Merry Christmas

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas! May you be blessed this season as we celebrate the birth of our savior!!

Simplicity and Love

A few pictures are worth a thousand words...

You never know what a huge difference your smallest effort can make.

Christmas Memories

What do you say about Christmas when you’re just not in the Christmas mood?  It’s hard to get into the Christmas Spirit when Christmas doesn’t look like it is supposed to in your mind.  I live here in the desert southwest, and it doesn’t look like the Christmases from my childhood.  My childhood Christmases were always white, cold and surrounded by family.  My memories are filled with snowball fights, skating on frozen ponds, sledding, making snow forts and watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the 447^th time. Now the only thing that seems to be the same is that I’m watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the 4,447^th time and I have added “Elf” for the 151^st time to that tradition.

Now if you know me at all, at this point you are saying, “Who are you trying to kid!?”  After all, I grew up in south Texas on the border in the land of 80 degrees for Christmas.  I mean it only snowed three times in Eagle Pass when I was growing up and only once did it ever stick to the ground.  We had tamales instead of sugar plums.  We didn’t even have any other family that lived in Texas.  So just what Christmas memories am I talking about?

Well, being missionaries, Christmas was one of the only times we got to travel back and see my parent’s families.  So most Christmases were spent in Durango, Colorado or the Kansas City, Missouri area.  I grew up with my Christmases being surrounded by countless uncles, aunts, grandparents and more cousins than I can even remember names for.  So, spending my Christmas now in El Paso just seems off and honestly doesn’t feel like Christmas…UNTIL TODAY!!!!

WOW!!!  Can you believe it?  This is the view from my back window.  It is snowing like crazy.  And something else crazy is happening, as the snow keeps falling from the sky, memories of Christmas are beginning to flood my mind…and now tears!  Thank you Jesus for these wonderful memories; memories that had for long been forgotten.

My grandparents have all passed away.  All of us cousins are all grown up now with families of our own, and without grandparents to go back and visit, we haven’t seen each other in years.  My brother and sister’s families are all grown up and have their own Christmas traditions.  The busyness of life has spread us out all over the place.

As I stare out my dining room window, I know that my heart should be breaking because all of this snow means that so many of my neighbors across the border living in shacks are now freezing cold and wet, but somehow today I am thankful for the snow.  I am thankful for the memories that have been restored, refreshed and revisited.

This all makes me think of a seldom visited verse in the Bible, Luke 2:51; “But his(Jesus) mother treasured all these things in her heart.”  We all have memories that we treasure.  I challenge you this Christmas season to build some new memories.  Be intentional!  What can you do this Christmas season to build memories that will last a lifetime?  As for my family (me, my wife and daughter), we are going to go build a house for a family in need in Acuna, Mexico…and in the process build a memory.

Thank you Jesus for the snow!  Thank you Jesus for the memories! 

Merry Christmas!

-David

Do Something

You could say I’ve “grown up” in Juárez.  I’m actually from a town outside of Atlanta, Georgia, but I’ve been living on the border for over 10 years now.  I moved here straight out of college, having already served with Casas por Cristo in some capacity previously for two years.  That’s why I say I’ve “grown up” here.  I feel like most of what I’ve learned about loving God and serving and loving others I’ve learned here. 

There have been highs and lows throughout the years.  There have been some years where I’ve spent more nights in Mexican churches than in my bed at home.  There have been other years that I have longed to spend more time across the border serving.  These last three years have also had their share of highs and lows.  As the world knows, Juárez is the “most dangerous city in our hemisphere.”  This is very much sensationalized and exaggerated, but people believe what they believe.  A drug war has raged between cartels for control of drug trafficking into the U.S.  There have been thousands of murders and other crimes committed.  The saddest part of it all is the people affected the most aren’t the ones fighting in this war.  Those suffering the most are the people in the margins; the poor, the neglected, the forgotten, the very people that we are called to served.  They are affected because industries are packing up and moving out, there are no jobs, and the image of their city is scaring away people that help them.

This becomes more and more evident every time we cross the border to build homes.  There are still teams that aren’t afraid to come and heed the call to serve the people of Juárez.  I recently served alongside a crew from First Baptist Church of North Kansas City.  They are a great group of folks, never wavering in their calling to the Mexican people.  What struck me the most about this week was the amount of families that wandered up to the job site asking how they too can receive a home.  I was blown away.  A conservative estimate would be that 15 different families in four days came asking how they can receive the help they need to literally survive.

It really made me think.  Why did God place me where He did?  Why do I have so much and these people have so little in comparison?  Am I more valuable as a person than they are to deserve God’s blessings?  Couldn’t I have just as easily been born in their shoes?

