I'm Asking

I have believed for years that prayer should come with a warning label like medicine - 'USE ONLY AS DIRECTED.'
If the bottle says take one pill a day and you take all 30 at one time, it will probably hurt you or even kill you. Prayer can be damaging to a believer's spiritual life if they don't know what God has said about praying in the life of a believer.

Many Christians pray and do not see their prayers immediately answered or answered how they believe it should be answered and they give up hope or think God is angry with them. This isn't true at all.
God answers prayers in one of three ways: 'yes,' 'no,' or 'yes, but not right now.'

The truth is this - there are at least 10 requirements in Scripture to answered prayer. Another truth is that most Christians do not follow these precepts and their prayers fall short.

Let me give you an example.
One of the precepts for answered prayers is to ask for something that can be answered; yet, I have heard prayers for years from good, Godly men and women that there is no way they could ever know if it was answered. Prayers such as, 'God, bless all the children in Africa.'
Well, did He do it?
There's no way to ever know the answer.

Other requirements include praying in Jesus' name, and praying with the right motives in the heart. The late Dr. Adrian Rogers once said that the only prayers that reach heaven are the prayers that begin in heaven. That means that we need to be praying the will of God in all matters we bring before the throne.
There are other precepts to answered prayer, but I will not go into further detail at this time. I only want to point out one; it is one that is very important to every Christian's life.

'You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.'
     - The Apostle James 4: 2c-3.

A man once said that Jesus Christ went more willingly to the Cross than Christians go to the throne of Grace; he was correct. We often try to handle matters ourselves when they rightly belong to God.
And often when we do go to God in prayer, we don't go with the right heart motives; desiring a change in our situation rather than a change in character or spiritual solution.

In my personal situation with Cancer - I have the right motive; for Jesus to be glorified through the outcome. I pray rightly - only in Jesus' name. I am a blood-bought beleiver. I attempt to pray for God's will regardless of the situation every time; even if the outcome is not what I personally desire.
So, what is left?
The Apostle James tells me 'asking.'

On this, don't try to make the faith too complicated - every Christian needs to ask and ask rightly for God to move in our lives for His will to be accomplished and for Him to be glorified.
So, this night, I am asking for what I want in the right spirit as a public prayer through this blog.

1) I am asking for 12 more years of life.
- I know having cancer has greatly reduced my life expectancy; but I don't know if complete healing is God's will, although I want complete healing more than anything right now.
I do want to be healed whether through God's miraculous touch or through the knowledge God has given in modern medicine. All healing, however it comes in our lives, originates with Almighty God.
- I don't want to seem presumptous or trying to inflict my desires on God's soverieng plan. So, if my life must end, I want at least 12 years of life if I cannot have complete healing in my body.
- To be sure, I want to live for a very long time and play with my grandchildren one day; but if this is not in God's plan for my life - I want 12 years of life by His grace.
The reasons for this follow.

2) I am asking to share what I have to give.
- God has blessed me throughout my life with incredible learning and has given me so many tools to minister to people in His name. I want to share what He has blessed me with so that more will come to know Him the way I know Him - as a friend and as my Savior and Lord.
- When you have cancer at such a young age, you have a sense of injustice about your condition. I know God is holy and just; it's that I just don't understand at this time. Right now, in my heart, I feel that I have so much more to share, more people to win for His glory, more sermons to preach and more work to do for the Kingdom.
- If I am given a second breath of life, in those 12 years or longer, as God gracefully grants, I plan to do all that I can to exhaust what I have to contribute to the Kigndom so that He will be honored and glorified.

3) I am asking for my children to be spared the pain of my passing.
- I have two children. My son is much like me, even at his early age. He is serious, with a hidden, sneaky humorous side. He has the pure faith of a child; he also has a very tender heart.
- If I were to die, he would be crushed - just as I was crushed at my father's passing. But the difference is that I was in my 30's; my son is only 9. I fear that his thirst for God and knowledge of Him will be hindered if I die.
- As for my daughter, she has a joyful blessedness about her. It is a happiness that is full of love and comes from the pure heart of a child.
- If I was to die, I fear that the joy she knows will vanish for her love for me as her father is second to none.
- The one good thing about it is that both are young Christians; if Iwas to pass, I am certain they would one day recover because they too, have the hope that is in Christ.
In short, I don't want my death to hinder their young faith or their young walk with their Lord.

4) I am asking for my wife to be spared the anguish that would come from my passing.
- I use to tell people my wife was an angel - always up in the air harping about something.
But there's no truth in the statement whatsoever. The real truth is that I have a diamond; a woman who shines above all others.
- Her compassion is from the Holy Spirit, her love is from God, her concern is true; as she takes care of me, she glows even while it hurts her to see me suffer.
- I cannot bare the thought of what my passing from this life into eternal life would do to her emotionally. It hurts me to even begin to think of how she would hurt.
That's why I'm asking for this one.

5) I am asking for an extension on life for my Church.
- Every pastor has a special spot in their heart for the church they serve; yet, I doubt many pastors have the relationship I have with West Ripley.
- Now everybody knows that God's work in a local church is greater than any one person, one pastor or one era of ministry. But I don't think I have finished all that the Lord has sent me there to do with His people or His ministry at our church.
- The upshot is that I want to finish what I have started; and I want to finish well for His glory.

The basis for what I am asking is to further the glory of God, although I fully realize God's glory may be achieved through the alternative. I may not understand it, but I am willing to accept it.

The Word of God tells us to ask, ask our hearts desire before the throne of grace.
I am asking for my heart desire without remorse and without wrong motives for myself - ultimately, my desires are all about the Lord.

If you are a believer, I would encourage you to go 'boldly before the throne of grace' and to go often. If you do, I believe God will open your world to the wonderful power and blessing He has for your life.
But be warned, if you are not a Christian - even if you ask, know that you have no right to ask nor do you have any expectation of your prayer being answered.
Now, God may answer because of His unlimited mercy; but He's not obligated and you shouldn't expect it.

Friend, there is a way to fix that problem; the solution is to accept Jesus Christ as your savior. He doesn't care if you are coming to Him because you are scared, or if you are fearful, or if you have rejected Him in the past.
What Jesus cares about is you for no other reason than He loves you.

He has been waiting your entire life for you to come to Him. He was there the day you were born. He saw you take your first steps, He has watched you through the pains of life, the trials you've faced, the fires that burned you. He has seen your unbelief and when you were hurt by others. He stood patiently by as you rejected Him.
Now, let me tell you a little secret - NONE OF THAT MATTERS.

God is wanting to forget about all the sins, all the mistakes and all the wrong decisions you have made. He wants you to make the right one about Him right now.
You may not understand what I'm talking about or grasp how this is possible. Friend, I don't always understand it either - I just know that it is true and if you do trust Him, He will reveal it to you as well.

Tonight, I am asking these things I have mentioned because they are important to me. But I am also asking that those who read these words accept Christ. And not only that you would accept the Lord, but that He would make your life come alive for Him - regardless of what stage of life you may be in.
The reason is because I want others to have what I have, to know what I know and to be able to expect what I expect from God.

"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.'  - James 4:8

So, what are you asking for?
Ask first for Christ to come into your heart first; only then will your heart desires be more for Him and less about yourself. And that is when you will know what to pray about your situation in life right now.
Draw near to Him.

Until next time, try to win one for the good guys.