In Christ Alone I Place My Trust
Psalms
{130:1} Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
{130:2} Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice
of my supplications.
{130:3} If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall
stand?
{130:4} But [there is] forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be
feared.
{130:5} I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I
hope.
{130:6} My soul [waiteth] for the Lord more than they that watch for
the morning: [I say, more than] they that watch for the morning.
{130:7} Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD [there is]
mercy, and with him [is] plenteous redemption.
I wait fot the Lord, my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope.
Waiting for the Lord. Hoping in His word.
Matthew {28:20} Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.
Waiting for the Lord-
Jesus is with us always.
So if Jesus is with us alway, what are we waiting for? We're waiting for the new world promised by Jesus. The world without sin, without pain, without heartache.
Hebrews {9:28} So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;
and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second
time without sin unto salvation
Christ died bearing our sins, not a single sin of His own, but taking on all of our sins. He will come again and without any of our sins, bringing salvation to us that look for Him. We are looking for Him with hope. We are waiting for Him, hoping in the word that He's given us.
If we had this world with all its sin and pain to only look forward to then there is no hope at all. The only true hope lies with Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior who died to save us for eternity with Him. Are we worthy? No, we're never worthy and we never can be worthy. The worth that deserves salvation is Christ's alone.
There is a song...
'In Christ alone I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory let it be said of me
My source of strength, my source of hope is Christ alone'
It's so true. Our hope is Christ alone. We can't have hope in ourselves because we'll fail ourselves, it's inevitable. Our hope has to be in Christ who alone will not fail us, Christ who has the victory already for us. He's our source of strength, our source of hope and when we fail to be as He'd have us be, we need to trust in Him to help us and anything we lack He will supply.
'Forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us'
Help us to forgive Lord.
Help us to forgive.
Ps. {7:1} O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust
Ps. {11:1} In the LORD put I my trust
Ps. {16:1} Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
Ps. {25:20} O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I
put my trust in thee.
Ps. {31:1} In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed:
deliver me in thy righteousness.
{31:2} Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong
rock, for an house of defence to save me.
{31:3} For thou [art] my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s
sake lead me, and guide me.
{31:4} Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for
thou [art] my strength.
{31:5} Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O
LORD God of truth.
{31:6} I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the
LORD.
{31:7} I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast
considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
{31:8} And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast
set my feet in a large room.
{31:9} Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is
consumed with grief, [yea,] my soul and my belly.
{31:10} For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my
strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are
consumed.
{31:11} I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among
my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see
me without fled from me.
{31:12} I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken
vessel.
{31:13} For I have heard the slander of many: fear [was] on every side:
while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take
away my life.
{31:14} But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou [art] my God.
{31:15} My times [are] in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine
enemies, and from them that persecute me.
{31:16} Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy
mercies’ sake.
{31:17} Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let
the wicked be ashamed, [and] let them be silent in the grave.
King James Bible Psalms Page 331
{31:18} Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous
things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
{31:19} [Oh] how great [is] thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for
them that fear thee; [which] thou hast wrought for them that
trust in thee before the sons of men!
{31:20} Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the
pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from
the strife of tongues.
{31:21} Blessed [be] the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous
kindness in a strong city.
{31:22} For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes:
nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I
cried unto thee.
{31:23} O love the LORD, all ye his saints: [for] the LORD preserveth
the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
{31:24} Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye
that hope in the LORD.
Ps. {56:3} What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
{56:4} In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I
will not fear what flesh can do unto me
Ps. {56:11} In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can
do unto me.
Ps. {71:1} In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to
confusion.
{71:2} Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline
thine ear unto me, and save me.
{71:3} Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually
resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou [art] my
rock and my fortress.
{71:4} Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the
hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
{71:5} For thou [art] my hope, O Lord GOD: [thou art] my trust from my
youth.
{71:6} By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that
took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise [shall be]
continually of thee.
Ps. {73:28} But [it is] good for me to draw near to God: I have put my
trust in the Lord GOD
Ps. {141:8} But mine eyes [are] unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my
trust; leave not my soul destitute.
