“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”
John 16:24
In the previous devotional, we learned that God could grant our request if we ask. Yet many of us have been asking as if our lives depend on that request, but we haven’t received what we asked for. For this reason, many have been thinking that God is not true. Some even feel that God doesn’t exist, and hence they seek help from men who can fail.
Some go ahead to seek help from the devil because they feel God will never answer their prayers. Are you one of those people today? Are you still wondering why God hasn’t granted your request?
While there can be so many reasons, for the sake of today’s message, we will focus on just a few.
Here are some of the reasons your requests haven’t been granted:
> You haven’t asked in His name: According to our opening scripture, Jesus made the disciples know that they haven’t asked for anything in His name. One of the problems with our world today is that we now take many spiritual things for granted. We have become too familiar with the things of God.
> You asked for selfish reasons: James 4:2-3, “You want things, but you cannot have them, so you are ready to kill; you strongly desire things, but you cannot get them, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have what you want because you do not ask God for it. And when you ask, you do not receive it, because your motives are bad; you ask for things to use for your own pleasures.” We need to always search our hearts deeply to know the reason we are asking for something. Make sure you do not ask out of jealousy for another person’s success, or to become boastful.
> You didn’t ask in faith: James 1:6, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” When we ask without having faith in God, it is like a babbling man wasting his time. If you will really ask, do it in faith rather than waste time and energy asking in vain.
> You asked in sin: ” Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” Isa. 59:1-2.
> You’re going through an intentional waiting phase in God’s calendar of your life: Sometimes, God wants us to go through some situations that will help us become better in our disposition. When going through such a phase, it may seem like God is wicked or has abandoned us.
So when you’re asking and things aren’t going the way you desire, always check in the spirit to confirm the likely reason. If you ask God, He will definitely help you.
This is our message for today, and we hope you were blessed. We’d also love to hear from you; please leave a comment below.
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Have a blessed day!