These are legitimate questions, with real answers that have real consequences.  I was placed where I was placed to be a blessing to others, plain and simple.  I am NOT more valuable to God, or anyone else for that matter, just because I’m an “American” born into a life of plenty.  So what does this mean then?  To me, it means there is no other calling on my life than to be grateful for what God has given me, physically and spiritually, and to use that to bring glory to Him by serving others. There is so much need around the world, in Juárez, and in your community.  Do something about it.  You are here to make a difference.  Use the life that you've been given.

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men doing nothing.” – Edmund Burke

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
  2 Timothy 1:7

Lights = Lives

Despite all of the negative attention on México right now, crossing the border into this country is not hard for me. Becoming a part of families lives, becoming a part of their story however, is gut wrenching. It is difficult to walk into need, into brokenness, into despair and willingly stand in the midst of it.

It's much easier to be a passerby; someone sitting silently on the sidelines seeing only beautiful lights from a safe distance on the other side of the fence. But the reality is that those aren't just lights, those are families living in poverty.  They are women and children, fathers and grandparents, they are human beings with hopes for a future for today and for tomorrow.  Those are children that will fall asleep tonight hungry and freezing.  Those lights represent faces and those faces have names.  And once you cross that border, once you know their names, they are almost impossible to forget.  

I am learning about the importance of presence; that it is not my responsibility to have all of the answers but rather the willingness to enter into their lives.  The willingness to see and hear what breaks their hearts and to have the strength to let my own heart break along with them.  And I am learning to trust in my own faith as I pray with tear filled eyes, knowing that I am not their savior, but to cry out to the one that is.
-Brittany Girle

Lights of El Paso, TX and Juarez, MX at sunset

Day 18 | Church and Team Leaders

Today’s prayer focuses on our Church and Team Leaders. Let’s just be honest, it’s hard to be a team leader. In the past, being a team leader meant that you were the person who got your team registered, planned travel/housing arrangements, planned meals, promoted the trip and recruited team members. That was hard enough. But over the last few years, our team leaders have had to become our advocates within the local church.

It’s hard for a team leader to try to battle all the misconceptions and misinformation that is circulating about the safety in México. Over the years our team leaders have had to face church leaders and parents who are trying to balance their responsibility of keeping their young people and church members safe with providing opportunities for spiritual growth. These have been serious struggles and overwhelming at times. Please pray for our team leaders as they are facing these tough situations.

Often times we hear people refer to us as being on the “front lines,” but really the greatest battle is not here in México or Guatemala, it is in the local church. Our team leaders are the ones who find themselves on the “front lines.” If they don’t win their struggle in trying to convince, inform, and assure church leadership and parents, we will never even see their team.

Our church leadership and team leaders have serious decisions to make. Pray that God’s Holy Spirit would move amongst them and give them a peace about being able to schedule a trip with us that will challenge their team members to trust in God more, to let their faith be spurred on and to share the love and grace of Jesus Christ with a family that they have never met before.
-David

Day 9 | Families to Know Christ

Today our prayer focus is for the families we serve to come to know Christ and accept Him as their Lord and Savior. Sometimes, because our ministry uses the building of a home as our main tool to spread the Gospel, people get confused and think that our purpose is humanitarian and what we care about is providing shelter. We do love that at the end of every week of service we get to hand the family keys to their new home, and we walk away with the knowledge that they will no longer live in that cardboard and pallet, or tin shack that sits beside their new home. However, we love it even more that we walk away knowing that we have played a part in planting the seed of God’s word into their lives, and that we have opened a door for a local pastor to have a relationship with a family he might not otherwise have been able to cultivate.

Casas por Cristo exists to build homes, change lives, and save the lost. While we realize that only the blood of Jesus and the grace of our Lord saves a person’s soul, our ministry exists to be a tool to bring someone to that point in their life where they realize their desperate need for Him. The building of a home and handing it over as a free gift is meant to point them to an even greater free gift offered to us through Jesus Christ. We desire more than anything to carry out the great commission given to us in Matthew 28:19-20

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Please pray with us that every seed that is planted in the form of the building of a new home produces a harvest. Pray that the families and those in the communities around them that we serve will come to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
-Scott

Glory in the Specifics

Praying rightly, specifically, and intentionally

1Ki 17:20 And he cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?"
1Ki 17:21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again."
1Ki 17:22 And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.
1Ki 17:23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, "See, your son lives."
1Ki 17:24 And the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."