{141:9} Keep me from the snares [which] they have laid for me, and the
gins of the workers of iniquity.
{141:10} Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal
escape.
Heb. {2:13} And again, I will
put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children
which God hath given me. {2:14} Forasmuch then as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death he might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
{2:15} And deliver them who through fear of death were all
their lifetime subject to bondage. {2:16} For verily he took
not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the
seed of Abraham. {2:17} Wherefore in all things it behoved
him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a
merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to
God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
{2:18} For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted,
he is able to succour them that are tempted
5/20/10
Luk 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
Luk 12:9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
Confessed before the angels of God.
Denied before the angels of God.
Confessed Jesus before men.
Deny Jesus before men.
Where do you stand in that picture? We have to ask ourselves the question don't we? Do we acknowledge Jesus before others? Do we deny Jesus before others? We want to be acknoweldge before the angels of God by Jesus don't we? I know I do. Do I feel worthy? Do I believe I've confess my Savior enough before others? Is there such a thing as enough? Have I denied Jesus before others? If I have may God please by the grace of our Lord, forgive me.
5/20/11
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
We ask but we don't receive. Remember talking about asking for *good things*? People do it all the time, yes? We ask for good things like healing for a sick friend, that's a good thing to pray for, isn't it? We do it all the time, don't we? I see it on facebook often… various people fall ill or have loved ones who fall ill, or friends, and even friends of friends asking for others to pray for them and this is good, yes? Recognizing that God is the giver of life, the giver of healing, that God has this power that we lack. Is there anything wrong in asking God to bring healing to someone? Not if we are praying for His will to be done, right? Is it possible that STOP praying for God's will and start praying for our will to be done? We might not actually say those words, in fact we might mouth the word's 'Thy will be done', but are they sincere? We HAVE to ask ourselves these questions, we really do. We are told plainly-
Ye receive NOT because ye ask amiss and you're asking amiss because you want to consume the answered prayer upon your lust. Your lust being your selfish purpose.
Do you suppose a person can pray selfishly for another person to be healed? I do. I believe that a person can want to claim glory for the mere fact they prayed and THEIR prayer was answered. All glory is to go to GOD, none to ourselves. Yet we all too often take glory to ourselves.
I also believe a person can want another to be healed because selfishly they can't imagine life without that person.
We want people to be healed because not to want them healed means we want them to suffer and if we want someone to suffer that would just plain be cruel, and wrong.
There ARE good reasons to want people healed, there really are. Jesus went about healing thousands with many miracles. Jesus healed and these miracles made those healed, and those witnessing the healing much more receptive to the message our Savior had to give them. The hearts of many were softened by the healing touch and many accepted the Savior - the way, the truth, and the life- the bringer of eternal salvation. To want healing for others or even for ourselves is not wrong, but we can want healing for others selfishly and anything done from selfishness is never a good thing.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
God knows our hearts and He know when we ask something amiss, we can't fool God. Seriously, we can't fool Him.
Our Savior was God become man all because He needed to do so in order to bring us salvation in Him so that we may one day live with Him eternally in love. This is why our Savior lived. So if our Savior lived to save us, we too need to live in order to point the way to our Savior and salvation in Him. This is why we live.
We were created for GOD'S glory.
Isa 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
We were created for our LORD'S pleasure- For our Lord's will, for our Lord's desire- for this we were created.
Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created
We are given to Christ who wills that we be with Him.
Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
We live, but the selfish part of us does NOT live when Christ lives in us!
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Our LUSTS are crucified if we are Christ's.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If we live for Christ, if we live with Christ in us, if we live for what Christ lived for- eternal life IN HIM- then ALL we pray for will be centered solely around Him, for Him, for all that He is- HIS WILL.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
We receive not from God when we ask selfishly.
When a loved one dies after being ill when we've been praying for God's healing it is very easy for us to believe God did NOT answer our prayer. And we ONLY believe that way when we are being selfish, right? Seriously. Selfishly we refuse to believe that God's will could be anything other than ours- that the person be healed. We don't like to imagine it is God's will that a person we love- die. Remember it was the Father's will that Christ die for us. We think of death as something horrible, something to be shunned at all costs, something to dread, and fear. Very few of us believe death is something to welcome because that sounds very morbid and really it is, unless you are suffering horrifically and then death is a welcomed reprieve from the pain. We are not to SEEK death, but at the same time we are not to FEAR death either. And when death enters our lives - and it does in many ways- we need to understand that God who sees far beyond our mortal sight allows death and will continue to allow death until it is swallowed up in the victory of Christ- at the last trump- at Christ's return.
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Death is allowed and all we can do is pray that God's will be done in our lives and in the lives of those we pray for and before death takes any of those we love, before death takes any we pray for, that they die as Christ's so they will rise again from the dead when Christ returns.
When we 'ask amiss' we are asking for our will, our selfish will to be done. This is true not only when praying for the ill, the dying, but in all we pray for. This doesn't mean we are not to ask for things, we are but ALWAYS with God's will first and foremost in mind. Do you want to pray for a safe journey? Do you believe God wants you to be safe- it's hard to believe otherwise, right? But when the car breaks down, or you're caught in a traffic jam, or you're in a car accident it's NOT because God didn't want you to be safe. It is ALLOWED to happen ultimately for our good when we believe God is in control of our lives. We can't understand why bad things happen, but we have to trust God even in our darkest hours and if you haven't had any darkest hours yet, you most likely will eventually, very few are spared them.
Every single prayer we pray is answered, every single prayer we pray is heard by God when He is our Lord of Lords. The answers we receive might not always be what we desire and we need to do some self-reflection when that happens. Are we asking 'amiss'? Are we praying selfishly? If we fully believe we are not praying selfishly, that we are not asking 'amiss', then we must leave it all in God's hand for Him to work out according to His will in the ways He knows are best.
By His Grace!
Amen.
{130:1} Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
{130:2} Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice
of my supplications.
{130:3} If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall
stand?
{130:4} But [there is] forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be
feared.
{130:5} I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I
hope.
{130:6} My soul [waiteth] for the Lord more than they that watch for
the morning: [I say, more than] they that watch for the morning.
{130:7} Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD [there is]
mercy, and with him [is] plenteous redemption.
I wait fot the Lord, my soul doth wait and in his word do I hope.
Waiting for the Lord. Hoping in His word.
Matthew {28:20} Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you
alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.
Waiting for the Lord-
Jesus is with us always.
So if Jesus is with us alway, what are we waiting for? We're waiting for the new world promised by Jesus. The world without sin, without pain, without heartache.
Hebrews {9:28} So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;
and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second
time without sin unto salvation
Christ died bearing our sins, not a single sin of His own, but taking on all of our sins. He will come again and without any of our sins, bringing salvation to us that look for Him. We are looking for Him with hope. We are waiting for Him, hoping in the word that He's given us.
If we had this world with all its sin and pain to only look forward to then there is no hope at all. The only true hope lies with Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior who died to save us for eternity with Him. Are we worthy? No, we're never worthy and we never can be worthy. The worth that deserves salvation is Christ's alone.
There is a song...
'In Christ alone I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory let it be said of me
My source of strength, my source of hope is Christ alone'
It's so true. Our hope is Christ alone. We can't have hope in ourselves because we'll fail ourselves, it's inevitable. Our hope has to be in Christ who alone will not fail us, Christ who has the victory already for us. He's our source of strength, our source of hope and when we fail to be as He'd have us be, we need to trust in Him to help us and anything we lack He will supply.
'Forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us'
Help us to forgive Lord.
Help us to forgive.
Ps. {7:1} O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust
Ps. {11:1} In the LORD put I my trust
Ps. {16:1} Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
Ps. {25:20} O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I
put my trust in thee.
Ps. {31:1} In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed:
deliver me in thy righteousness.
{31:2} Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong
rock, for an house of defence to save me.
