I remember when I was a kid, a very long time ago, and I would ask my parents for something. Usually that meant my mom, naturally. I would beg and plead and promise whatever it took to get the answer I felt I deserved. Maybe it was just to go see a movie with my friends or something I saw in a store that I just knew I had to have. I learned early on that she was easier to persuade than my dad, so that is the tactic I took. Most of the time, I was successful. I always went to her assuming I would win and get what I wanted. I just never assumed the answer would be “no”. If that was her initial answer, then I would continue asking until I either got what I wanted or I figured out that this time she really meant “no’’. Much later in life I could look back and see that either my strategy was wrong or what I wanted wasn’t right for me.
How often do you ask God for something and, when you don’t get it within your time frame, you give up or just assume that he isn’t going to give it to you. Maybe you are telling yourself that just because you want it doesn’t mean God will grant your request. Perhaps you don’t feel worthy or the past history of not getting the right answer has given you a defeatist attitude. If someone you love came up to you and asked for something special and then closed by saying that they don’t think you will really give it them, but they had to try, how inclined would you be to say, “Yes”? God looks at us the same way. He is willing to do or give whatever we want or need, as long as it is in our good interest. He wants us to be positive and enthusiastic about getting his gifts. However, if you are telling him you don’t believe in his goodness and generosity, then why should he give you what you want?
There are two answers to that last question. If you don’t believe you will get it, then you probably won’t. After all, he wants us to believe in him and if we don’t, then why reward us? The other answer is that he will give it to us anyway. Why? Perhaps it is just to show us that he does love us and he does care. Not only does that generosity reward us, but it also teaches us that we need to believe even when we don’t think we will receive what we request.
Jesus told us we need to come to God like little children. Little children are full of belief, they never doubt. Look at them at Christmas or on their birthday! They absolutely know what they are going to get, they never doubt it for a minute. We need to be the same way when we approach God and ask him for something. He loves us. He wants us to have it all.
So, why do we doubt and spoil it? For the answer to that question, you have to look in a totally different direction. You have to look to the Father of All Lies, Satan himself. He is the one whispering in your ear, putting doubts in your mind. He is the spoiler. If he can create doubt and stop your belief, then he wins and you lose. If God doesn’t reward the doubter, then it just becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. Over time it can build until you just assume God doesn’t like or love you. The score becomes Satan “1”, You “0”. It is an easy trap of which you can become the victim.
So, how do you defeat Satan? When you are asking God for something, and all of the negative thoughts start to assault you from all sides, STOP! Take stock and realize where those negatives are coming from. You have to deliberately change your thoughts to the positive and ask God for his help to banish them from you…and send Satan packing.
Don’t, then, be surprised when your most loving parent says “Yes”. Maybe you had to ask just once or many times. When the time is right, when you are ready, then unwrap that present, tear off the bow rip the paper, and have joy in his generosity. Don’t’ forget to look at the card…it will be signed, “Love, God”.
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