What God Wants

I recently heard a very good teaching about an issue that had confused me. For years I wondered why God accepted Abel’s offering and rejected Cain’s. Was it because Abel offered sheep and Cain only plants? I don’t think God didn’t like His vegetables, but all kidding aside, I think that has very little to do with it. Pastor Lloyd Pulley on The Bridge Radio station recently shed some light on the subject. Mr. Pulley stated that he believed that Cain offered God what he (Cain) wanted to give rather than what God wanted, while Abel offered what God wanted. Therefore, Cain represented man doing religion his way and Abel doing it God’s way. He went on to explain that many religions today are empty because they follow man’s ways and traditions as opposed to a real relationship with God. Being of a similar belief that a relationship with God is central, this got me thinking—what does the average person think God wants? I think a lot of people would probably cite the Ten Commandments and many others the Golden Rule, but I thought immediately of the verse in Deuteronomy 10:12. "Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul (NASB). I believe this encompasses much of what wants, but it’s very open ended: for example, walking in His ways. You can’t know all the ways of a person unless you know them. The same for God. Of course God’s Word, The Bible, shows us His ways, but the law is filled with a lot of practices we no longer need to continue because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, like sacrificing animals. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, and He ended the need for continual sacrifice. So how do we know how to walk in God’s ways? The verse above gives us a clue. First we need to fear Him, not be afraid, but reverence Him; something our culture is NOT —reverent. Reverence for someone entails a healthy respect and a dash of awe. All I need to do is look at a sunset or study a flower and I’m in awe of God. My reverence is born out of my relationship with Him as I see how amazing He is, the depth of His mercy and grace along with His incomparable love. His love for me deepens my love for Him. But there’s another aspect to love—obedience. If I truly love Him, I will obey Him. Obey what? His commands. Yes, but Jesus went beyond the Ten Commandments to the Golden Rule of loving God with all your heart, soul and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself. That’s a tall order, but if the Spirit of God is living in you, He will give you the ability to do what God wants and go beyond our human abilities. Then there’s turning the other cheek. How can we obey that mandate when some jerk cuts us off? Oops, I mean fellow commuter. Anyway, only a deep relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit can help us love our fellow man or woman to the extent God wants. Forgiving and caring for our neighbor is also a big part of this tall order that the Spirit can help us fulfill. Just think about how many times a day Jesus suggest we forgive another 70 times 7. I believe that doesn’t literally mean 490 times, but it’s a calculation that would have been considered unattainable or limitless. Marriage is a good one for exercising this privilege of forgiving. It’s a privilege because it shows us how much God forgave us, and it’s what He wants us to do for others. It also demonstrates our gratitude for how much God forgave us. So it’s not hard to see that doing religion God’s way requires that we have an abiding relationship with Him. When you know and respect God, you will want to please Him. That’s doing religion the way God wants instead of our own way. At that’s what I want to be Able to do. Now I understand why Cain’s sacrifice wasn’t acceptable; it was half-hearted, not the best or the first,but the last like leftovers. And God wants our all, our very best.

In the Midst of Your Storm

I wrote this several years ago for the sequel of When God Speaks which I'm working on now. I thought it was appropriate in light of the storms that ravaged the Midwest and South and that they wil now be in the thick of clean-up.I'll be praying for them. Here's some encouragement to anyone in in the middle of a storm.

“You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you (Psalm 91:5-7).


In the midst of the tornado that threatens your life is a vortex of peace. It is I. In Me peace resides, while hurricane winds and twisters spin around you. Prayer will bring you to the place of peace inside the eye of the storm. Cry out to Me and I will hear you. I will answer you when your energy is spent. Listen for My still quiet voice calling to you. It will bring healing as you draw close to Me.


A deep abiding relationship with Me will keep you in a place of peace. Faith and trust will keep your spirit in the palm of My hand, untouched while even the body suffers. Inside My hand is a kernel of peace and joy inexplicable. It is the joy the apostle and martyrs experienced while being tortured. It is a power available to you through My Holy Spirit. It is yours for the asking.

Dealing with a Spouse's Depression

Winter can be a difficult time for many people, espeically for those who suffer fram Seasonal Affective Disorder, known as SAD.

“I can’t stand living,” my husband pronounced for the third time in a row. My heart dropped like a high diver plunging into a cup full of water. Fear and worry whelmed up within me when he got into one of these funks. Nothing I said or did encouraged him. No matter what, he remained down in the gutter. As the winter wore on, his dejection deepened. To make matters worse, he broke his ankle and hobbled with a cast. He’d sit on the couch and stare out the window for hours like a moping melancholic. I felt so helpless, and fought off despair.

