John 14:14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Matthew 18:19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

James 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

How do we reconcile these comments? They are all true but seem to contradict each other in some way. Since they are true then our understanding of context is incomplete.

The context within John 14:14 is if we are to ask in Jesus name, we are speaking for Jesus who only did His Father’s will. John 5:30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” The truth of any scripture will have supporting evidence.

The second, Matthew 18:19 is made in consideration of righteous judgment when one brother sins against the other in the church and the two cannot reconcile on their own. The two in agreement must agree with the Holy Spirit who reveals truth concerning all spiritual matters. The supporting context is 1 Corinthians 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Since these two are true then James 4:3 stands alone without need for further context since the will of the Father and guidance of the Holy Spirit were not considered and only our selfish desires are addressed.

Rather than inflict any judgment upon these things we all ask for, let us consider that we can only ask of the Father when we are in communion with the Father. So much we think and do in this world is done alone when we are not in communion with the Father.

We look to that ministry that Jesus performed healing the sick, casting out demons, and raising the dead and tend to forget all those miracles were done to show the people of the time that He was the Messiah. Then when Jesus tells them they shall do greater things it is confusing as to what could be greater than those miracles?

It was not until after His death, resurrection and ascension that the seed of the gospel had the power to deliver lost souls to the will of the Father.

We have no greater ask than the seed we sow should find ground that is prepared to receive it and bear fruit unto salvation.

This does not stop us from caring about the suffering of others and asking for relief apart from the will of God or the leading of the Holy Spirit. That is because we love and love is the greatest gift.

Exodus 20:26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’

A misstep is to take a step we did not intend to take. This quote in Exodus might seem confusing when read out of context but the instructions were in creating wilderness altars of stone.

The stones formed the altar and it was not to be so high and lifted up that its sacrifices could not be placed there without stepping stones to elevate the sinner to a position of ability to make that sacrifice. The reference of nakedness takes us all the way back to the Garden and Adam’s confession of shame in being seen naked.

We cannot place our sacrifice of shame at the altar of forgiveness by hiding our shame.

Many feel that it is important to clean up our acts before coming to church. This is exactly the wrong attitude and keeps sinners from finding the peace of God that is so freely offered.

Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

That is not to say that only sinners need to repent. Even those of us that follow Jesus have missteps.

Psalm 37:23 The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;

Clearly we need to know the way in order to see what steps are established by the Lord in the way that we should walk. Sinners who have not repented cannot see the Way.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

In this life we have found in Christ our focus can be so intent on not making a misstep that we forget that this journey’s destination is set to come before the Father.

The opposite is also true. We look for signs that have been given about end time prophecies that will tell us where we stand in the church age and seeing afar off, we do not look where we are stepping. We forget that how we walk is more important than where we walk.

The other message in Exodus 20:26 is a warning of elevating oneself in the need to feel worthy. Those steps to that altar are built on the pride of life.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.