Abiding in Christ to Desire What God Wants to Give
Abiding in Christ to Desire What God Wants to Give
Week 3, Day 2
In John 15:7, Jesus said,
If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Ask whatever you desire. How in the world could Jesus say such a thing? It's because Jesus knows that if you are right with Him, spending time with Him, and spending time in His Word, then He works in your life to create in you the desires He wants you to have.
I remember one time when my daughter Rachael was a little girl. She wanted an American Girl doll for Christmas. At that time, if you were going to get one of those dolls, you had to order it six to eight weeks in advance to guarantee delivery by Christmas. We were getting really close to the cutoff point where it would be too late to order it, and she would not make up her mind which one she wanted. Every day we would go over the catalog together.
Finally, one day just in the nick of time, she said, “I want Samantha.” So as quick as we could, my wife got on the phone and ordered the Samantha doll. Well, about a week later, Rachael was still flipping through the catalog, and one day she said, “You know what? I've changed my mind. I think I want Kirsten now.” Kirsten was a cute doll, but Samantha was already in the pipeline, and it was too late to make a change.
So every day from that point till Christmas, just about, I would sit down with Rachael in the evening and flip through the catalog with her. I'd say, “You know, Kirsten is cute all right, but personally I like Samantha.” Then I would talk about all the experiences she and Samantha could have together. I'd make up all these stories and adventures. And then I would say things like, “You know, it may just be me, but I even think you and Samantha sort of look alike.”
One day Rachael looked at me and said, “You know what? I've changed my mind. I think I want Samantha.” You know what she got for Christmas? She got just what she desired. She got Samantha. But you see, I had worked in her life to create in her a desire for what I wanted to give her.
God says that when you spend time with Him and you spend time in His Word, He works in your life to create the desires that He wants to give you. So those desires in your heart right now, if you've been spending time with God—they're from Him. Ask for great things in confidence with the desires of your heart.
I remember one time when my daughter Rachael was a little girl. She wanted an American Girl doll for Christmas. At that time, if you were going to get one of those dolls, you had to order it six to eight weeks in advance to guarantee delivery by Christmas. We were getting really close to the cutoff point where it would be too late to order it, and she would not make up her mind which one she wanted. Every day we would go over the catalog together.
Finally, one day just in the nick of time, she said, “I want Samantha.” So as quick as we could, my wife got on the phone and ordered the Samantha doll. Well, about a week later, Rachael was still flipping through the catalog, and one day she said, “You know what? I've changed my mind. I think I want Kirsten now.” Kirsten was a cute doll, but Samantha was already in the pipeline, and it was too late to make a change.
So every day from that point till Christmas, just about, I would sit down with Rachael in the evening and flip through the catalog with her. I'd say, “You know, Kirsten is cute all right, but personally I like Samantha.” Then I would talk about all the experiences she and Samantha could have together. I'd make up all these stories and adventures. And then I would say things like, “You know, it may just be me, but I even think you and Samantha sort of look alike.”
One day Rachael looked at me and said, “You know what? I've changed my mind. I think I want Samantha.” You know what she got for Christmas? She got just what she desired. She got Samantha. But you see, I had worked in her life to create in her a desire for what I wanted to give her.
God says that when you spend time with Him and you spend time in His Word, He works in your life to create the desires that He wants to give you. So those desires in your heart right now, if you've been spending time with God—they're from Him. Ask for great things in confidence with the desires of your heart.
APPLICATION:
God works in your heart to create in you the desire for what He wants to give you.
- If you are wanting God’s will in your life and you are walking in fellowship with Him, then ask God for that great desire that is in your heart. If you’ve been abiding then the desire is from Him.
- Ask God to put the desire to Advance the Kingdom in the hearts of our people so as one man we might work together to see thousands of lives changed over the next three years.
- Ask God to put His desire in your heart of how He wants you to be involved in this vision of Advancing the kingdom.
Posted in Advancing the Kingdom Daily Devotionals