Do You Believe God Has Good Gifts Waiting For You?

Do you believe God has good gifts waiting for you?

From the time my children were born,
I planned to give them lots of great stuff. 
I intended to shower them with opportunities that would delight them. 
I was determined to give them things that would make
their life easier or better or richer or set them up for success.

It was always my intention that they would
swim in an ocean,
ride a bike,
drive a car,
have a girlfriend.
I always had plans to
send them college,
mow the lawn with the big tractor,
use the chainsaw and
manage money.

However, I couldn’t dump every good thing
I had in my storehouse on them at once!
I didn’t want them to become
overwhelmed
or spoiled
or entitled.

I didn’t want to set my boys up to fail or get hurt.
Did you notice that most of the good gifts I had for them
required some training to appreciate and
some maturity to manage?

I can’t give the car keys to a four year old!
Infants shouldn’t be tossed into the ocean.
They have to grow tall enough to reach the pedals on the tractor!

In order for my gifts to be a blessing and not a curse,
my treasures were dispersed as my boys
exhibited the maturity to be
blessed by my good gifts.

I believe God has a storehouse of
good gifts and it’s full of
riches and resources for each one of us. 

Like any good parent, He longs to see his children
supplied with gifts and resources to walk in their calling,
to be equipped and fulfilled for their work
and to be surrounded by people who will cheer them on.

How do you access His storehouse
of good gifts for your life?

Pray!

Go after the desires and longings in your heart.
Don’t get discouraged that God doesn’t instantly
answer your prayers or grant your request. 
God is forever in Heaven,
holding all sorts of good things for you,
but He can’t dump them on you,
or the recipient of your prayers,
until the right time.
He won’t set you up to fail or
be corrupted by the gifts He has for you.

We get so accustomed to having what we want
RIGHT NOW!
Overnight deliveries.
Drive through sustenance.
Instant hot water.

As you pray for the desires of your heart,
consider that the answer is yes,
but maybe not yet.

Remember how Moses was called by God
to lead the Israelites out of Egypt?
No question about the assignment, was there?
But, … it took 10 miraculous signs
before the slaves were set free!

If you were in Moses’ sandals,
would you persevere through all 10 miracles
or would you bail at 3 or 7 or even 9
thinking that you must have heard wrong
or that God changed his mind
or that the timing was wrong?

What if Joshua and the tribes of Israel had
stopped marching around Jericho after a 1 day?
Or after 3 days?
Or after 6 days?

If you were Joshua,
would you have been able to withstand
the grumbling and questioning from the masses?
Would you have been able to press on and
get the victory?
Or would you have settled for the
puny bit of land on the shores of the Red Sea?

Girlfriend, press in and pray through.

Don’t settle for less than all the gifts
God has in His storehouse for you.

I assure you that God is ready to
partner with you to make your life
better or richer or to set you up for success.

Pray!

Don’t get discouraged if your prayers aren’t instantly answered.
God isn’t a genie in a bottle.
While He can make instantaneous miracles,
it’s more likely that He will invite you to
participate in a process of
redemption,
restoration or
recovery or
riches.

Look at all the things you’ve already received.
Count all the bonuses and benefits you have already.
Take inventory of answered prayers …
yours and the ones in the Bible.

Trust God is for you.
He is your Heavenly Father.
He loves you as his child
He longs for you to have the life
of abundance and joy He promises.

 Scripture: 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! Matthew 7:11 ESV