PROTOCOL

James 1: 1 – 8

Today is the day that we inaugurate a new President of the United States of America. It doesn't matter if you voted for him, if you like him, or if you believe in his world view. If we were to be called to meet with him, there are certain procedures that have to followed. Like not launching into a tirade about his beliefs, and how you feel about his principals, or the lack there of.
Well, there are procedures that must be followed when we go to talk to God as well. I love the book of James. When I first came to know the Lord, this book helped me a lot. I can't remember how many times I read his book, because I felt that it spoke into my life and gave me some instruction on how I was supposed to act as a Christian.
And there we find some of the protocols and procedures for when we go to meet with God.

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

This whole testing and persevering thing is once again one of the areas that I think we all need to work. We don't want any trouble in our lives and when we have them we want them to go away quicker than they came. But, this is one of the procedures, to stand up to the trouble. Another is to stand firm in our beliefs, before going to meet the Lord.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Going with boldness before the Lord is one of the other procedures we need to follow. We can't be going to the throne weakly like the characters in the Wizard of Oz. They got nothing until Dorothy stood up on her beliefs and needs.

So with perseverance, firm belief, and boldness, we can go to God with our prayers and petitions and receive the blessings we ask for.