Notice how Elijah prays here. He prayed 3 times which means he was steadfast. But what we need to see here is that he prays a very specific and courageous prayer. Specific because he asks God exactly what he wants. Courageous because asking God to bring a girl back from the dead is a big deal. Would you feel comfortable praying such a prayer? We could argue that this is Elijah. We are not Elijah. But look at what Paul tells the church in Romans.

Rom 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Rom 8:10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Rom 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

We have the same spirit in us that raised Jesus from the dead. We have the same spirit that raised that little boy in Elijah’s arms that day. We have our Helper. We have our Counselor. We have the Holy Spirit living in us. What does that mean for us? It means that we can approach the throne of God with confidence because it wasn’t us who chose him first; He chose us first.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
-Jesus Christ, John 15:16

Knowing this, we can ask God very specific and very courageous prayers. We tend to stay away from praying like this because we think that our requests are just too big and too specific.  We fear that if we asked God, we might be let down. We are afraid that God isn’t going to answer. Trust in His word and His promises and that He has chosen us and appointed us to cry out to Him.  Share with God the specific details of your heart and allow Him to reveal to you all of His glory.

Whom Shall I Fear?

How can we not care? Plastered across the cover of this month's TIME magazine is the ongoing drug war in México. My first thought is, "Great, publicity is going to run rampant, the phone is going to ring off the hook at the office, and the teams that are already scheduled to come and build the rest of the summer are going to have to fight to make that happen." Then I looked at the cover. I saw the pictures of this terrible drug war, and for a moment I became just like everyone else that sees this. These pictures are terrifying. A fellow coworker said that he got the magazine at his house and never saw it because his wife threw it away. As a missionary to Juárez, México, we have to decide every second whether we will continue to serve God here or walk away. And flipping through photos of a drug war that we know is happening, usually does not make that decision much easier.

We are human. We have families. We have friends. We have a God that we love and want to serve, but we have the same real fears and decisions to make that you do. God has called us to serve Him here. Every one of our staff knows that beyond a shadow of a doubt. With this knowledge, everything else should fall to the wayside. We have been called to serve. The creator of the universe has burdened our hearts to serve the people of México, whom else shall we fear? "The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1 This scripture sounds wonderful from a safe church pew or as we read our bible in a small group with friends. However when faced with images of a drug war and the call to go and serve in that same place, this scripture has to hold the exact same truths. What changes however, is us. Our fears, our questions, our unknown. Sitting by and flipping through pictures that will only create fear in hearts that God has called to "GO," is not the best way to handle this call on our lives. He tells us to focus on "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable. If anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things." Phil 4:8

We encourage you to do the same. We are faced with the same decisions that you are. We serve the same God you do. We are broken, weak, human beings that God has called to go and bring glory to His name. We want to walk beside you as you choose to leap out on your faith, clinging to nothing but Jesus Christ and trusting in His promises. We want to bring life to scripture and watch the words fly off of the pages. We want to fill this city with light from a risen savior rather than with the darkness that hovers so closely. We want these families to hear praises to our God and see His love and provision rather than the desperation that they struggle to live within daily. We are not asking you to walk blindly into a city that has seen a great deal of violence or ignore the realities of what is happening here. We are asking that if He has called you to go, that you will fill your mind with what is pure and holy and trust more on His promises than the pictures of fear and destruction that the media will throw your way. More than anything we are asking that you would trust your Father above all else; to let His words become flesh and life and live them out. We will cross this border together, and stand strong in God's amazing grace.

~Brittany Girle

Your Son Will Live

John 4:43-54

Jesus spent two very successful days in Samaria which started with the woman at the well. It was so spectacularly successful that it seemed as if the whole town of Sychar was turning to Jesus as Messiah and Savior of the World. It is strange that such success was found in Samaria and not His own Jewish people. After spending two days in Samaria, Jesus departed for His hometown of Galilee.

Joh 4:43                After the two days he departed for Galilee.

Joh 4:44                (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.)

The word “For” is important here because it implies that Jesus is going to Galilee because He has no honor there. We find Jesus again being purposefully intentional to a place that would show Him less honor than Samaria. He is going back to this place knowing that they don’t understand Him and they don’t honor Him. He intends to keep offering Himself to this Galilee knowing in the end this will eventually get Him killed.

Joh 4:45                So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.

What’s important to notice here is that this verse is not conflicting with verse 44. Yes, Galilee welcomed Him but they still do not honor Him as the Messiah. They welcomed Him “having seen all that He had done in Jerusalem at the feast”. They welcomed Him because they were in love with His miracles, not Him as the Messiah and Savior of the world. The Galileans were in fact sign seekers and wonder worshipers, not Christ followers. Jesus knew this. Unbelievers don’t love God, they use God.

