Re: Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. When we decide to serve Him first, this decision must be followed by action or it will be as useless as if we did not decide to do so in the first place. To honor God with your lips and not your heart is not acceptable. This worries me. If I am doing anything like what I should be doing it will be a big surprise to me. And I suspect I am not alone. I just read that most of us are in the same boat. What do you think? Your opinion will be greatly appreciated. And anxiously awaited.

I believe that, surely, it must be God’s will that I love Him more than I do, and that my faith be greater than it is.

I am taught, however, that I must have faith for my prayers to be answered. If my faith is weak; if my belief is not strong; it seems that God will not answer my prayers for greater faith or stronger belief and love of Him.

So, what can I do with my need for God-given faith if the little faith I have is not great enough for Him to grant what I ask Him for? How can I avoid the Catch 22 of having too little faith for my prayer for more faith to be answered?

I ask:

1. to ensure my Salvation and to have the “Blessed Assurance” I see in others ;

2. to know His will for me and to be made strong enough to do it;

3. to serve him (and to be rid of a desire for some form of recognition) .

If it is my motives that are impure in my prayer for increased faith and love of God, where can I get the faith I need for him to answer my prayer to rid me of those impure motives?

I have come across many Christians who attempt to make a case against public and/or corporate prayer based on Matt. 6:6 which says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

There is some confusion among my husband and me and some of our close friends over the meaning of 2 Cor 9:8-9. All of us believe in tithing and practice it, plus we all give above the tithe to other ministries. Some of us believe it says we should give to everyone who ask us for money no matter what. Others say we should try to be discerning in who we give money to. We all want to be generous. If we do not give to everyone who ask us for money or financial support, are we being disobedient to this scripture?

Re: “Cheap Grace” A question arose regarding giving an account for ourselves. It’s mentioned more than once in Scripture (Jesus and Paul making such statements – sorry don’t have the verses to back them up this time), and has caused a few discussions I’ve had with others. Will you please help us on this issue, as we know our sins were paid for by Jesus’ sacrifice for us on Calvary?

The blessing at meal-time has become a source of derision in our family. The repetitive nature of it makes my skin crawl each time it is said. Also, it is my belief that the head of the household should say the evening meal prayer. But my husband disagrees. He feels everyone should take turns saying it. Now nobody wants to. I wish it was lovely and different each time and that we could include things that are happening in our family and ask for specific blessings, etc. But is that more like a regular prayer and not a meal-time blessing?

Would you please give us your thoughts on the concept of a believer cheapening the grace of God?

I always thought that God knows from beginning to end and knows all the choices we would make for our lives so how does prayer change things? Are there scriptures that support this idea? I want to pray effectively for my family and friends in need.

Thanks so much for your ministry and the time and energy you devote to it. I have a question about the faith of Abraham.

Romans 4:10-20 says that Abraham did not waver in his faith, in regards to the Promise. I believe that this is true. Clearly, he believed in the promise of a son in order to continue to do the things that are necessary for a couple to have children. Doing this even unto very old age.

What I’m trying to understand better is why Abraham took Hagar when she was offered.

I’m just trying to reconcile how saying his faith in a promised son didn’t waiver with his decision to be with Hagar for the specific reason of producing a son. Is it that GOD doesn’t expect our faith to be perfect to be acceptable? What was GOD looking at when He said Abraham’s faith did not waiver? I think understanding this better would help me understand the state of my own faith better.

I am saved and love the Lord and want so badly to honor him but I am in a relationship that does not honor the Lord. Many times, way too many to count I have tried to end the relationship. And I confess the sin desiring to make my relationship right with God. I hate that I am caught up in this relationship and my life is truly miserable because of it. I haven’t been able to free myself from it and I feel like a total failure before the Lord. I hate what my life has become; the sin entanglement is sucking the life out of me. Why can’t I muster the courage to end it once and for all? What hope do I have? I don’t want to pretend I will go to Heaven when from scripture it appears I am bound for Hell and I am sure many would agree that is where I will end up. I want the truth even if the truth is this ungodly relationship is sending me to Hell. What a failure and disappointment I must be to the Lord. I am not asking for a stamp of approval for my behavior( I know it is sin) but please help me sort through the misery I find myself in.