Read previous blogs by Jonny Reck.

I want you to do a little mental exercise. Ready? Ok – think really hard about that one person in your life that keeps asking for something from you. Maybe you're always the first they call for a ride to the airport. For some reason, you happen to always be the one paying the lunch bill. They even ask you to save seventeen seats at Frontline, but they end up coming in after the third worship song is finished. If you can't think of a particular person, it's possible you could be that person! (Kidding!...kind of)

Here's a little secret : I'm that guy! When it comes to my relationship with Christ, I've developed in the past such a tendency to ask, ask, ask God to make things to happen. Give me this. Do that. Make this happen. I'm definitely not saying that it's bad or wrong to give God your requests. Philippians 4:6 says that we're to make our requests known to God. My problem has been what I ask for and the way I ask. I'm quick to say “Hook me up with [fill in the blank]” - we tend to like praying that way. It gets difficult when you start asking, “God, where am I clinging to sin?” or “How do you want me to change?” or “Hook me up with a trial because I want experience your power and character in a deeper way.”

I'm being open about this because I know you struggle with it too. I've really seen it in my life as I'm studying the Gospel of John in my personal time. In chapter six, Jesus did the unthinkable – he fed thousands of people with a couple tiny loaves of bread and a few fish (Hear more about this in the Frame of Reference series online). It was an absolute miracle, something that shattered the natural laws and boundaries that we learned about in fourth grade science class and it was intended to show everyone that he's the Christ that everyone had been waiting for, the One that would take away the sins of the world. Here's the difficult situation though, everyone started seeking Jesus simply because cool things happened when he showed up to town. Where most of these people really interested in following Him because he offers forgiveness of sins and eternal life? Nope. They wanted to keep seeing cool things happen and the crowd following him even said in v. 30, “What sign do you do, that we may believe in you?” They said this right after they had just seen Jesus make bread and fish appear out of nowhere so these people could be satisfied. Do you see the problem here?

In the same way, we can see God meeting need after need in our lives, yet we can say “If you do [fill in the blank], then I'll believe...”? We can be just like the people in the crowd. Don't let your prayers be defined by 'Gimme! Gimme!' I hope you see my point. God wants us to continually be changed, challenged, moved, tested – all for the sake of knowing the character and power of God. He doesn't want us to live wimpy lives for Christ. Break free from 'Gimme! Gimme!' prayer lives and experience the dramatic shift toward asking God to be continually placing you in a mode of change. He'll definitely be sure to do it!