There was a man who had a dream.  God asked him: “What should I give you”?  The man answered and God made him one of the richest men in the world.  If that happened to you and God asked you that question, would you be prepared to give an answer?  If you are a student of the Bible you know what to ask for.  If not, what would your request to God be?  Do you believe He will answer that prayer?

Why do you suppose God was willing to ask that man what he wanted?  First, God knew what he would ask for and He knew the man’s heart.  The man was very humble.  If God answered your prayer and it changed your whole life would you use it to benefit yourself or to help others?  If God asked you to do a certain thing with what He gave you, would you have the courage and boldness to execute what you were asked to do?

Let’s assume God answered your prayer and you became a well-known person as a result.  Would you want everyone to know what God did?  Would there be a raging battle within you between your self-centered nature and your spirit-filled nature?  Would one nature want to boast while the other nature would be humbly thanking and praising God for His blessing and for having chosen you?  Are you prepared for the attacks that Satan will throw at you if your prayer was answered?  Should you not think about the consequences before you ask God?

I Kings 3:5 & 9 – “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”  Solomon answered: “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”  Solomon asked for wisdom!  God gave him wisdom and everything a person would ever want.

It is possible one of the reasons God does not lavish us with prosperity is because most of us would not be able to handle it.  God made Solomon extremely wealthy.  Solomon lived life to the fullest with every pleasure that one could imagine.  There was nothing denied him.  He ended up a wasted man until his wisdom allowed him to realize that this uncontrolled living was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.  None of the pleasures that the world offered ever satisfied him.  His wisdom was used on the wrong things.  It was about himself rather than what God had given him.  His wealth and wisdom turned him from a humble man to a self-centered individual.  God’s blessing was being used for the wrong reason.  It was not about others, it was all about self.

Ecclesiastes 2:18 – 20 – “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.  And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.  So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.”

What is our legacy, what are we leaving for those who follow?  Is it the material amounts we have accumulated so their lives will be easier?  Or, is it life’s values and Christian principles?  What may we learn from the richest person, of his time, about worldly pleasures?

I learned to ask for Godly wisdom.  The wisdom I received is found in John 8:31b – 32- “Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  My wisdom came from learning the truth.

The truth is that Christ came to set us free from our bondages.   We need not fear or worry, realize we have been forgiven and should no longer feel guilty.  We are not to be angry or bitter, have anxiety, negative stress or jealousy.  We must have a forgiving spirit.  There is no need to feel inadequate or not belonging. There is never a need to lie, steal or cheat.  We are not judged by our works but by our heart.  The greatest thing we can have is love of God and others.  The testimony that I want to leave to those who follow is the truth does set us free and I know from experience it is a promise from God that we can have.  Praise to God I have been set free!

John 10:10 – “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” NLT

Matthew 7:18 – 23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!’” NIV

There are many in the church who are very religious but have no personal relationship with Christ.  They have never been freed and do not live a rich and satisfying life.  They hear the Word, they know the Word but they are not “doers” of the Word.  They may lack wisdom.  May I suggest you pray for wisdom and when you obtain it, you will learn how to receive what all men seek, freedom and a satisfying life while on this earth and an eternal life to “doers” of the Word which is available regardless of your circumstances.

James 1:5 – 6a – “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt.”