

After spending an entire day at Magic Kingdom and 4 days on a Disney Cruise (with a few thousand other people) I was exhausted! But when we added whining, sibling rivalry, disobedience & attitude from my kids….I quickly turned from Snow White into the wicked Queen! After snapping at my prince (who, really had done nothing wrong, but unfortunately received the brunt of my anger) I retreated to my castle, aka: bathroom (because it was the ONLY place I could be alone to have a melt down!) & spent the next hour sniveling and processing my exaggerated emotions with my husband. I discovered that deep down I felt disrespected and ultimately, unloved by my children and I had taken offense to their behavior instead of daily choosing to forgive them for being…..well, sinful kids.

It makes me wonder how many times I have offended My Father. How often has He disciplined and trained me as I continue to do the same stupid things over and over and over again? Yet, He still loves me and willingly sacrificed His Son for me. And, when I seek forgiveness- He is quick to give it and show me, once again, which path to take.

Regrettably, I don’t always model His perfect love towards my children. But, in my imperfection, I still have the opportunity to train them to repent and seek forgiveness. Which, a friend once told me is a “daily act of obedience.”

This morning, I asked for forgiveness for every way I have sinned again My Father….and He washed me White as Snow. Then, I chose to forgave each of the children that He has blessed me with. NOW, I am equipped with the fruit of Spirit to discipline and train my children over and over and over again….and I’ll even ‘whistle while I work!’

Windows of Heaven

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Proverbs 21:20 New Living Translation (NLT)

20 The wise have wealth and luxury,
but fools spend whatever they get.

By no means do I consider our family to be wealthy but, when I compare myself to the truly poor of this world, we have way more than we could ever need-or want. Its when I measure myself against the American standard that I can become insatiable & well….. foolish.

We don’t have cable TV, but when we visit family or stay in a hotel, one of my favorite networks to watch is HGTV. My husband, on the other hand, can’t stand it! He’s correct in his perceptions of some of the people- they are never content with what they have and they feel entitled to obtain EVERYTHING on their want list! Episode after episode this scenario repeats itself as you see people’s struggle to remain under budget for reno’s or mortgage loans. More times than not, they quickly throw caution to the wind and blow the budget.

Fools.

Doug and I were in that category for at least the first 10 years of our marriage. Whatever was in the checking account is what we spent! We were never satisfied.

Matthew 6:21 New Living Translation (NLT)

21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

The journey to becoming wise (which we are still on) started with giving God 10%. My stubborn, disobedient self gasped in horror when my husband asked me to write the first check. I think it was $50- nowhere near 10%. Months later, I began reasoning with him as he told me to increase it to $200!!! When our giving finally reached 10% we then heard a convicting sermon about giving 10% of your gross income, not your net!!!! (Somebody please give me a chair…I’m gonna pass out!!!) Its not as if we couldn’t afford to give God a greater portion…its just that it was going to take away from the money WE wanted to spend on what WE wanted. To remedy that situation, we chose to be…… foolish! We decided that instead of disciplining ourselves to spend less, we’d just use our credit cards more…and so, we remained in bondage to our debt.

Proverbs 22:7 New Living Translation (NLT)

Just as the rich rule the poor,
so the borrower is servant to the lender.

After years of living in the debt cycle, we asked the Holy Spirit to teach us God’s view of our finances….and what we discovered is that ALL of it comes from God and ALL of it should be used for His glory- not our own. And when we use it as He instructs us, we will be wise.

No greater example of this is the season of unemployment we went through in 2010-2011. People still ask how we got through a year without any debt (actually, we do still have a debt; our mortgage). But here is the simple truth:

God provided.

Not only did He provide for all of our “needs” but He also gave us some of our “wants.” Allow me to explain how that season played out:

Approximately 18 months before Doug was laid off, I flippantly said “we have more $ in our saving account than we’ve ever had, do you think you’re gonna lose your job?”

It wasn’t a flippant comment, it was God’s provision.

When Doug lost his job, we continued to tithe 10% of every increase we received:

-severance package

-unemployment from the state

-cash/checks that were given to us as gifts

We said “no” to several items on our “want” list:

-family camping trips

-new clothes

-Home-school co-ops

-Field trips

-Extra curricular activities

-Eating out

-Hair cuts & color

-Cable TV

-Family entertainment (movies, putt putt, children’s museums, etc)

-purchasing a pop-up trailer for our family camping adventures.

-taking a Disney Cruise we had been saving for

And then we began to witness the truth of this promise:

Malachi 3:10 New Living Translation (NLT)

10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!

Windows of heaven:

-mortgage and every other utility bill was always paid on time

-we never skipped a meal- or snack, for that matter

-another family invited us to go with them on their vacation

-we received LOTS of hand-me-downs for almost every member of our family

-a family paid for all 4 of our children to attend a co-op class

-a family paid for a portion of gymnastics classes for all 4 of our children

-people took us out to eat, or invited us to their home for dinner

-people brought us groceries

-no one needed medical attention for year (no insurance)

And, almost a year later…. God poured out a blessing so great, we didn’t have enough room to take it in!!! Next month, we will be taking that Disney Bahamian Cruise we had been saving for! Here’s how God provided for that:

-We purchased a 4 night Disney Bahamian Cruise for 6, but we only paid for 5 (Disney Rewards)

-FREE hotel for 3 nights in Orlando (Marriott Rewards)

-FREE tickets to Magic Kingdom (Disney Rewards)

-$100 on board credit (Disney Visa Cardholder “gift”)

HGTV may be able to install some beautiful windows, but I’d much prefer for God to open the windows of heaven for me…..wouldn’t you?

