Limitations on God
Why do we put limitations on God? We trust him to answer our prayers with some things but not others. According to the Word, we are to take everything to God in prayer. I sit back and think about that; “take everything to God in prayer.” But instead of taking it to God in prayer, we take it to other people and trust that they will do what only God can do. Now, I know that God uses people to accomplish what he wants done. But, do we take it to God first? We have all kinds of promises in the Bible from God.
I am taken back to a story about a man who had died and gone to Heaven. While Gabriel the Angel was taking him on a tour of Heaven, the man noticed a building that Gabriel walked by. The man noticed that Gabriel did not say anything concerning that building but spoke about all the other wonders of Heaven. The man asked Gabriel, “Gabriel, what is that building over there?” Gabriel said, “Oh, it’s just a storage building.” The man said, “What do you store there?” Gabriel ignored the question and tried to move on to other things in Heaven. The building was a mystery to the man and he wanted to know what was in the building. The man asked Gabriel, “Can we go inside the building?” Gabriel said, “I don’t think you want to go in there.” The man said, “Why not?” Gabriel said, “Because there is nothing in there for you.” Well, the man insisted and Gabriel took the man inside the building. Once they got inside the building, the man saw rows and columns and levels of all kinds of things. The man walked around and asked Gabriel, “What is all of these wonderful things in this building?” Gabriel said, “These are things that God was waiting for people to ask for but they never did.” So, I am reminded that we have not because we ask not. (That is my best recollection of the story. But I trust that you all got the message).
When we ask God for something, we should make sure that it is according to his will. If a request is according to God’s will, we are sure to receive it if we have patience. There are normally three answers from God we will receive when we make a request: Yes, Wait, and No. Normally, the no is if it is not his will for you. The “wait” is when patience is required. There may be some things, people, etc that God has to move around to get the blessing in order. Maybe there is some sifting that God needs to do with us before the blessing come. But I believe that a lot of us get “wait” mixed up with “no” and take it as unanswered prayer. I am reminded that our time is not God’s time. Once I learned that, I started a journal of all requests that I make to God. I make my request and date it. Every day, I pray to God and thank him for answering my prayer. Some prayers have been answered immediately, some took some time and those are the ones that taught me patience and increased my faith. Then I have some that I am still claiming and thanking God for. They are not answered yet; but, I can see God moving on some of them. Once God has answered my petition, I go back to my journal and write the date of the answered prayer. So, how do we apply that to a promise of God? I am reminded of 1 John 5:14-15, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” So, I am thinking, by asking God for something that we can’t see clearly we must have Faith. Which leads me to: Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen.” Although we can’t see it, does it mean we can’t acquire it? We believe in God and His Son Jesus Christ and can’t see them. How is that possible? It is the faith that we have by reading the word of God. So, how do we get faith? According to the Bible “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans: 10:17). God has provided all kinds of promises to us for our daily lives. If you are going through a trial, God has a promise for it.
Experiencing “Doubt” God said in Luke 12:29-31, “And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”
Need “Assurance” God said in 1 John 5:13, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Need a little “Confidence” God said in Hebrews 13:6, “So that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”
If we can call on scriptures like this and believe Him for it, then there should be no reason for limiting God. We have a lot of Christians in the world who say, “God did answer that prayer but I know he will not answer this one because I have already asked him for something.” I wonder if they realize they have just placed a limitation on God.
Godbe4me:jesus-cross:
Why do we put limitations on God? We trust him to answer our prayers with some things but not others. According to the Word, we are to take everything to God in prayer. I sit back and think about that; “take everything to God in prayer.” But instead of taking it to God in prayer, we take it to other people and trust that they will do what only God can do. Now, I know that God uses people to accomplish what he wants done. But, do we take it to God first? We have all kinds of promises in the Bible from God.
I am taken back to a story about a man who had died and gone to Heaven. While Gabriel the Angel was taking him on a tour of Heaven, the man noticed a building that Gabriel walked by. The man noticed that Gabriel did not say anything concerning that building but spoke about all the other wonders of Heaven. The man asked Gabriel, “Gabriel, what is that building over there?” Gabriel said, “Oh, it’s just a storage building.” The man said, “What do you store there?” Gabriel ignored the question and tried to move on to other things in Heaven. The building was a mystery to the man and he wanted to know what was in the building. The man asked Gabriel, “Can we go inside the building?” Gabriel said, “I don’t think you want to go in there.” The man said, “Why not?” Gabriel said, “Because there is nothing in there for you.” Well, the man insisted and Gabriel took the man inside the building. Once they got inside the building, the man saw rows and columns and levels of all kinds of things. The man walked around and asked Gabriel, “What is all of these wonderful things in this building?” Gabriel said, “These are things that God was waiting for people to ask for but they never did.” So, I am reminded that we have not because we ask not. (That is my best recollection of the story. But I trust that you all got the message).
When we ask God for something, we should make sure that it is according to his will. If a request is according to God’s will, we are sure to receive it if we have patience. There are normally three answers from God we will receive when we make a request: Yes, Wait, and No. Normally, the no is if it is not his will for you. The “wait” is when patience is required. There may be some things, people, etc that God has to move around to get the blessing in order. Maybe there is some sifting that God needs to do with us before the blessing come. But I believe that a lot of us get “wait” mixed up with “no” and take it as unanswered prayer. I am reminded that our time is not God’s time. Once I learned that, I started a journal of all requests that I make to God. I make my request and date it. Every day, I pray to God and thank him for answering my prayer. Some prayers have been answered immediately, some took some time and those are the ones that taught me patience and increased my faith. Then I have some that I am still claiming and thanking God for. They are not answered yet; but, I can see God moving on some of them. Once God has answered my petition, I go back to my journal and write the date of the answered prayer. So, how do we apply that to a promise of God? I am reminded of 1 John 5:14-15, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” So, I am thinking, by asking God for something that we can’t see clearly we must have Faith. Which leads me to: Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen.” Although we can’t see it, does it mean we can’t acquire it? We believe in God and His Son Jesus Christ and can’t see them. How is that possible? It is the faith that we have by reading the word of God. So, how do we get faith? According to the Bible “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans: 10:17). God has provided all kinds of promises to us for our daily lives. If you are going through a trial, God has a promise for it.
Experiencing “Doubt” God said in Luke 12:29-31, “And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.”
Need “Assurance” God said in 1 John 5:13, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Need a little “Confidence” God said in Hebrews 13:6, “So that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”
If we can call on scriptures like this and believe Him for it, then there should be no reason for limiting God. We have a lot of Christians in the world who say, “God did answer that prayer but I know he will not answer this one because I have already asked him for something.” I wonder if they realize they have just placed a limitation on God.
Godbe4me:jesus-cross:
