Tag Archives: ask

ALL Is Not Lost

I was praying the other day. It is now common for me to be praying in tongues and making faith confessions and praising God.

Over the last few years, God has been healing me, restoring me, and growing my inner man. And now, as I look to the future, my focus is more power, more righteousness, more kingdom expansion, seeing my dreams become reality, and taking all choke points and limits off God and what faith can do.

I am in my 40s, and I was feeling a little bit of hopelessness because of my age. I was wishing I could go back to my teens to teach myself what I have learned and practiced over the last several years. And so, I decided to use life’s greatest life-cheat: praying in tongues. After some time, I received an interpretation, “All is not lost. I have heard your prayers.”

When God says “I have heard your prayers,” as He did to Hezekiah, it means He gave you what you asked. Because God is so loving and so faithful to do what He promised, the same act of God hearing you is the same act as God granting your request.

When I heard the Spirit say this, I was unsure if God meant “all” as in “some things might be lost but not all things,” or “all the dreams you have ever had are still yours for the taking.” I looked up and said, “I don’t know how you meant ‘all,’ but I mean it as all my dreams are still here. Even if you did not mean it that way, I mean it that way and receive it that way, because you said ‘all.’” (Hey, if you’re going to quibble with the Almighty, at least do it with faith and a dash of audacity—its how scriptures teach us to pray.)

God told King David that He gave wives to David (this is mostly about sex), a kingdom, prosperity, and fame, and if David wanted more, God would have given more sex, more kingdoms, more prosperity, and more fame to David.

This teaches us that we cannot ask too much. The risk in praying is asking too little and shooting too low. If you aim for the Andromeda Galaxy but end up hitting Orion’s belt, then great, you accomplished some good things. But if you aim for the ground, then that is all you will hit—frankly, why settle for dirt when the stars are up for grabs?

The Gentile woman hijacked Jesus’ words, which meant one thing, to mean something else. Jesus approved and called her faith great. In fact, Jesus was arguing for God’s will to be done, and by the end of the exchange, Jesus confesses out loud, “Woman, your will be done.”

Jesus had already promised to go and heal the centurion’s servant, but the centurion asked for an upgrade to a miracle already in motion (just say the word). Jesus approved of this man asking for more, and he got the upgrade.

Last note: Pray in tongues and ask for interpretation. Even if you don’t have a spiritual gift for interpretation, by asking in faith, you will find you will receive interpretations. Don’t sleep on this. It will help you.

I am here to remind you: All is not lost.

Do not limit God. Do not shoot too low. Do not ask for only small things. Pray for big things; pray for upgrades to miracles you are already getting. Pray for more. And when you think you have asked for too much, ask for more.

And when God hears you, you know God has given.

God’s Word Prunes Us To Ask & Receive  

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine-grower. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He [a]cleans it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already [b]clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”
(John 15:1-8 LSB)

What does it mean for God the Father to prune the branches? Some folks suggest that God’s pruning involves dishing out bad stuff like sickness or troubles to snip away flaws, such as a lustful or jealous heart.

When I hear this nonsense, I keep asking myself: “Why do Christians mix up God and Satan, as if confusing the two is easy?” “It’s not like they’re wearing matching jerseys at the cosmic family reunion!’” Why bother with the nitty-gritty of Christian apologetics or practical wisdom if you still can’t tell whether you are chatting with the Almighty or the devil?

Let me cut to the chase and jump straight to verses 7-8. We’re told that if Jesus’ words abide in you, then ask for whatever you desire, and boom—it’ll be given. This brings the Father (yep, the same one doing the pruning/cleaning) massive glory.

So, how on earth can the Father hand you a miscarriage or cancer when the same passage urges you to ask for whatever you want—like a healthy baby or robust health—and promises He will deliver? Defining the Father’s cleansing relationship as doling out sickness while simultaneously yanking it away? God is not running a cosmic bait-and-switch. That is a faithless sh#t pile. It’s man-made theology for the easily bamboozled.

To nail down the positive take, remember Jesus kicks off by saying His words are what already made the disciples pruned or cleansed. Boom—definition dropped. The terms “pruning” and “cleansing” are intertwined here, pointing to the same gig. Now, notice Jesus says if His “words” (the cleansers) abide in us, we can ask for anything and get it. The passage loops back to His “words” from start to finish.

With pruning pinned to Jesus’ words, the vine analogy is about yanking away the bad, not adding more junk. What is the bad getting the boot? Jesus’ words are pure gold. In John’s Gospel, the Apostle paints Jesus as the Son of God, calling us to believe in Him for eternal and abundant life. Our default human mindset? Straight-up trash. When we swap in Jesus’ golden doctrines, that’s the prune job.

So, if the Father wants to trim adulterous or jealous vibes from our hearts, how’s He swinging it? Jesus spells it out: His words cleanse the rotten thinking. Naturally, ditch the bad thoughts, and the bad behaviors bail too. A good tree bears good fruit, right? A good mind comes from faith in Jesus’ words.

What are some of these cleansing “words” Jesus dropped?
“…Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this…”

Let us ask for whatever we crave, snag it, and bring the Father great glory. We are called to be God-centered and gospel-focused. How can anyone claim the give great glory to God without boldly asking and receiving?

Tradition twists Jesus’ words into a masochistic sideshow. Somehow, the Father zaps us with sickness and setbacks “to teach us,” while Jesus commands we ask to ditch the sickness—and glorify God by getting healed. The very “cleansing” ailment is the one we are begging to remove? Fool’s gold theology, wrapped in self-flagellation. Pure nonsense.

Job didn’t level up from suffering; nope, he got schooled when God spoke revelation. Jesus teaches we learn and get cleansed by believing His revelation.

Finally, this mix-up is straight blasphemy. Jesus isn’t a dealer in sin any more than in sickness or misfortune. Jesus already finished the atonement and is now seated at the right hand of Power. From this position of authority, He is our living and active High Priest. We are not talking about ultimate level metaphysics or God’s sovereignty and decrees. God controls all things; however, in our “relationship” with Jesus it is established in a Contract made with His blood. He has promised to relate to us in certain ways and demands us to relate to Him in particular ways. This Contract makes us insiders and family members to our Father in Heaven.  The contract says God only gives us good. Jesus defines a good prayer as a fish for a fish. Jesus promises to take sin away, to take sickness away and to take poverty away. This is the only way He relates to us now. This makes us family insiders.

If you are a Christian and Jesus enables or causes or gives you sin, then He is an active minister of sin. This is blasphemy. However, the same is true for sickness and misfortune. If your relationship with Jesus as a Christian includes Jesus giving you sickness and misfortune, then Jesus would be an active minister of sickness and misfortune. I feel dirty having to type this out and explain it. Why do I need to explain this to adults?

There’s a spiritual entity who doles out sickness and woe (Acts 10:38), and his handle is Satan. Flipping roles between Satan and Jesus? Faithless error. When sickness hits you or yours, it’s Satan’s gig, not Jesus’. Satan peddles illness; Jesus dishes healing. Satan’s handing out sickness like it’s free candy at a parade, but Jesus is serving up healing like the ultimate divine smoothie.

The faithless are like people the police bring to a lineup to pick out the perpetrator of the crime. The line up includes God and Satan. And the faithless pick God as the one who hurt them, stole from them and tried to destroy them. Imagine being so stupid and confused you can’t tell the different between God and the devil. And yet, these people claim to be teachers and preachers. Sorry, if you are still unsure who is hurting you and giving you sickness and pain, you have no business teaching anyone anything. When God and Satan are interchangeable then we have a massive problem on our hands. They pick God out of the lineup because they are in line with Satan and are covering for him. The faithless cover for their Faithless god because they are wearing the same jersey.  They are not your friends.

Here is the deal. Jesus doesn’t pile on troubles—He clears them out. If the Father is pruning you, He will bring you toward Jesus’ words and amp your faith in His promises. And so, ask, receive, and glorify Him big time. If that is not your contract with Jesus, then double-check whose side you’re on.

God Can, But I Can’t?

I heard this phrase before, but recently heard it in a song. It says, “I can’t, But God can.”

While I understand somewhat where they are coming from, what is being said,  is false. It is true as a basic doctrine of God’s sovereignty that He can do anything. God has no limitations. God directly controls all things, including all human thoughts and actions so that He is the metaphysical author of sin[1]. This is so simple a child can understand and affirm it. I also understand the doctrine that man, only being considered in himself, is weak and very limited. However, if we consider a Christian, then it becomes a “what if scenario” because such a thing does not exist. God does not define or consider a Christian as just a human anymore. Thus in obedience, we do not consider any Christian as just a human with just human limitations. If someone is just human, then they are by definition, not a Christian.  

Jesus, who is the most God centered man who ever lived, helps us to redefine our ability when He says “the mountain will obey YOU.” Because the bible rejects pantheism, we do as well. Thus, Jesus is correct when He says the mountain will obey “you.” God and His creation are separate. This is why Jesus said give to Ceasar what belongs to him. When God fills us with His Spirit, He is filling us, and not Himself with His Spirit. It is not God telling the mountain to move, or telling the demon to come out, or sickness to get out; no, it is “you” speaking these things. And the mountain responds to your command. Jesus did not see any reason to interject His own doctrine by saying, “But God is sovereign, it is really His power not you, and so God is moving the mountain.” No. Jesus, despite what people think, did not say such things in the context when teaching about His extreme faith doctrine. Thus, I see no relevance in saying it.

Jesus’ extreme faith doctrine says with faith I cast out demons, heal the sick and cause mountains to obey me, when I tell them to do something. If a mountain “obeys me,” then it is painfully obvious that “I can.” How can I say, “I am limited,” if I can make demons, sickness and reality obey me? Most Christians have no idea who, or what they are. Most seem to scarcely believe they are forgiven and so they have no power to do any other command of God that involves faith. But Jesus’ faith teaching still stands, because Jesus is still relevant. He still rules, and His definition about us, still holds.

This authority to use Jesus’ name and command reality is not something that will be given to me, but already has. I do not need to ask God to give me this authority or ask His permission to use it. I have already been made the righteousness of God and given full permission to wield Jesus’ name for whatever I want and need. It already belongs to me. I do not ask and beg for something that is already in my possession and part of my definition and DNA.

God can, but with faith, I can as well. This is the theology of Jesus. He likes it. Let us follow His teaching and give glory to God by saying, “God can, but I can to. With faith in Jesus, reality obeys me. To God be all the glory.”

[1] I got this phrase from Vincent Cheung.
See www.vincentcheung.com for more of his materials.

Cut From The Same Rock

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many. The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
Isaiah 51:1‭-‬3 NIV

Paul says we have the blessing of Abraham through Jesus. This blessing means the baptism of the Spirit and miracles. This should not be a surprise because even in the Old Testament we see this over and over. In Isaiah 51 God mentions the blessing of Abraham. He says those seeking righteousness are cut from the same blessed rock. Thus, in context of Isaiah 51 God will come and restore Israel, even to the point of great wealth and happiness.

In Christ we are also cut from the same blessed rock with Abraham. If you call out to God in faith, He will restore any lost part of your life, and He will make it like Eden. He will turn deserts into rivers of healing, prosperity and great joy. If it takes 100 miracles to restore you and uplift you, then God’s faithful blessing will insure you get all 110 of them.

Scripture Uses God’s Transcendence to Shove His Nearness In Your Heart

I was re-reading this essay from Vincent below. It struck a chord in my mind because I had recently read a passage of Scripture in Ephesians 3 that said and concluded the same thing.

First the quote from Vincent,

“Those who claim to provide a God-centered theology are often proud of their theological prowess, but in reality their solution is superficial… For this reason, they seem to think that God-centered religion usually stresses God’s transcendence. God himself does not think so. That is not how he presents himself in Scripture. That is not how he tells his own story. A God-centered theology listens to what God says about himself, and in his narrative, he stresses both his transcendence and his immanence.

He could be aloof, but instead he is closer than your own heartbeat. He could forget about you, but instead he counts your hairs. He could let you fend for yourself, but instead he feeds you and heals you, and works miracles for you. He could be too important to have anything to do with you, but instead he wants you to have faith in him and ask from him. He is so spiritual that he does not even have a body, but he promises he will strengthen yours. He is so transcendent that he created the world, but he is so immanent that he walked and talked with Adam. He is so transcendent that he could destroy Sodom, but he is so immanent that he engaged Abraham to negotiate with him. He is so transcendent that he could wipe out Israel, but he is so immanent that he allowed Moses to stand in his way and stop him. This is how he wants you to know him. This is God-centered theology.

I do not say that we should find the right balance, because it is not a matter of balance. It is not a matter of finding the right point on a scale, but a matter of right or wrong doctrine. Jesus was the most God-centered person who ever walked the earth. He was God himself, but more than anyone in Scripture, he was also the one who told us to pray for our needs and ask God for what we want. The “God-centered” people declares, “God is not Santa!” and they think that this is God-centered theology. It is true that God is not Santa, but this is because he is far better than Santa. Jesus said he is our Father, and it is his pleasure to give good gifts to his children. He does not bring us gifts only once a year, but Jesus told us to ask for our daily bread. They say, “God is not a cash machine!” It is true that God is not a cash machine, but this is because you only withdraw your own money from a cash machine. Paul wrote that God supplies all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. This is God-centered theology, because it listens to what God says about himself, rather than shoving divine transcendence back in his face no matter what he says.”
(Vincent Cheung. Faith Override. Sermonettes 9. 2016. Pg. 9-10)

It is obvious that when the Scripture reveals propositional truths and premises about His Transcendence, Sovereignty and Power it is directly revealing truths about them. There is no higher spiritual activity than theological reflection. We are to reflect on the truths about God’s divine nature, including His transcendence.

However, what I wish to focus on is a mistake people make when thinking about His transcendence, and that is the emphasis.  When the bible reveals or emphasizes His Transcendence (and here is the IMPORTANT PART) to His chosen ones, and to those seeking Him in sincerity, what is a common or if not the most common application or consequence or command given in light of this? Think carefully about it.

As Vincent points out in general, God’s interaction and teaching with His children has a focus on His transcendence and nearness. Likewise, even when God speaks of His transcendence to His chosen ones, the emphasis leads to a conclusion of God’s nearness and love.

Paul in Ephesians chapter 3 does exactly this. After talking about the transcendent God who uses His church to show off how manifold His wisdom is to all the powers at be, Paul’s first conclusion is “come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” Then Paul’s next reaction is “when I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray…,” and Paul prays that they will be made strong by His Spirit and love, and they both understand His and also experience His love greatly.

This is how Paul used the doctrine of God’s transcendence in relation for the saints.

And if that was not enough, Paul concludes a third time with this famous statement, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

So, after theological reflection on God’s predestination and grace (chapter 1) and His secret plan revealing how God uses the Church (now made up of gentiles) to show off the transcendent great wisdom of God (for His glory), the application is not to fall on our faces and beg or say self-deprecating statements to impress God with our humility; rather, we are given a true application of humility which is to boldly approach God’s throne and ask, knowing not only will God give us what we ask for, but super abundantly more than that, even beyond what we can image.

This is like Jesus’ teaching on the sermon on the mount but on steroids. Jesus kept commanding us in that sermon to pray and expect to get what we ask for. A fish for a fish, and bread for a bread. Now we are told we will get the bread we ask for and even more bread, not something different, but more of the good things we asked for. God uses His transcendence to shove His love into our hearts, which causes us to trust in His love more, and cause us to have more boldness in asking for what we want.