{31:3} For thou [art] my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s
sake lead me, and guide me.
{31:4} Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for
thou [art] my strength.
{31:5} Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O
LORD God of truth.
{31:6} I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the
LORD.
{31:7} I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast
considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
{31:8} And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast
set my feet in a large room.
{31:9} Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is
consumed with grief, [yea,] my soul and my belly.
{31:10} For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my
strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are
consumed.
{31:11} I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among
my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see
me without fled from me.
{31:12} I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken
vessel.
{31:13} For I have heard the slander of many: fear [was] on every side:
while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take
away my life.
{31:14} But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou [art] my God.
{31:15} My times [are] in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine
enemies, and from them that persecute me.
{31:16} Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy
mercies’ sake.
{31:17} Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let
the wicked be ashamed, [and] let them be silent in the grave.
King James Bible Psalms Page 331
{31:18} Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous
things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
{31:19} [Oh] how great [is] thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for
them that fear thee; [which] thou hast wrought for them that
trust in thee before the sons of men!
{31:20} Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the
pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from
the strife of tongues.
{31:21} Blessed [be] the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous
kindness in a strong city.
{31:22} For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes:
nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I
cried unto thee.
{31:23} O love the LORD, all ye his saints: [for] the LORD preserveth
the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
{31:24} Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye
that hope in the LORD.
Ps. {56:3} What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
{56:4} In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I
will not fear what flesh can do unto me
Ps. {56:11} In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can
do unto me.
Ps. {71:1} In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to
confusion.
{71:2} Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline
thine ear unto me, and save me.
{71:3} Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually
resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou [art] my
rock and my fortress.
{71:4} Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the
hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
{71:5} For thou [art] my hope, O Lord GOD: [thou art] my trust from my
youth.
{71:6} By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that
took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise [shall be]
continually of thee.
Ps. {73:28} But [it is] good for me to draw near to God: I have put my
trust in the Lord GOD
Ps. {141:8} But mine eyes [are] unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my
trust; leave not my soul destitute.
{141:9} Keep me from the snares [which] they have laid for me, and the
gins of the workers of iniquity.
{141:10} Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal
escape.
Heb. {2:13} And again, I will
put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children
which God hath given me. {2:14} Forasmuch then as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death he might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
{2:15} And deliver them who through fear of death were all
their lifetime subject to bondage. {2:16} For verily he took
not on [him the nature of] angels; but he took on [him] the
seed of Abraham. {2:17} Wherefore in all things it behoved
him to be made like unto [his] brethren, that he might be a
merciful and faithful high priest in things [pertaining] to
God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
{2:18} For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted,
he is able to succour them that are tempted
5/20/10
Luk 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
Luk 12:9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
Confessed before the angels of God.
Denied before the angels of God.
Confessed Jesus before men.
Deny Jesus before men.
Where do you stand in that picture? We have to ask ourselves the question don't we? Do we acknowledge Jesus before others? Do we deny Jesus before others? We want to be acknoweldge before the angels of God by Jesus don't we? I know I do. Do I feel worthy? Do I believe I've confess my Savior enough before others? Is there such a thing as enough? Have I denied Jesus before others? If I have may God please by the grace of our Lord, forgive me.
5/20/11
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
We ask but we don't receive. Remember talking about asking for *good things*? People do it all the time, yes? We ask for good things like healing for a sick friend, that's a good thing to pray for, isn't it? We do it all the time, don't we? I see it on facebook often… various people fall ill or have loved ones who fall ill, or friends, and even friends of friends asking for others to pray for them and this is good, yes? Recognizing that God is the giver of life, the giver of healing, that God has this power that we lack. Is there anything wrong in asking God to bring healing to someone? Not if we are praying for His will to be done, right? Is it possible that STOP praying for God's will and start praying for our will to be done? We might not actually say those words, in fact we might mouth the word's 'Thy will be done', but are they sincere? We HAVE to ask ourselves these questions, we really do. We are told plainly-
Ye receive NOT because ye ask amiss and you're asking amiss because you want to consume the answered prayer upon your lust. Your lust being your selfish purpose.
