Asking once or a lot?

 There are times when life is difficult.  Lately, it seems like it's been difficult for years.  The other day (okay it was probably a few months ago, but who's counting) I prayed and asked God if we hadn't suffered enough.  I mean it has felt that there's just been one crisis after another popping up.  We'd get clear of something and the car would break down and we would need to spend money that we could have used for something else on getting it fixed.  Then one car would be okay and the other car would need something.  Then my boss would be late with a paycheck that would make us late on paying a bill.  It's gotten so bad that we feel like we are no longer living month to month or even paycheck to paycheck but from turn off notice to turn off notice.. 

Well when I talked to God about these things, He brought to mind a few things I've been seeing on television.  First let me say this, lately, it started months ago, though we have not attended church, I've been tuning in to some christian programming on television in the mornings after my shower.  Lately that's been John Hagee at 6:30 in the morning on the Trinity Broadcasting Network.  He is pastor of a church in San Antonio.  So, I've been getting fed daily, well at least during the week days, I've been getting fed.  And He has brought to mind some of the things I've heard in the past.  One of those things was that we should remind God of His promises

Any way, one of the promises I've seized upon is found in Matt 21:21-22

21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive

So, when I pray, I ask for forgiveness, I ask that my family be blessed and our houses and property is under His protection and I've started reminding God that His son said these things.  So I've also been asking for God to bless my boss in his business that business would pick up and he would be able to catch up on our back pay and keep current and on time with our current pay.  I ask every night, well not every night I admit that I don't pray every night, but I do pray often during the week, for those things and I wonder do you ask once and let it go or do you continually remind God?  I mean faith is involved, but how often do you bring it up?  Is it showing a lack of faith by asking every night?  Does it show more faith by asking once and believing that's all it takes?  Does asking often help increase your faith?

In Matthew 7:7-11 (also repeated in Luke 11:9-13)

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

What does the above passage mean?  Does it mean only spiritual things? 

Matt 18:19-20

19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

. I guess it comes down to the question of how often do you ask?  I know that if my children asked me constantly for something it would drive me crazy.  I realize that God won't be driven crazy by continually asking Him for help frequently, but does it show a lack of faith by asking over and over?  We have an expectation of what should happen and when it should happen, but I also realize that God moves in His own time and that He acts when it's the right time.  Though it would be nice to KNOW the details or at least a general date when these things would be done.

So what do you think?  I'm kind of thinking that asking once is the sure way to show faith, but when faith is not strong, asking more often would be the way to go, until God says it's going to happen, just relax and expect it.

Thanking God

Well, here's an interesting opportunity to thank God.

My lovey wife took the car to work, the on that has the a/c still working in it.  At about 1130 or so, I got a call from her and she said the car would not start.  I could hear over the phone that it was cranking, but not turning over.  My initial thought was "great, fuel pump of fuel filter or even the injectors were screwed up.  I have AAA so she got a ride back to her place of business.  I went up to see her and the car.  Pretty much praying the whole time because we couldn't really afford for something to go wrong (there's been other automotive situations recently) so I prayed. So, when I got in the car I tried to start it and sure enough just cranking no turning over.  I took my wife back to her office and then called AAA.  It was now about 1245 and probably a goo 104 at least outside.  Fortunately she had parked at a bank and I was able to wait inside after I called for a tow.  About an hour later, the tow truck showed up and the driver asked what the car was doing, so I told him.  He asked if I had an alarm on it, I replied in the affirmative.  I told him my wife had parked the car, gone into the bank then when she returned, the car would not start.  He asked for the key and said the key got erased.  That if you put the key in the ignition and turn it to on, then leave it that way for 10 minutes, it would reprogram and the car should start.

HE WAS RIGHT!   Sure enough the car started right up and I drove it home.  When I got it home I turned it off, then tried to start it and it started right up again.

I had prayed that God would help us with the car, that we couldn't really afford something go to wrong with it.  I reminded Him that His Son Jesus said "whatsoever you ask in my name, believing, you shall receive it".  Please don't ask me where that verse is, I think it's in Matthew or Mark.  Regardless, it cost me nothing, though if I had the cash for a tip, I would have given the AAA tow truck driver a nice tip.

So, here I am thanking GOD for fixing the car for us and it not costing us a dime.  Just my time away from work and some of my wife's time away from work.

So praise God!  He hears His children and fills their needs.

What do you do?

There have been some recent strife in my life.  Depending on your point of view, it's not the worst thing that could happen, but then again it could maybe have been minimized had we all sat down and talked about things.  We did try, but apparently some of the things said were disregarded later.  Then things were said that were taken the wrong way and said the wrong way.  Consequently the strife erupted  Now, the parties involved are all on facebook and things get said that while are partly true, it's the things unsaid that could lead people to believe that all the blame for the strife belongs on a particular side.

I'm not one to air my dirty laundry on facebook.  I think that is not the proper forum to discuss things with family members or friends.  Email is better for that because it's private.  I am trying to not say anything and cause more trouble.  I hate strife especially when it is family related. 

What I'd like to know is what do you do when there is family strife on-line?  How do you handle your point of view and defend yourself when you feel the need to?

I suppose I could just respond here, but this isn't much better than facebook in that regard in that it's not private.  On the other hand, I feel a strong urge to say something in response to a post or 2 by one of the offended parties in my family strife (I keep spelling "strife" without the "r" and having to go back to fix it).  Should I just drop it and let the status fall off the wall or send an email asking the offended party in question to at least acknowledge both sides of the story?

Well, I'll let this set and maybe somebody will respond.

I hope that all of you who read this have a great and wonderful day.

Clean or unclean?

Okay this question is for those of you who read this and are of a religious bend.  I understand in the Old Testament, under the Law that God handed to Moses and the Jewish people were to follow, pigs were unclean so eating them was forbidden as is the animals you get from the sea that don't have fins and scales so shrimp and catfish and other obvious sea creatures without scales or without fins or without both.

My question is, when did God make these things clean?  I recall a quote, though I don't know the reference where Paul says something about "What God has made clean, how can it be unclean?"  That is not the actual and real quote but I think you understand the meaning.  Did God make all things clean when Jesus died for our sins?

The reason I've asked this is I've been watching a channel in the morning that provides a daily Bible study and one of the things mentioned was that pork and catfish and shrimp are unclean and should not be eaten even by Christians.  There are a couple other issues I have with the teachings, but I'd say 95% of what he is teaching is correct and good, I just have questions regarding that 5%.

You KNOW you can post a message in response to this and I hope somebody does (I bet I know one person who will post).