I wanted to write about this two weeks ago, but for some reason I decided against it. Strangely enough, we got on this same subject in Sam's (a friend of mine) life group. To me this is an extremely controversial subject that definitely needs to be talked about, especially considering that there are so many prosperity gospel teachers out there that misinterpret this verse.
In 1 John 3:21 & 22, John is writing concerning how we ask for our heart's desires from God, and that we will receive what we ask for. This post is not to criticize any of those pastors that preach a prosperity gospel, instead, it is me trying to help people understand why they may not get EVERYTHING that they want.
I can remember being on a Cleveland Browns forum one day, and the discussion somehow turned into a religious one. One guy said, "There can not be a God. I prayed a few times for certain things to happen, but it never did. I had serious requests, and he did not answer them." Here in lies the problem, Christians in the west have become so accustomed to believing that God works for them, that they forget we work for God.
They also forget that in verse 22, John states "receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him." This is why we have the confidence, because our hearts do not condemn us since we want to do what pleases him. We want to seek his desires. Our hearts desires line up with his hearts desires.
I can remember as a little kid hearing about my Dad having all of these awesome cars before I was born. I can remember I really wanted a Corvette. It is not a sinful desire to want a nice car, but over time it became less important to the point where I really do not want one anymore. It would be great to have a really nice car, but it is not a huge desire of mine that I have to have. I say this because instead of saving for a car like that, I feel more inclined to have a car that it nice but more functional, and that I could invest that money in other needs and be able to give to others.
One thing that I started doing a few years back is to pray that I may see others the way that God sees them. This way I could pray more effectively for them. Another huge topic for me is that I pray for wisdom in everything. I want to try and think like God. Whether it is "do I really need to buy that soda when I could just pack a water bottle" or "should I spend time with this person today?", I learned that when I ask for God's wisdom on my everyday life decisions life tends to go smoother for me. Yes, there are bumps in the road (ref: my life a few weeks ago wrapping up the thesis), but when you seek God's perspective you decipher what is permanent and what is temporal, and you value the permanent.
Now you might ask, "I ask for Godly things, but they do not happen." Ultimately, we do not know why God does what he does. Yes, God can heal cancer, God can raise the dead, God can bring someone to a saving knowledge of himself, but it does not always happen. There are so many factors to why things happen, such as free will. When we seek God's heart, we may not understand why he does what he does, but we have peace in knowing that he wants what is best for us and best for others.
Imagine being a parent with your kid in the candy store, you would love to see your kid happy. But if Junior decides what makes him happy is buying a few meals worth of candy, you know the ramifications of such a decision. You reinforce bad dietary habits since the treat becomes the meal, promote tooth decay, teaches them that they can get whatever they want when they want, and that ultimately he is the center of attention.
God knows that often times our desires can be self destructive, so why would he give us "everything that we want"? This is how he is with us, and that is why John encourages his audience to be confident in asking from God when our will is aligned with his... because he has what is right in mind. So when you think about asking and receiving, remember that God knows what is best for us and for those around us, and that you are in good hands.
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