What do you need to ask for?
So this morning I am talking with my wife. We are having a discussion about a dream she
has had where I came home and told her how excited I was at riding home with a
woman from church because she was “smoking hot”. As you can imagine neither of us was thrilled
with the dream, but my wife especially because she prays that God would speak
to us through our dreams and he has told her things before which I wish he
would have left private because I was hiding from her. So her take on the dream is what do you need
to tell me? with a very mad face.
I am not the same person, inside, that I was 10-20 years
ago. My wife has right to be suspicious
as I let my heart wander and my body and I was immature and selfish and left my
wife for another woman for a time. We
nearly divorced, but I truly felt the prayers of my family, friends and even
those of my wife. We met one night
during the turmoil of that time and we talked for about 4 hours. We hadn’t spoke in months, up until that
time. God moved in my heart and that
evening I decided I wanted her back and I wanted to fight for our
marriage. That was 8 years ago. So my wife, has even more of a right, I believe,
to be suspect. She hasn’t had these
dreams in ages and the reality is that I’m not having an affair. However, I’m still susceptible to temptation
from the internet, TV, magazine, billboards, newspapers, and the list goes on
and on. What we do with those images, as
men, can be detrimental to our health, our marriages, our stability as well as
our inner conscious.
Most men think that a glance is a glance, it won’t hurt
anything. I have read in various
journals and magazines that an image in a man’s brain will be viewable for up
to 6 years, even if we want to try to forget it. I’ll admit that evening opening your email
can be difficult, per se, as the scrolling images of single women roll up the
screen for a dating website service.
My wife’s dream also articulated to me that although she may
be suffering from her own lack of sexuality because of raising three kids,
nursing our youngest, cooking, cleaning (and the million other jobs that go
along with being a stay-at-home mom) that the real problem is that I am not
owning up to my covenant with God regarding honoring her as my wife and more
importantly as her daughter. Everyday is
a “new love” with your wife. Overnight,
her love tank runs dry and its up to you to fill it each day. Every.
Day. When my wife starts having
dreams of the type that I just mentioned it doesn’t (thank God) point to an
exact meaning.
What gets lost day to day I think is that honor and respect
we need to have for each other as children of god. The cranky neighbor across the street. God loves them. The rude waitress at the restaurant. God loves her.
And so must we. It’s
our calling.
Let me get to the point.
Today’s bible verse is 1 John 5:14-15:
“This is the confidence we have in approaching god, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.”
Isn’t that amazing!!!
We have not because we ask not! You’ve
heard it before but maybe this will put it in a new light, for some of you.
You can be confident, that all you ask for from God, that if
its according to his will, you will receive.
Doesn’t this make you feel great?! now all those things you were hesitant to ask
for, felt selfish for asking for, for guilty for asking for … well those
feelings may be your conscious telling you, you don’t need them.
I’m not talking new cars and jewelry. You can ask, I guess! Maybe you’ll ask and it will inspire you to
save, but then you’ll have all the money saved and you’ll end up giving it to charity
instead. I don’t know! Maybe it will inspire you to be a marriage
mentor because you’ve been through some rough patches and you know you have
plenty to share with others who are in that situation, but you don’t like
talking in front of people. Pray for
public speaking skills and a heart for marriages! The possibilities are truly endless and I’m
guessing what you aren’t asking for is something that you really need to do.
But what I’m getting at here and what you can find joy in
today … is that God will give you all that you ask for, in accordance for his
will for you; his purpose for you and his kingdom.
I have listed below my “wants”. Now they aren’t perfect or in any order, they
just popped into my head. I have added
the verse I shared with you today to my index card verses and on the back I am
going to keep a list of wants. This way I
can pray for them and add to them and cross them off as those prayers are
answered.
I “want” in my life
- fulfilled marriage
- closer walk with God- my kids to seek/follow God
- real, open, relationships
- marriage counseling others
- Fun!!!
- wisdom
- discernment
- continual spiritual growth
- acreage (a hobby farm)
- sustainability
- livestock
- maple trees for maple syrup
- honey bees
- to honor my parents
-
-
-
-
(I left some blank so I can come back and add more)
All of those things I listed I am asking god for today. Thatt if it’s his will that any of those
things that I want can bring him and his kingdom glory that he would provide
them to us, now or in the future.
My prayer is today for all you who may read this entry, to
be filled with contentment and joy knowing that your live as a Christian is
well-taken care of on this earth and for eternity in heaven. That you will have no needs because he meets
them all and that your wants, according to his will, will be met … because you
asked for it in prayer. Thank you Jesus
for all those who have met you in this place today, that the weight they feel
to be perfect, to live up to others standards, who struggle with peer review
that they would remember to ask for all they want and you would provide to them
it all, as it is according to your will for them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
So I’m going to ask the question one more time.
What do you need to ask for?
Think about it.
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