Prison

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Matthew 18:21-35 New Living Translation (NLT)

Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor

21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone[a] who sins against me? Seven times?”22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven![b]23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.[c] 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars.[d] He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters[e] from your heart.”

During a recent conversation with a friend about the Parable of the Unforgiving debtor, I felt compelled to re-read the passage. What I noticed this time was the blank between verse 27 & 28. Verse 27 tells of the Master being filled with pity for the servant & mercifully releasing & forgiving him all that was owed. Verse 28 seems to portray that immediately after the King forgave, the servant went straight to find the fellow servant that owed him.

What was missing in the blank?

Truly accepting being forgiven.

The servant failed to soak in the enormity of his pardon while in the Kings presence. Had he stayed, bowed down before his Master, perhaps his head and his heart would have connected the huge dots that lead to the marvelous picture of being forgiven.

All to often, I fail to bow down before my Masters feet and repent for my sins against him, and then wait…..to hear him say “you are forgiven, my child.” But when I do, the feelings of utter gratitude of his love, grace & mercy overwhelm every part of my mind, soul & spirit and I compelled to WANT to forgive others the way He has and continually forgives me.

I’ve heard it taught that forgiveness isn’t turning a blind eye to the offense (or debt); instead, it’s choosing to pardon (or release) the person from what they owe us. Perhaps it’s that apology that we’ve been waiting for from a parent, or spouse, or friend that never came…. Regardless of what our fellow servant does or does not do, the power to forgive comes from our ability to be forgiven by the ONE who has never offended or sinned against us. It comes from the ONE who was fully God and fully man, who willingly chose to serve those who would ultimately betray Him. It comes from the ONE who suffered separation from His Father to endure all our sins as He hung on the cross. It is from this perfect ONE that we are given the mandate to forgive others 70 x 7 times. He sets this example for us, not to make us weak or to live in a perpetual state of denial, but because He loves us soooo much. He doesn’t want us to live a life in prison- being tortured by our enemy.

During one of my RTF sessions where I was being ministered to in this area of forgiveness, the Lord gave me a vision of myself. I was standing in a prison cell- longing to break free. When I finally chose to speak the words “I forgive _____(whoever it was that had offended/hurt me) Jesus, who was holding the keys, unlocked the door and swung it wide open. There I was, faced with the opportunity to walk into freedom. I could either choose to forgive completely, from my heart, or choose to continue to be bitter towards the person I had just forgiven from my head. I could stay in prison, being tortured by the enemy, or I could forgive, from my heart, & follow Jesus out.

Forgiveness is an act of the obedience- we don’t always feel like we want to forgive. When we find ourselves at that place, we need to engage our will and choose to bow before the Master & repent. After He forgives us, we need to let Him fill in the blank……& not get up immediately. After being released from the Master, we’ll willingly choose to walk out of the prison of unforgiveness & forgive others, from our hearts.

Praying for an RV?

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Luke 11 New Living Translation (NLT)

1 Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:[a]“Father, may your name be kept holy.
    May your Kingdom come soon.3 Give us each day the food we need,[b]4 and forgive us our sins,
    as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.[c]”

5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.[d]

9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “You fathers—if your children ask[e] for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people 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.”

Shortly after our son saw the movie “RV” he began asking us to buy one. We reasoned with him, telling him how expensive they are and how much it costs to maintain one, but he’s 5- and he has no concept of money. So, one day, after the 5,000th time of him asking I said “how about you start praying about an RV…and ask God if it’s His will that we have one?” He immediately shut his eyes and starting asking!

Now, I know what some of you are probably thinking…why would I set him up to be disappointed? Why don’t I just continue to tell him “no?” Or, better yet, why don’t we just buy an RV?!

Because its about way more than an RV…..

When we first read verses 9-10 about asking, seeking, knocking, we attribute this persistence in asking to be about what we want and we draw the conclusion that if we ask enough, we’ll get it. But God is not a God who is manipulated by our desires or smooth talking. He is the One that determines what is good for us for the long haul, not just what will make us ‘happy’ in the short one.

If you read further down to verse 13, we see that Jesus is actually teaching His disciples to ask their Heavenly Father for the Holy Spirit. And, therein lies the key to our asking….But if first starts with correctly oriented our hearts to the Father. Once again, Jesus shows us how to do that back up in verses 2-4

1)    Praise God for who He is

2)    Ask for God to provide for our needs

3)    Repent & ask for God’s forgiveness of our sins

4)    Forgive those that have hurt us

5)    Rebuke the enemy

You see, prayer is more about building a relationship with Our Creator than it is about giving God our Christmas list. When we read or hear stories about others who get everything they ask for, we are sometimes left dumbfounded and confused that we aren’t getting the same treatment. And what can eventually set in is bitterness towards God and we quit talking to Him. I know this to be true, because, I’ve been there…

However, as I disciplined myself to read more of God’s word and ask Him for more of His Spirit, I began to understand more about this crucial aspect of our relationship with Him. When I began putting Him in his rightful place (first in everything) my prayer list began to change. I started hearing God’s heart about myself, my husband, my children, people around me…and the things I wanted.

By encouraging my son to ask the Lord for an RV, I’m not passing the buck or setting him up to be disappointed. I’m training him to learn to listen for God’s heart on the matter. It is a discipline that will serve him well if he learns it at a young age. And, who knows…this desire in his heart to own an RV may have come from His Creator and it may be given to him, just as he asked….& THAT would build his faith in the Lord far greater than me constantly telling him “no” or going into debt to buy him what he wants.