In the Bible, there are several scriptures that talk about asking, giving, and receiving. For instance, in the Gospel according to Matthew 7:7, the word of God says "ask, it shall be given unto you"; in the Gospel according to Luke, the word of God says "give, and it should be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, and shaken together"; and in the Gospel according to Matthew 21:22, the word of God says "and all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Now, if you've noticed, that in those scriptures, the Lord didn't say WHEN you were going to receive what you asked for. For example, it didn't say "ask, and you will receive it tomorrow." Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that there is a reason why God doesn't tell you specificly when you are going to receive in the natural what you have asked of him.

On 11-18-03, I received a revelation from the Lord. This revelation was in the form of a question. The question was, "Why do you think that I don't let Christians know when they will receive their blessings?" After that, he immediately placed a scenerio in my spirit. He said, "Suppose if I told you that I'm going to bless you with a million dollars on the last day of the year. Would you continue to serve me faithfully or would you stop? Then, he said, "I want you to see how Satan can easily influence you to stop serving me. He said, "Satan will say, 'Since God has already told you when your going to get your million dollars, then YOU don't have to continue to put God first. I know that you meditate to God (i.e., acknowleding, thanking, worshipping him) the first thing in the morning. Well, now that you know when you're blessing is coming, you can cut back on your mediations. See, you know that God is not going to stop your blessings because, he can't break his promise that he made to you. For, God's word is the truth. It can't return to him void. Don't worry, you'll still get your blessing." Then the Lord told me, "You will say, okay. I'll cut back on my meditations. Afterall, I've been getting up early. I could use some extra sleep." At that time, I didn't respond. I let the Lord continue to deal with my spirit. After that the Lord spoke, "Satan is not going to stop there. He will come at you again and suggest that you stop serving me in another way. You will 'give in' and from there, a pattern will have emerged. Before you know it, you will have stopped serving me all together. Now, receiving time has come. At this point, that's when I will ask you this question. WHY WERE YOU SERVING ME? Were you serving me because of what you can get from me or what I can do for you? Or, were you serving me because you love me? Remember, before you knew that you were receiving the money, you served me faithfully. As soon as I told you when your blessing was coming, your entire routine changed. See, that's the reason why I don't let you know when you are going to receive your blessings. Because, I don't know whether or not you will remain faithful." The Lord continued and said, " If my people will learn to put me first and love me for whom I am, then the desires of their heart will be automatically given to them." Then, immediately, a scripture was placed in my spirt,.."But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Right then, a light bulb was turned on inside of my head. I responded to God and said, "I know that is not what I've been doing during the past year. I know that I've asked you for some things, Lord, but I thought that I was being obedient to your word. In the book of Deuteronomy 6:5 it says "thou shalt love thy God with all thine heart, soul, and might." In other words, I thought that I was putting you first, Lord." Then, I started thinking a little bit. I noticed that the things that I asked God for did preoccupy my time more than they should've. Then, I thought, "What if the enemy would say those things to me. Would I be strong enough to resist the temptations of the flesh?" I paused for a few seconds. Shortly after, I spoke to the Lord and said, " I really thought that I was putting you first. For, you do know the sincerity of my heart. Forgive me if I wasn't. From now on, I will put you first at all times. I will seek you and the righteousness of your kingdom first!"

Saints, I thank God for this revelation. I thought that I was serving him the best way that I could. However, the Lord showed me that I could do better. He wanted me on a higher, spritual level. Now, I can honestly say that I'm serving God because I LOVE HIM! I'm not serving God just to escape hell or because of what he can do for me etc. I'm serving him to reciprocate his love that he has for me. In the Gospel according to John 3:16 it says "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoesover believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." God's son Jesus, suffered, bled, and died for all our sins. He did it so that we can have eternal life in his father's kingdom, and that's UNCONDITIONAL LOVE . All God wants for us is to love him by putting him first and living righteously for him. How can we live righteously for him? By being obedient/keeping his commandments, by doing his will, by completing his works, and by bearing the fruits of his spirt (i.e. love, meekness, goodness, faith, patience, joy, peace, etc.). So, I'm leaving you wth this question, saints. Why are YOU serving God?