My husband’s depression and anxiety started in the first few years of our marriage. In the beginning he had occasional bouts, but then it lasted longer and had more impact as we had a family. He would get moody and irritable with me and the children, then not want to join us in activities. Sometimes he would hide in the bedroom and listen to sad music for hours. I felt sorry for him, yet this drove me crazy. Yet the Lord helped me from plunging into hopelessness, and taught me to be compassionate.

My husband and I often talked about his childhood, and I knew the root causes of his problems. Negative thinking had followed him for so many years due to some traumatizing events in his life. So I understand why he thought and acted as he did, but I still got hurt when he would withdraw or was short-tempered. I’d cry out to God for patience, understanding and grace to endure.

My husband’s moods spurred me to pray for his emotional healing and a changed mind. I searched for verses to hold onto. I inserted his name into scriptures and turned them into prayers. “(Mark) do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you might prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2.

I prayed that the Lord would renew my husband’s mind, and adjust his way of thinking and dwell on God’s truth. He needed to fix his eyes on Jesus, which was difficult for both of us. But I had learned from my own bout with depression how to do this--consistent daily prayer and meditation on the Word. My husband agreed, but it wasn’t so simple.

My husband’s moodiness drove me further into prayer, and I petitioned God to help me stay sane and not get bitter. Even though I often understood his depression and irritability, it hurt me that he pulled away from me and the children. I spent a lot of time pouring out my heart to Jesus---praying earnestly and honestly about my frustrations and disappointments. In these appeals, God spoke back to me in His still quiet voice, and He showed me how I could have victory. I’d like to say I set about this course by my own ingenuity, but I didn’t. God mapped it out for me.

He revealed to me though scripture that my own relationship with Him needed to be in the right place. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). I prayed that daily. What a challenge! I tried to look to the Lord for all my wants, rather than to my husband. At the same time, I reminded my heavenly Father of my human needs. He always answered in unexpected ways---encouraging words from friends, a magazine article, a person’s teaching, lyrics from praise songs or a hug from my children. Though it took years to develop an understanding of His ways and fully trust Him, He led me to persevere in prayer and believe. In the long run, Jesus met all my needs…though not all my wants. For the present, He gave me ways to cope.

Since my husband’s depression was cyclical, we experienced good times, which built our marriage and gave me a breather. He’d have good days and say funny things like, “When I’m in a funk, shove me in the trunk and ride with the spare tire beside you.” Yet, his emotions were a roller coaster ride that affected me deeply. During those dark times, I learned to lean on the Lord and trust Him as my comforter and guide. I felt a special affinity to David and the Psalms, and I turned to them for encouragement. “The Lord is my strength and my shield, My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped” (Psalm 28:7). This verse supported me in many ways, and I prayed it often. It helped me to visualize God as a shield from my husband’s moods. I didn’t need to react to his every comment. It’s a lesson that took me years to learn, and I’m still learning it!

Letters to God on a Prodigal Son--A Psalm for Parents

Letters to God, on a Prodigal Son—Overcoming Addiction Through Prayer is the poignant, true story of a parent's journey through the minefield of her adult child's addiction. This book will help you find peace in the midst of your tsunami and the secret to victorious prayer! Letters to God is a powerful journal packed with prayers, practical advice and key spiritual insights. It will help unlock the secrets to successful prayer, not only for those dealing with prodigals, but for anyone facing their own storm.

On Tues NOV. 8TH ONLY I’ll be having a book launch for Letters to God… and you’ll be able to get a lot of FREE Gifts when you purchase the book on that day. You can find out more about the launch on my web-site, www.anitaestes.com or this direct link http://www.anitaestes.com/landing-page.html



Here is an excerpt:
A Psalm for Parents of Prodigals

Oh God, You are my God
And I will worship You.
Though darkness and confusion
engulfs me,
You will light my path.

Though heartache and disappointments
Surround me,
You will lift up my soul.

You will meet me in my times of sorrow,
And comfort me.
You will lead me and guide me
when I don’t know which way
to turn.
Though no one else may know the way,
You will reveal it to me.
Though our enemy desires my son’s life,
You have spared him.

May he dedicate his life to You,
And follow Your footsteps.
May You illuminate my son’s path
back to You, that he may walk Righteously in Your ways.
May You open my prodigal son’s eyes
for the task he is to do
with his life.

Lord, look down upon us and lift us up.
Thank You for preserving our life.
May You give us wisdom,
And guide us in all we say and do.
I place my son and my husband
in Your hands.
Soften their hearts towards You,
And keep them moldable.
Let all of us be clay in Your hands. Amen.