Today's post comes from Starla at Keepin It Real
23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell
you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in
my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. John 16:23,24 NIV
I teach my girls not to be afraid to
ask for anything. Negotiate. I tell them that doesn't mean
that they will always get what they want, "The worst thing that
can happen is you will be turned down or told no." I
myself was raised by the creed, A Closed Mouth Don't Get Fed and in
my 34 years of life, I have found that to be very, very true. Now I
raise my girls to apply this concept to their every
day circumstances. Whether it be asking the teacher for help with
something that they don't understand, asking me if they can stay the night with
a friend (a very brave thing for them to do because they go through a
serious interrogation), asking permission to play their favorite computer game, etc......
you get my drift.
My 11 year old daughter Dayna even went so far as to request a
round table discussion to negotiate terms for a computer game that they wanted
to play but had recently been grounded from because they were neglecting their
chores. My husband and I were so impressed by the way she went about this
request that we agreed to give it a try. You see, this is something that
Dayna really wanted to do and she figured out a way to ask with a resolution.
I mean she had a written plan for their requirements and everything.
There have been times when we have given them things w/o them asking but
sometimes, I wait for them to ask even though I already know what they want.
God is the same way with us. He knows what we want and He is ready
to give it to us but if we don't ask, sometimes we don't receive.
Case in point. Did you know that some hotels offer
additional amenities that they don't necessarily advertise such as bathrobes,
slippers, extended check out and things of that nature? Just because you
don't see it in your room does not necessarily mean that it's not available.
They only give them to the people that ask for them. There are so
many deals and opportunities that we miss out on simply because we don't ask
for them. I have negotiated lower rent, scholarships (basically
free versus $100) for summer programs at our local college, daycare expenses
for more than 1 child ($100 per week instead of $140 per week) and the list
goes on and on. I'm so glad my girls are no longer in daycare, that's for
sure but I managed to save $160 per month by negotiating a.k.a. (asking).
In James 4:2 scripture
says that you do not have because you do not ask (see full scripture below).
What does this really mean? I will tell you what I believe it does not mean.
It does not mean that you will receive everything that
you ask for. James 4:3 goes
on to say When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask
with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on
your pleasures. Ever done that before? I know I have. For the
most part, I ask for what I want and I ask God if it be His will, In Jesus
name. I always ask in Jesus' name. God knows me better than I know
myself so I ask Him to open any doors that need to be opened and close doors
that need to be closed regarding a specific situation. You see, every day
is an opportunity to be blessed by God but sometimes we miss out on those
blessings simply because we do not ask to be blessed. We may not know
specifically what it is but we should still ask. That's what I recently
told my 16 year old daughter the other day. Part of my daily morning
prayer includes asking God to bless me. Sometimes I forget and I may not
always know how He blessed me, but I know that I should always ask.
I have asked friends and family if they ever pray for themselves
and more than half of them said no. Why not? They say they never
think about themselves. That is when I quote the scripture as best I can.
Enough to explain to them that God expects you to ask.
Do you just ask? Why or why not?
References:
2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you
cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not
have because you do not ask God.
3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong
motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I
tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in
my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
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