Joh 4:46                So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill.

Joh 4:47                When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.

Joh 4:48                So Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe."

Jesus is being greeted in a crowd of these sign seekers when an official enters the scene. Is the official the same as the rest of Galilee? Is he only here because he wants to see Jesus perform a miracle, or is he here for the love of The Son of God?

Verse 48 is further indictment on Galilee. Jesus says, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” It seems that Jesus is testing this man by grouping him with the rest of Galilee. “You’re just like the rest of them. You only believe in what you see.” The official’s response is going to reveal his heart to us. 

Joh 4:49                The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

Joh 4:50                Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.

The official wants Jesus to come with him to heal his son. He is coming to Jesus with a sense of urgency. His son is about to die. His life is coming to Jesus on the brink of tragedy. When Jesus says, "Go; your son will live," the man says nothing else but obeys the command of Jesus and believes Him. This man is not sign seeking but seeking out of desperation The Son of God; the One Who made all things and is the master of all life. This is interesting because it took the presence of inevitable tragedy to open this man’s eyes to Christ as savior and not just miracle worker. He’s a Galilean but he sees Christ as salvation from tragedy. Jesus gives this man a gift out of love and mercy and the knowledge that He is growing the belief of the official and starting the belief of the official’s family.  

Joh 4:51                As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering.

Joh 4:52                So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."

Joh 4:53                The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." And he himself believed, and all his household.

Joh 4:54                This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

Leaving Jesus, the official is brought glorious, confirming news on his way home. His son is well and Jesus left no room for doubt of the reason of his son’s healing.

The Son of God brought life to a situation of certain death and in that kindled the flame of belief in this families life.

There are a few things that we can really meditate on from this section of scripture. The first takes a lot of soul searching but will yield fruitful results. Are you in love with what Jesus does only, or are you in love with the Son of God because of who He is? 

It is easy to get caught up in what we do at Casas. We provide families with homes, we connect families with the church community, we bring hope to dark situations, and we inspire Americans and Mexicans to live a life that is against how the world teaches us to live. But if we are only in love with what we do, only in love with what Jesus is doing…it is not enough. These things are meant to stir our affections for the person of Christ, not just the signs and wonders He is still doing in our lives and in our ministry. 

Jesus is supposed to be our joy. If we only find love in what He does, this love will soon burn out and become stale. Do you see the difference? Do you think that loving His works and loving Him are the same? What are your beliefs about this? Could you be missing out on the everlasting well of joy that is Christ? Do you really love Jesus for who He is, or just what He can do for you?

Second, do we welcome Jesus only to be around His works, or do we welcome Him because he is our Savior and our King? It is not enough to be around Christ and not welcome Him as Messiah, as King, as Savior, and as Lord. He must be our lives. He must be what we live for.

Finally, do you believe Christ at His word? When He says He has done something, do you believe Him? When Christ speaks to you in scripture, do you trust Him? Do you believe you are forgiven? Do you feel forgiven? Do you believe He has sent the Spirit to you to guide, counsel, comfort, and sanctify you? Do you believe that He will provide for you everything you need? Do you know and feel that He is enough? Do you trust Him at His word? Do you trust that He will never leave or forsake you? 

Trust Him. He is more faithful than anything or anyone. He is faithful even when you are not.

Hindered

Praying rightly, specifically, and intentionally

1Pe 3:7            Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

1Pe 3:8            Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

1Pe 3:9            Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

1Pe 3:10          For "Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;

1Pe 3:11           let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

1Pe 3:12           For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

This scripture is a big deal. It is a big deal because Peter states that our prayers can be hindered. What? This scripture so different than what we normally hear because Peter is saying that it is not that praying helps us live right, but that living right helps us pray. It is true that prayer is a way to help us live (Colossians 1:10). But Peter is saying that there are ways to live that hinders our prayer and there are ways to live that helps our prayers. Look at what he says later in this letter.

1Pe 4:7            The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

1Pe 4:8            Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

From these two sets of scripture, we can pull out truths about how we should be living.

1Pe 3:7            Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

First, Peter is telling husbands that your prayers can be hindered if you do not treat your wife in a right manner. If we as husbands are not treating our wives in an understanding way, trying to understand her and being sensitive to her needs, our prayers will be hindered. If we as husbands, do not hold her honor on the same level as ours, belittling and demeaning her, our prayers will be hindered. Husbands, are you living this way?

Second, Peter continues to tell us in verses 8 and 9 that it’s not just husbands, but all are to have “unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind,” and that we are not to repay evil for evil but to bless. Then he backs up what he is teaching by quoting Psalm 34.

