I read THIS in another devotional today:
We may gain much solace by considering what God has not said. What He has said is inexpressibly full of comfort and delight; what He has not said is scarcely less rich in consolation. It was one of these "said nots" which preserved the kingdom of Israel in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, for "the Lord said not that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven." 2 Kings 14:27.
Do you get this message? When we look at the promises of God under our new and better Covenant (Hebrews 8:6), meditation (Joshua 1:8) will take us to the opposite thought and we will see that what God will NOT do is extremely encouraging! Look at this promise to born again believers from 1 John 5:14-15:
14 And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. 15 And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him. AMP
Notice that the only qualification for answered prayer for the born again believer (the Epistles are letters written to believers) is that He HEAR us. He will ONLY hear what is according to His Word, which IS His will! SO, we KNOW that when we ask according to His will, He WILL hear, and we WILL have it! He does NOT say that we have to be a certain age, speak in a certain voice, dress a certain way, be in a church building, have a minister ask for us, live in a certain country or any of the other silly conditions that some people would like to apply to prayer. Prayer is simply communicating with the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! Another verse to look at is John 10:10:
10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). AMP
What a joy to KNOW that HE desires that WE walk in HIS full LIFE! Notice that it does NOT say that it is EVER His will for us to have sickness, disease, poverty, lack, death and destruction. Those things happen on the earth, but WE do not have to receive them because they do NOT come from HIM! AMEN! Another thing that I encourage YOU to do is to go through the Gospels and highlight every time that Jesus said "I WILL" when someone came to Him for healing! If it was EVER His will to heal, it is ALWAYS His will to heal! He is NO respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), BUT we MUST come in faith! THAT is the only condition! How do we get faith? Faith comes by His Word (Romans 10:17)! So, build up your faith. Study the Word to find His will. Now, ask in faith KNOWING that He hears and you HAVE it! HALLELUJAH! Here is Hillsong with "This Is Our God":
Shalom in Him!
