Questions

John 1:38 TPT Jesus saw they were following him and asked, “What do you want?”

Most of us have been around a young child who has a non-stop barrage of questions: why, how, what if, and why not? As they grow, they quickly learn that the one who has the correct answer gets rewarded, not the one who asked the question. Unfortunately, this has devalued the art of asking questions and discovering. Often leading to assumptions, wrong conclusions, and poor decisions.

Throughout scripture, God asks lots of questions. But when the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful God asks you a question, it is not because He does not already know the answer. God knows everything about all things (1 John 3:20), and that includes knowing everything about us, even the secrets of our heart (Psalm 44:21). God’s questions are meant to reveal the intent of our heart, reveal His nature, reveal His truth, and draw us into a deeper relationship with him. God desires to shift our perspective, changing our focus from ourselves, or a moment in time, to a bigger view of him and his purposes. God uses questions to move us toward change and toward Him.

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve had just fallen for the lies of the enemy. Satan convinced Eve that God was withholding something from them. In that instant, they chose to disobey the only rule God had given Adam: “do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:17). When God arrived, He called out, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). Now God was not looking under the bushes, trying to find where Adam was. In that simple question, God was revealing his eternal nature to His new creation: He is seeking you, no matter what you have done. Even your GPS knows you can never start a journey or receive accurate directions without first answering the question, “Where are you?”

Adam told God, “I was naked, so I hid." God asked, “Who told you that you were naked?” You must ask yourself, ‘What source of truth am I listening to and believing’? What we listen and watch, the truths we believe, greatly influence how we perceive God and His purpose for our lives. When Moses pushed back on God’s calling to lead Israel out of slavery, God asked, “What is that in your hand?” Whatever God calls us to do, he also equips us for. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us, “Everything we could ever need for life and godliness has already been deposited in us by his divine power.” We cannot accept the lies about who God is and his love for us. There can be no other source of truth except God’s truth.

Jesus asked the sick man by the pool of Bethesda, “Do you want to be made well?” The man had been there for 38 years. Originally, he came hoping and believing for a miracle. He trusted that God would bring him healing. But over time, his hope waned, and discouragement set in. He became a victim and was stuck in the only perspective he knew. Often, God must shake us out of a ‘this-is-the-way-it-will-always-be mindset’ before we can have the faith to see the changes He desires to make. Jesus was really asking him, “Where are you?”

Where are you in your walk with God, continuing to press in, seeking him, trusting him as your source, or are you hiding, a victim? Making excuses for where we are often feels safer than risking disappointment and hoping things could be different. God is still asking questions today: Do you believe that I can heal sickness? Do you believe that I can remove depression and anxiety? Do you believe I can restore your marriage and family? Do you believe I can make a way forward?

What question is God asking you? Remember, the question is not for Him; the question is for you.

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

Romans 6:16 NLT Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

Mark 8:35-37 TPT For if you let your life go for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, you will continually experience true life.  But if you choose to keep your life for yourself, you will forfeit what you try to keep. For what use is it to gain all the wealth and power of this world, with everything it could offer you, at the cost of your own life? And what could be more valuable to you than your own soul?

Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Proverbs 28:25-26 TPT To make rash, hasty decisions shows that you are not trusting the Lord. But when you rely totally on God, you will still act carefully and prudently. Self-confident know-it-alls will prove to be fools. But when you lean on the wisdom from above, you will have a way to escape the troubles of your own making.

Mark 4:24 NLT Then he added, Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more.

1 Kings 19:11-13 NIV The Lord said, go out and stand before me on the mountain” And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, What are you doing here, Elijah?

Ezekiel 37:1-6 NLT The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, Son of man, can these bones become living people again? O Sovereign Lord, I replied, you alone know the answer to that. Then he said to me, Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Matthew 16: 15-17 NLT Then Jesus asked them, But who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus replied, You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human.

Matthew 6:27 TPT So which one of you by worrying could add anything to your life?

Luke 2:49 AMP Jesus answered, Why did you have to look for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?