THE LITTLE FOXES THAT SPOIL THE VINE (PART 3)

We do not pray enough, fast enough, give enough, serve enough, or do enough of what is required to get our miracle. We do not fill our clouds with enough water so that they might burst out and rain upon us in return, nor do we push our tree with enough force so that it can fall down and create an impact that will speak for us. ASKING FOR THE WRONG THINGS “You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3). Some of us seek after or ask for the wrong things in prayer. God is a good God. And it is because of this His goodness that He does not give us those things we frantically seek or pray for. He knows that if we should get them, they might harm us or ultimately deprive us of getting to heaven. And knowing that no earthly pleasure – which is at best for a lifetime – can compare with the everlasting glory He has prepared for us, He will not stop at anything to ensure that we partake of this glory, even if it means denying or disciplining us at times. It is therefore important for us to know that He is not under any obligation to satisfy all our whims; rather He is only obliged to supply our needs as a caring Father. NOT QUALIFIED/MATURE YET TO HAVE IT Some times, we behave like little children and ask God for something we are neither matured nor equipped to handle. Imagine a ten-year-old boy asking for a car? That is the picture some of us present sometimes in our prayer requests and aspirations. We ask for and aspire after what we are not mentally, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, financially, or socially equipped to manage. And when the One Who knows best and has it all decides not to release them to us, we whine and complain all day long, doubting if He really cares as we are made to believe. There is a world of difference between anointing and character; the possession of one does not connote the ownership of the other. A popular saying says, “Anointing can launch one to a height where character is not able to sustain him.” Such is the case when we ignorantly seek certain things at a time that it may result in our humiliation or public disgrace to the point that we will not have the courage to ever venture up again. God is omniscient, and because of this attribute of His, He knows the appropriate time to give us everything we will ever need for life and godliness. But due to our limited knowledge, we often strive, scheme, and struggle for what we cannot hold on to at a particular point in time. It requires wisdom to know the when of everything we desire in life. Imagine if Daniel had prayed for the liberation of the captives at Babylon at their 20th or 40th year in captivity, he would have only been praying into the future because God had already decreed that the captivity would last for 70 years. And any activities to turn around the captivity before the appointed time would have only amounted to an effort in futility. Wisdom is knowing the appropriate time you are due for something and aspiring/praying for it then, not before or after, “Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise in heart will know the proper time and procedure. For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him” (Ecclesiastes 8: 5-6 NIV). MOTIVE Another reason we often do not get our hearts’ desire – regardless of our fervent prayers or sacrificial service – is because of our motive for seeking such things. We see in James 4:3 cited above that God does not honour prayers asked amiss or those that are meant to gratify our selfish whims. And though we may present our requests to Him as if we are striving for the benefit all, we should also reckon with the fact that He is all-knowing and sees into the inner recesses of our hearts. One of the most liberating scriptures I came across in the few years I have been studying the bible is 1 Samuel 16:7b. It says, “For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Man considers the action, the appearance, the outlook, the seen, and the ‘what’ of people and things, but God looks at the motive and the ‘whys’. Some of us pray to God to bless us so that we can spite or ‘show’ someone who has offended or denied us in the past. God does not answer that kind of prayer. Whatever He blesses you with, He meant to be used for your benefit and the benefit of those around you, friends or foes. So if you want a speedy answer to your prayers or a quick reward for your service, check your motive very well to know WHY you desire that thing. If your motive is genuine enough, or you need that thing for your purpose or sustenance in life, God will be more than willing to grant it to you. But you need to really settle this issue of motive first because God cannot be deceived; He knows those things you are not saying with your mouth. I once read a write-up where the writer said an angel told him that they hear the thoughts of men more loudly in heaven than what we say with our mouths on earth! Can you beat that? NOT TAKING A STEP OF FAITH Even after all is said and done, and we have done all we possibly could to get our miracles, some of us still short-change ourselves by not taking the necessary step required to get our desire. We procrastinate by crying, whining, and bemoaning our lot in life, to whoever cares to listen, and lament about all we had done to get this or that without any result. The truth is that God is not impressed by tears and complaints. He is moved only by faith. The bible says ‘without faith, it is impossible to please God’. And because we have not yet grasped the import of the bible’s definition of faith as “the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen” (Heb 11:1 NLT), we wait (tarry?) for the time when it is going to look like it before we take any step at all, and therefore languish in abjection for as long as that may be. Listen my brethren, the best time to do anything is NOW. Don’t wait until it looks like it before you act, otherwise it may be too late by then. The bible says “He who observes the wind will not sow. And he who regards the clouds will not reap” (Ecclesiastes 11:4).