Daily Devotional – 4/11/12 “God, I need a little more!”

Please don’t take this the wrong way because I am grateful for all the blessings that God has given me, and I hope you are too, but I am still in need of a little more. I want my territory enlarged so that I don’t have to rob Peter to pay Paul. I want my heart cleansed so that I won’t be the person I was in the past. I want my sins thrown into the sea of forgetfulness so that I can get into Heaven. I want my spiritual walk to be pleasing to God so that he continues to give me gifts. I want my light of God to shine so that others, who may not know him, can see it. I want to be what God has ordained me to be and that takes a little bit more from him. Am I grateful, yes because 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” but my prayer daily is for God to not take his hands off of me. I know that you say, “If God doesn’t do anything else for me, he has already done enough.” But what if God doesn’t do anything else for you, what would you have? If God only gave you the things that you thanked him for on yesterday, would you still have your right mind, health, house, car, children, spouse, breath and strength? Too many times we take simple things for granted like our hands and feet, when there is a soldier somewhere who came home without theirs after fighting for OUR freedom. We take clean water for granted when kids in other countries are dying to take a sip of water with no dirt and harmful germs. We take breathing for granted until a family member is on a ventilator that’s breathing for them. We take momma for granted until she is gone, we take our husband for granted until he has a woman who values his worth and we take our kids for granted until they are laying on a cold board in the morgue because they chose to find love in the arms of a man who beat them to death.

Yea, you may sing if God doesn’t do anything else for you, he’s done enough when in actuality you need a little more, too. You need a little more guidance, patience, caring and helping. You can use a little more taming of that tongue that you speak so harsh with. You can use a little more self-worth about yourself instead of falling so quickly for the first guy who tells you that you’re beautiful or the first girl who tells you that you’re a real man. You could use a little more perseverance so that you can continue to go even with doors being shut in your face. You can use a little more love after your heart has been broken so many times. You can use a little more strength after all the times folks have pushed you down said you’d amount to nothing. You can use a little more money when it always seems to run out when it’s time to pay rent/mortgage. So see, you can use a little more but that’s alright because it says in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Now, don’t think that because you asked and you didn’t receive that God isn’t a man of his word because it could be the way you’re asking. Let me explain. Firstly, if your heart isn’t right, your prayers aren’t reaching God’s ears anyway because Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear.” So clean your heart and then renew your spirit so that God dwells there. Secondly, don’t spend your prayer time asking God for meaningless things because James 4:3 says, “And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong–you want only what will give you pleasure.” Now, you know doggone well that God is not about to give you that woman’s husband so stop praying for him just like you know that God is not in the middle of your mess while you’re hiding out in the dressing room because security is looking for you for stealing. Child, no! God isn’t a messy God and he won’t keep cleaning up behind you every time you keep stepping in the same pile of mess. Thirdly, you have to do what God has asked you to do because 1 John 3:22says, “And whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” Will you be perfect every day, no, but all you have to do is repent with your mouth the sins that you’ve committed so that you can be forgiven and your sins washed away. Finally, pray but pray the right way for Matthew 6:9-13 says, “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Prayer is having a conversation with your Father. Don’t be afraid to pray for a little bit more in your life but make sure it’s for the things that can help your walk with God and not hinder it. Don’t be afraid to ask for a little bit more but be sure you are using what you already have. It’s like asking for a little bit more food before you’ve eaten what’s on your plate only to get it and then realize you don’t have room for it. Use what you have in order to make room for the increase. God won’t take his hands off of you for asking but be ready for the answer that he gives because although it may not be no, it could be not right now and that’s simply telling you that it’s not time yet.