In Possessing All

       “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14). These are the sure words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the inheritance of as many as believe in Him. As we ask of Him, He gives us strength and wisdom to possess all that He is giving to us per time. However, some possessions that are legally ours are lost because we are not well positioned to receive them. We may not actually deserve them but He has deemed it necessary to give it to us anyway because we are His friend: “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). Unfortunately there is a snag: so much noise, distractions, interruptions legitimate and illegitimate that is constantly competing for our attention. Until we shut out these distractions, it will be impossible to see or know with clarity what we are supposed to do and where to be in order to receive that which is ours. A counterfeit position is always being peddled that we don’t really need to go to the Lord for ‘every’ thing, because He has given us wisdom to discern what is good for us and we need to seek out ways to get it without bothering Him. This is a lie of darkness: If God is truly our ‘Everything’, then, we need Him for everything! Not understanding this has led many to preach DIY (do it yourself) messages: Messages that ill-prepare the listener for the bumps that occur along the road of life. The truth is when one stumbles and falls as a result of these bumps, such blames everyone but him/herself. For instance, a preacher once taught his listeners that no one needs God to tell such whom to marry. The best way to go about it, according to the preacher, is to find someone whose attitude and character such agrees with! Unfortunately for the preacher, he forgot that the heart is so deceitful and pretentious: “The heart is more deceitful than anything else and desperately sick – who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Only God truly understands the swaying of a person’s heart, not even the person. If we agree, how then can one tell if the portrayed way of life is the truth? 

        A person that believes he/she can do ‘some’ things outside of God, will not get a lot of the blessings God has in store for such. Friend, there is a need to silence these strange voices and teachings and listen to the clear voice of the Lord. The danger is that the Lord examines our hearts and will respond to us accordingly: “I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give according to his way, according to what his actions deserve” (Jeremiah 17:10). It got to a point in the life of the children of Israel in the wilderness, that Moses had to erect a tent outside the camp (away from the noise and distractions): “Anyone who wanted to consult the Lord would go to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp” (Exodus 33:7b); and God was set to answer their requests (Exodus 29:43). Friend, these are dire times and one must be careful to follow teachings that may sound factual, legal and morally right but based on earthly principles; when followed they do not endure but leads to heartaches and broken lives. If truly we are citizens of Heaven, then the onus is on us to return to God’s word to test what has been taught. At the same time, we must equally silence the distractions, noise and interruptions that are daily competing for our attention by daily going to Him for His instructions: “Let us then go to Him outside the camp, bearing His disgrace. For here we do not have an enduring city; instead, we seek the one to come” (Hebrews 13:13-14). May the Lord give you the grace to constantly seek Him for ‘every’ little thing. God bless you.