Month: November 2019

Contentment  is not a place where you arrive after a long and arduous journey, and  thankfulness is not found by striving and struggling. The sin in our lives has made contentment elusive and difficult to achieve. In life, many situations are attached to temporary satisfaction. This fleeting happiness arrives without any substance and lasting fulfilment. There is one, and only one way to live a life of sustained satisfaction: contentment is a gift from the hand of God to us. It comes when our relationship with God is right — and our heart is filled with gratitude and thankfulness.  

Are you content in any circumstance? Paul the apostle of Christ, knew how to be content, whether he had plenty or whether he was in need. His secret was to draw close to Christ’s power for strength. This is what he said in [Philippians 4:12-13], 

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” [Timothy 6:6-7]

Paul encourages us, whether we have great needs or are mildly discontented with our life.  In either case, we learn to rely on God’s promises and Christ’s power to help us to be content. God knows what is best for us and will supply our needs.

Sometimes we find ourselves praying for something earnestly and devotedly, asking God repeatedly to heal an illness or bless our finances, relationships, home, job, etc. But we don’t see any changes. Why not? It seems like our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling.

At times we wonder if God even hears our prayers. Then our prayers may begin to change, becoming less about asking and more about complaining and grumbling. Anger, frustration and bitterness begin to build, leading us to turn our backs on God. At this point, a state of absolute hopelessness sets in and we’re desperately in need of a breakthrough prayer.

How and what does it take to have a breakthrough? The key is to change how to pray. My pastor and other leaders, bible studies and personal experience all point me to verse (Mark 11: 24) where Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, BELIEVE that you have RECEIVED it, and it will be yours.”

According to the verse above, we must believe and lay claim to our prayer requests, as if we have already received our answer. That is called #FAITH. Ultimately, anything we ask of God in complete faith through his son Jesus will be given to us according to HIS WILL.

You may say, ”Why didn’t God answer my prayer?” The answer may be simply because it didn’t fit into God’s plan for your life. We may never know why God doesn’t answer or He may reveal His plan later on……

Remember, Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane right before his death (he would soon be crucified to pay for the sins of every person). His human flash didn’t want to go through that horrific death. But he humbly asked,

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39)

He asked for God’s will to be done. God’s purpose for His son’s death on the cross had enormous impact on the lives of all humanity.

Based on God’s WILL, no matter whatever we go through, He will still be with us. If our small or large requests do not fit into His perfect plan for our life, He will graciously change our hearts and will gently lead us to His plan.

Rick Warren said in one of his sermons, “Thanking God before He gives you something – that’s called FAITH. Thanking God after He gives you something – that’s called GRATITUDE.”

The most important key to having a breakthrough prayer (besides thanking God before and after He answers our prayer), is to pray as Jesus did in verse (Matthew 26:39) — let your WILL be done, O Lord, not my will. Amen!