It is demonic for the religious fanboys to mostly emphasis God’s transcendence to highlight self-deprecation and farness, when Scripture regularly uses God’s sovereignty and transcendence to highlight His nearness to His children and their bold access to Him. If you see God’s transcendence and then feel hesitation to approach God you are acting like an outsider, as if you have no covenant with God. For God’s contracted insiders and children, His power and sovereignty is a motivation to approach boldly, quickly, constantly and with their heads held high.  God’s transcendence for God’s children is motivation to receive what they ask for and then even much more.

“I was chosen to explain to everyone[c] this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.  So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen,”
Ephesians 3:9-20

Jesus: “You Have Heard it Said…”

Jesus: You have heard it said,

“if you ask, you might or might not get it, depending on God’s will.”
However, I say to you, “If you ask you will receive, if seek you will find, and if you knock the door will be open.”

Jesus: You have heard it said,

“If you pray God will answer with a ‘yes,’ ‘maybe’ or a ‘no.’”
However, I say to you, “for everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Jesus: You heard it said,

“If you keep asking, and God has not given it to you,  God has answered your prayer with a no.”
However, I say to you, “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.” [1]

Jesus: you have heard it said,

“Even if God answers your prayer, because God is looking out for you, He will often give you something different, but better.”
However, I say to you, “what man is there among you, if his son will ask him for bread, will give him a stone? Or also if he will ask for a fish, will give him a snake? Therefore if you, although you* are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?”

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives,

and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you, if his son will ask him for bread, will give him a stone?

Or also if he will ask for a fish, will give him a snake? Therefore if you, although you* are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him? Matthew 7:7–11 (LEB)

Since it is God’s, and not man’s definition that a “good” God gives you the very thing you ask for, anyone who teaches otherwise is spouting a doctrine of demons. Some bark up like mad dogs that, “what if you ask for something bad?” So what? What does this logically have to do with what I am saying? This is not a relevant point, because James says if you ask God for evil things (“God help me murder this person”), then you are God’s “enemy,” and so prayer is the least of your concerns. Since I am addressing Christians or those who at least claim to be so, and not sworn enemies of God, I will ignore logically non-relevant points.

Jesus says, if you ask in faith you will get what you ask for. Jesus even says this in more than one way, in case we missed it. What Jesus is doing here with prayer, is the same He is doing throughout the “Sermon on the Mount.” You have heard it said “do not murder your brother, but I say to you, do not do it, even in your heart.” When Jesus teaches on judging people, His point presupposes that you are able to judge your brother, and to do it without hypocrisy. You do this by removing the wood from your own eye first. Some morons say, “you cannot judge without hypocrisy or bias”; yet, Jesus contradicts this in His sermon. He teaches the true ethical standard God demands for judging, and He expects His disciples to do it. It is good news to see in the new covenant, God promising to give us ethical power, “I will write my laws in your hearts.”

In this context of Jesus repeatedly correcting the low opinion of people’s thinking on God’s commands and standards, Jesus talks about “prayer and faith.” Thus, when we see Jesus saying, “if you ask God in faith, you get the very thing you ask for,” then we can infer the presupposition behind it, at least in the broad sense; and so, Jesus’ teaching is in opposition to the people’s low opinion of what they think prayer and faith should accomplish. The Jews had a perverted and low view of prayer. From the Mount, Jesus corrects their error and describes the true ethical standard that God commands about faith. Whatever the low valuation of prayer the Jews had, it was not to the standard of, “if you ask in faith, you will get what you ask for.”  Jesus is expecting and demanding, (just like He demands us to not even lust in our hearts after another woman), to pray and get what we pray for.  Jesus in essence says, “You have heard it said, if its God’s will, then you might get what you pray for. But I say to you, if you ask in faith, you will get the very thing you ask for, because God is the good Father.” This is the type of Being we are dealing with. You must deal with Him and not someone else.

Do you know this Jesus?

[1] Luke 7:5-8