Do you suppose a person can pray selfishly for another person to be healed? I do. I believe that a person can want to claim glory for the mere fact they prayed and THEIR prayer was answered. All glory is to go to GOD, none to ourselves. Yet we all too often take glory to ourselves.
I also believe a person can want another to be healed because selfishly they can't imagine life without that person.
We want people to be healed because not to want them healed means we want them to suffer and if we want someone to suffer that would just plain be cruel, and wrong.
There ARE good reasons to want people healed, there really are. Jesus went about healing thousands with many miracles. Jesus healed and these miracles made those healed, and those witnessing the healing much more receptive to the message our Savior had to give them. The hearts of many were softened by the healing touch and many accepted the Savior - the way, the truth, and the life- the bringer of eternal salvation. To want healing for others or even for ourselves is not wrong, but we can want healing for others selfishly and anything done from selfishness is never a good thing.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
God knows our hearts and He know when we ask something amiss, we can't fool God. Seriously, we can't fool Him.
Our Savior was God become man all because He needed to do so in order to bring us salvation in Him so that we may one day live with Him eternally in love. This is why our Savior lived. So if our Savior lived to save us, we too need to live in order to point the way to our Savior and salvation in Him. This is why we live.
We were created for GOD'S glory.
Isa 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
We were created for our LORD'S pleasure- For our Lord's will, for our Lord's desire- for this we were created.
Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created
We are given to Christ who wills that we be with Him.
Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
We live, but the selfish part of us does NOT live when Christ lives in us!
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Our LUSTS are crucified if we are Christ's.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If we live for Christ, if we live with Christ in us, if we live for what Christ lived for- eternal life IN HIM- then ALL we pray for will be centered solely around Him, for Him, for all that He is- HIS WILL.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
We receive not from God when we ask selfishly.
When a loved one dies after being ill when we've been praying for God's healing it is very easy for us to believe God did NOT answer our prayer. And we ONLY believe that way when we are being selfish, right? Seriously. Selfishly we refuse to believe that God's will could be anything other than ours- that the person be healed. We don't like to imagine it is God's will that a person we love- die. Remember it was the Father's will that Christ die for us. We think of death as something horrible, something to be shunned at all costs, something to dread, and fear. Very few of us believe death is something to welcome because that sounds very morbid and really it is, unless you are suffering horrifically and then death is a welcomed reprieve from the pain. We are not to SEEK death, but at the same time we are not to FEAR death either. And when death enters our lives - and it does in many ways- we need to understand that God who sees far beyond our mortal sight allows death and will continue to allow death until it is swallowed up in the victory of Christ- at the last trump- at Christ's return.
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Death is allowed and all we can do is pray that God's will be done in our lives and in the lives of those we pray for and before death takes any of those we love, before death takes any we pray for, that they die as Christ's so they will rise again from the dead when Christ returns.
When we 'ask amiss' we are asking for our will, our selfish will to be done. This is true not only when praying for the ill, the dying, but in all we pray for. This doesn't mean we are not to ask for things, we are but ALWAYS with God's will first and foremost in mind. Do you want to pray for a safe journey? Do you believe God wants you to be safe- it's hard to believe otherwise, right? But when the car breaks down, or you're caught in a traffic jam, or you're in a car accident it's NOT because God didn't want you to be safe. It is ALLOWED to happen ultimately for our good when we believe God is in control of our lives. We can't understand why bad things happen, but we have to trust God even in our darkest hours and if you haven't had any darkest hours yet, you most likely will eventually, very few are spared them.
Every single prayer we pray is answered, every single prayer we pray is heard by God when He is our Lord of Lords. The answers we receive might not always be what we desire and we need to do some self-reflection when that happens. Are we asking 'amiss'? Are we praying selfishly? If we fully believe we are not praying selfishly, that we are not asking 'amiss', then we must leave it all in God's hand for Him to work out according to His will in the ways He knows are best.
By His Grace!
Amen.