Do you find yourself dealing with, "If You will ....... I will ......." type prayers or choices?
It is so sy to fall into bargaining with God for His blessing and provision. And this is especaillly true when we are under any affliction or struggle.
Satan loves to bring to our minds all of our sins and even though they are forgiven in Christ he uses their awfulness to make us think we are condemned - even thoug that is not possible.
So we go to God and try to make a deal. Or we undertake some duty thinking that if I just do this He will bless me.
This is, above all things, an isnight into the sin that yet clings to our hearts. It's there and it will continue to affect our thinking and prayer. But we must pray that the Spirit will expose this to us that we may pray against it. So we may see it coming and bypass it in our prayers.
Oh if we could only grasp the fullness of His forgiveness. If we were not so tied to ourselves and could see Him and His love through the self-ness we are plaugued with.
This need to prove that we are either really in need or that we are really worthy of His help drives so many of us to despair and confusion.
Take heart in the fact that in this you are not alone. Most mature believers will tell you that they still struggle with this. So you are not alone among believers in your struggle.
But you are not alone beyond that either. God knows the habits of abiding sin. He is not shocked when we come to Him this way. He knows our struggle and appreciated the depth of it. He knows all of our heart and He would heal it of this struggle.
Acknowledge and confess these "bargain" prayers. Realize that God can not but give us what is best for us. Yes, He desires - no, He commands our obedience but that is based on who He is and what He has done. Gratitude does not nullify grace but embellishes and enlivens it.
OK- enough. That was on my mind because day I caught myself at it. Mmmmm figured you might catch yourself at it too.
M
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