1Pe 3:10          For "Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;

1Pe 3:11           let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

1Pe 3:12           For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

It says in Psalms 34 that God listens to the prayers of those who keep their tongues from evil, who do not create dissention among the brothers with their mouth, who look for peace and pursue it, and those who do righteousness.  Again, Peter is telling all believers how to keep their prayers from being hindered.

1Pe 4:7            The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

1Pe 4:8            Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Third, Peter calls us to be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of our prayers, self-controlled to keep from evil, sober-minded so that our minds are not drunk with the intoxicating pull of the things of the world. Look at this quote from John Piper.

“Jesus does not kiss a drunk wife. He may carry her off the street and back to bed. He may be utterly patient with her, and set before her hot coffee and fresh starts. But he will not kiss a drunk wife. What do I mean? I mean that when the bride of Christ, the church, is drunk with the world, she may turn to him for a brief kiss of prayer, but her breath wreaks so bad of worldliness that he turns his face away.”

                                                                                    -John Piper, desiringgod.org-

We cannot have our prayers hindered. This should be non-negotiable for us. If our prayers are hindered it means that we are not connecting with God. If we are not connecting with God, He will start to feel far away, unapproachable, and fake. This is devastating. This cannot be in our lives. This should be our greatest fear.

Steadfast, Watch, Glorify

Praying rightly, specifically, and intentionally

Col 4:2            Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Col 4:3            At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison

Col 4:4            that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

If you ever want a quick encouragement, or to find a wealth of wisdom from a text of scripture, go to the end of one of Paul’s letters. Like the end of a telephone conversation cut short, Paul blurts out many but quick truths he wants to get across to the receiver of his message. In this letter to the church in Colossi, Paul gives a quick but deep command to them about praying.

Col 4:2a          Continue steadfastly in prayer…

Steadfastly: Firm: with resolute determination

Could you say that you are firmly, with a resolute determination, praying to God? This is not just a command for a single prayer, but it is a command for your prayer life. If you were praying with resolute determination, does it seem like that would also reflect frequency of prayer? I know that if I am firmly resolute in determination about something, I’m going to be tenacious about it until what I am determined about is accomplished. Are you praying like that? If not, why? Does the answer speak to you about where your heart is whether good or bad?

Col 4:2                        Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.      

Paul tells the church to be watchful in their prayers. So they are to continue steadfastly not only in prayer but also in watchfulness while praying. Why would he say that? Why would someone be watchful in prayer? When someone is watchful, they expect something to happen. People watch the news to see what is happening. People watch sports to see who will win. People watch the stock market to see how the economy is doing. They watch because they expect something to happen. That is why we should watch while we pray with firm, resolute determination. We watch because we expect and trust God to do something. Are you expecting him to move? Are you expecting him to do anything?

Jas 1:3             for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

Jas 1:4            And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Jas 1:5             If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Jas 1:6            But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

Jas 1:7             For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

Jas 1:8            he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

If we don’t expect him to answer, if we doubt his many promises of answering prayer, James says that we cannot expect God to do anything. Are you watching for God with eager expectation?

Col 4:2b          …being watchful in it with thanksgiving.          

Paul says that thanksgiving is going to come with our watchfulness. This can only mean one thing, God is going to do something. This is crystal clear. There will be thanksgiving when we watch because when we are attentive, alert, and searching for God’s answer without doubt, we will see his answer to our prayer. He has promised to answer them in his word.

Joh 14:13        whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

That is the key. God loves to answer prayer because he receives glory by our thanksgiving. God loves to be our giver. It is more glorious to be the giver than the receiver. God loves to answer prayer because he wants us to know that he loves us; he wants unbelievers to know that Jesus is the true Son of God; and he wants all the earth to give him Glory.

Mat 7:7           "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Mat 7:8           For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Mat 7:9           Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

Mat 7:10         Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?

Mat 7:11          If you then, who 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!

1Pe 5:6            Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

1Pe 5:7            casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Joh 15:7          If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Joh 15:8          By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

Psa 50:14        Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,

Psa 50:15        and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

Are you praying like Paul commands us to? Are you steadfastly praying, are you watching eagerly, and are you glorifying him when he does answer prayer?  If we do not humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and firmly with determination go after him in prayer, believing that he is going to do something, we are not being responsible with what God has given us. We cannot be self-reliant because self-reliance is spiritual suicide.

Every day, as often as possible, we need to be aggressively going after God in prayer. Do you feel the weight on your heart of how important this is yet? Trust Him. Trust Him. Trust Him.

Pray now for him to glorify himself through answering your prayer and then watch for his answer.