When you pray...

The disciples at one time came to the LORD JESUS and ask "teach us to pray?"

And of course you get the very well known 'prayer' often called "the LORD'S Prayer"...

"Our FATHER who art in heaven...hallowed (holy) is your name"
We all know it.

But the part I want to emphasize is the word 'ask'. You can find the prayer in Matthew 6.
When you read the prayer, and the rest of the chapter you will see JESUS use the word 'ask'.

Ask and it shall be given...
For everyone who asks, receives...
Ask so that you can receive so that your joy will be full...

JESUS goes on to talk about (in the same chapter) a friend that comes to visit you late at night, and you (the host) realize that you don't have anything to feed him.  So, being in the middle of the night, you go to your neighbour who you know has bread, and knock to get some bread for your guest.

Your neighbour tells you from the upstairs window, 'leave me alone, we are all in bed, and you are going to wake the family, we will talk about this tomorrow'.

But you don't take 'no' for an answer and keep asking.

Now to the Jews, they knew the meaning of what YESHUA (JESUS) said, when HE said "ask".
Ask means to the Jews and early church a demand and insisting, a boldness a persistence.

Not 'can you give me bread'....but rather, "Hey, I'm your neighbour and have a great need that you can help me with, so I'm pounding on your door and yelling to you and will not leave until you give me the bread."

Get it?

JESUS said "the man gets up, mumbling to himself and gives fresh bread to his needy neighbour".

But JESUS lets us in on the secret.
The secret to answered prayer.

HE said "you didn't get the bread, because he was your neighbour - NO!  He gave you bread because of your insisting, your demanding!"

A friend of mine that I was sharing this with looked a bit puzzled.
I said, Okay let me put it in today's light.
Its late here and the weather is bad and we get a call to pick up our good friend waiting outside the bus depot in the storm.  I tell you, jump in my car I'm driving.

You think "hmm, eric looks tired and my truck is better to drive in the storm, so you insist that you are driving."

We all do this; we all at times insist when we are dealing with family or friends and it works!

This is how you pray.

JESUS (YESHUA) was wondering if the people got the message, so HE tells it another way.
HE tells them about a widow that needs help from someone who is harassing her, and so she goes to the judge who can help her.

But JESUS tells us; 'this judge' doesn't fear GOD or man. He is selfish and un-caring.

So lest you think that your prayers are answered because the neighbour gave you bread or the judge is favourable towards you - NO!

So this story talks about the judge who doesn't care about you.
But the widow woman keeps coming after the judge, relentlessly.

The judge says, "although I don't fear GOD or man, but because of her importunity (her unbending demanding)  I will give her justice over her enemy"

Now YESHUA reminds us that GOD isn't like that.
HE is NOT an unjust or un-caring GOD but loves you.

But there is a spiritual war going on.
There are lots of mixed signals and downright lies in your head.
And all kinds of people and your senses telling you - it wont WORK!

That is why you have to push through.

Okay, but when do you stop praying like that?

2 ways.

1) when you see that you have what you've been praying for.
2) when you don't see it, but you know it (by faith) in you that it is done. Now you just thank the FATHER (your DADDY) and enjoy the ride because you know like know like you know!

Don't give up!

You will see miracles!
Christmas is the time for miracles too...

If you don't see the beauty of it....

How do you know if you really 'love' someone or something?

We say that we 'love' all kinds of things and sadly we say we 'hate' all kinds of other things.
Why I say 'sadly', is because we should be like the world (the carnal nature) and see everything as only 'black and white'.  Judging by appearances the scriptures say.

No, we are to look at the heart, which is the Old Covenant way of looking with the SPIRIT (the real you connected with DAD (GOD)).

So, we are to let HIM lead us, and look at people and things from HIS perspective and not our own judgments that the carnal mind conjures up.

I remember thinking about this 'judging from the outside' bit when I was at a beach a few years ago with the family.  Now this beach was sand that could walk out for miles (up in Algonquin Park, northern Ontario), but to get to the sand that you can walk on for miles, you had to get past this 3 to 4 meter (3 to 4 yards) of hard stones and rocks.  The water there was too shallow to swim over those rocks, and some wearing water shoes, could get over, but for the many that didn't have those types of shoes/flippers even, had to traverse over these hard and un-forgiving stones.

So, this younger guy, built and for sure showing off his arms and worked on muscular body, walked to the stony area, seemingly for the first time.

I judged him, "thinks he's cool"...."watch the stony area, betcha can't get through that with that stride" were my judging thoughts.

He gets to the area, and walks through hardly breaking stride!

"think he is really tough, and strong - showing off" were more thoughts.
BTW - these thoughts are NOT really me (or you) these are carnal minded/ evil worldly thoughts that we are supposed to battle.

After he went swimming beyond the the hard area, to the endless sandy shoulder deep water, he came back.

Stepping on the hard rocky area, he stopped.
Bent over and picked up (one of the many hard stones), and examined it.
"probably a geologist and knows about every stone too" were my judging thoughts.

He picks ups a stone, and brings it towards me (I never met the guy in my life).
He shows me (there were many others sitting and laying on the beach around me) this amazing stone.
The more he turned his hand, parts glistened in the sun.
And with genuine interest in the stone, and a real like soft nature about him, I realized that he knew about nature/rocks to a degree and fully appreciated all this!

He loved it and it was beautiful to him.

Just like the LORD told me, "when you see it as beautiful, you truly love it".

And the same LORD said "judge not, lest you be judged"...I really mis-read this fine young father and young man.

See them as JESUS does, look at them in love.  And when you see them as 'beautiful', you really love them!

-eric

If you are making accuses for the sin nature - you will never get free of it.

Something the LORD (DAD) placed on my heart a few days ago.

As long as we keep making accuses for 'sin', we wont get clear of it (that particular thing, that hold us back).

"I can't stop drinking, because if you knew the job I have, and the boss I deal with!"

"I can't stop lusting (after women), because my wife rejects me."

"I can't stop telling off my parents, if you knew what they have done to me!"

"I can't stop being angry, stingy, selfish, cold"..."because I am of this nationality, we are all like that (from this ethnic back ground).

But you are a NEW creation, old things have passed away....behold all things (including you) have become new!

That is what JESUS/YESHUA said, that is what scriptures teach us.

So stop agreeing with your wrong thoughts, say "NO" to them and resist the devil.
You can't overcome this in your own strength, you need to overcome by way of SPIRIT - which is what I am sharing here.

Change your thinking from agreeing with evil and instead confess (agree with) GOD.

-eric