I've Got the Keys To My Dad’s Car

I never appreciated having the keys to my dad’s car because he had a giant Monte Carlo, I just wanted my own car to drive.  When my parents would pull up to high school, I asked them to drop me off at the corner (don’t pull up front).  My children did not have that problem because my husband had a sports car.  They enjoyed him letting them drive his car to school.   My two-year old grandson loves to play with keys.

We can appreciate and use the keys that our Heavenly Father gave us or we don’t.

 

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Matthew 16:19 and 18:18

I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Rev. 1:18

The first key to open the door to drive’s my dad’s car is the name of Jesus. When we pray in Jesus name, it’s like we are saying, “For Jesus sake.”

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:14

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit--fruit that will last--and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you John 15:16

In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. John 16:23

When people cuss, even those who are in other religions don’t say, “Oh Buddha, Oh Mohammad, Oh Allah, they usually say, “Oh Jesus Christ.”  One of the commandments was not to use the name of the Lord in vain and we are told that every knee is going to bow to the name of Jesus.

Do not stop him," Jesus said. "For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, Mark 9:39

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, Philip 2:10

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Exodus 20:7

The second key that actually drives my dad’s car is to believe I receive when I pray.  I had a dream recently that I was at my friend’s house and I told her that I was looking for another person in my life since I lost my husband, and she said, “Mary I’ve been looking a long time for a person in my life, but I can’t do that anymore, I know I have “found” a person for my life.” 

I know that God gave me that dream to show me that I am to believe I have received when I pray.  It’s similar to when I released my faith at a Bible study to pray for healing of arthritis of my knee that the doctors could not cure.  Pain came back on my knee three times after that, but I laid hands on my knee and thanked God I was healed and then after saying it the third time, the pain left l-l/2 years ago. 

When Jesus sent the lepers to the priest to confirm their cleansing, it was not to heal them.  He already healed them.  Jesus healed me by my faith (your faith made you whole), the enemy was trying to put back the pain symptoms on me.  I just kept saying, “Thank God I am healed.”

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24

Once you pray for something instead of keep praying for it, you thank God that you have received it. We are to thank God we have what we pray for.  Jesus gave us the example of when he was getting ready to raise Lazarus from the dead and he thanked God that he heard his prayer.  Jesus said he did not say it out loud for his own benefit, but he said it was for “our” benefit.  Thanking God that we have our requests from God.  It says to pray “with thanksgiving.”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me. John 11:41-42

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philip 4:6 

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people- 1 Timothy 2:1 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4

Bitterness and unforgiveness can hinder our prayers so we make sure that there is no one we have ought in our heart against.  It can be relative, a past relationship, a boss who shorted us on a raise, a Christian who slandered us or was jealous.  It’s not because they deserve our forgiveness, but as an act of our will we forgive them because we don’t want to be a prisoner of unforgiveness.

For truly I say to you, That whoever shall say to this mountain, Be you removed, and be you cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he said shall come to pass; he shall have whatever he said.  Therefore I say to you, What things so ever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them. And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  Matthew 11:23-25

There have been some prayer requests in my life that I’ve not even prayed about they were just desires of my heart.  I always wanted to go to Hawaii, but it looked impossible financially with raising six children, but I told everyone that my dream vacation was Hawaii.  Two years before my husband passed away his manager called up and offered us a 5-day paid trip from a vendor to Maui, Hawaii and he said his wife did not want to go so we took it. 

My husband and I also wanted a water treatment system for our house, but they were too expensive and then my niece offered me one that was over $4K for $600 she was going to sell on Craig’s List.  I was stressing about how much to pay a contractor to install it, and then I got $500 back from my house escrow the week I had him install it.  It talks about how God gives us the desires of our heart.

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20

Recently, I was looking at how I was going to go anywhere this year on vacation and then I got a letter about looking at this vacation package.  I already have a vacation package, I’ve not used enough, but at least I got two free airline tickets out of it and a free hotel room for two nights by listening to a 2-hour presentation.

Some of my prayer requests are like apples falling off a tree and then for some reason some of my prayers are more like Daniel where his took 21 days to get through a principality that the arch angel Michael was battling in the heavenly world.

But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Daniel 10:13

I’ve had several dreams all through my life as a Christian for over 40 years about fighting evil men.  I had a dream last summer that a mafia man was blocking the front door of a compound where I was held hostage with other people.  He would not let us out.  I did not have the keys to his car, but I had the keys to my daughter’s car so I took my daughter’s car with a load of people out the back door of the compound.  There was another car load of people who escaped this compound too out the back door.  The back entrance was a one way street and I was dodging semi-trucks.  

I can’t help but think that the one-way street are single ministries, because I have found in ministering to singles, it’s a rather thankless ministry at times like raising step children for 15 years.  If I get one thank you from anyone than I know I’m doing well.  Jesus pointed that out with healing ten lepers only one who returned to say thank you out of ten people.  God may I be the one that says, “Thank You.”

Semi-trucks to me have always represented that we don’t have clear vision at times.  I know because I almost passed one and could have been killed when I was pregnant with my twin daughters, when an overturned vehicle was in the left hand lane and no emergency crew there.  My hesitation saved my life and my unborn children’s life.

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1 Cor. 13:12

On a regular basis, I’ve been binding the enemy and releasing the blessings of God in my life and other people’s lives. 

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. Matthew 11:12