The Lord sometimes shows us very profound things by using simple means.  This morning as I came down the stairs, our pet dog JOY was waiting for me.  When I stood before her, she stood up on her hind legs wanting me to pick her up.  Why did she stand up?  She expected me to pick her up, and I did.  We went outside for a short walk and when we came in I reached in a bag and got her a doggie treat.  As I held it in my hand, she sat down looking up at me earnestly EXPECTING TO RECEIVE.  And receive she did.  I was happy to bless her with a treat.
    Why did I want to bless my dog?  because I love her and want to do good things for her.  She has learned to expect good things from me, and she loves me very much in return.  So what does this have to do with God?  Everything.  Do you really know in your heart how very much the Lord loves you?  Do you know you are the apple of His eye?  No?  Well, you should.  One day while delivering a sermon in Nebraska, I told the people that our heavenly Father loves us as much as He does His Son Jesus.  And very clearly I heard the Holy Spirit tell me; That isn’t altogether correct.  I was stunned by that statement, and the Holy Spirit went on to ask me; Jerry, did the Father sacrifice you so that His Son might live?  I said, No, Lord, He sacrificed His Son so that I might live.  He said, Then, who did He place the higher value upon?  That absolutely floored me, and I stood there crying as the revelation of God showed me how very much He loves me.  Oh, I knew God loved me, but that moment it finally became real to me. 
 It’s never been hard for me to receive things from God by faith, because I’ve know that if God said we can have it, then we can have it, but we must use our faith to believe we receive.  I’ve known from the start that it is impossible for God to lie, and that He is always good for His promises.  To that end, if the Bible supports something I need, then I simply ask the Lord for it once, believing that He heard me the first time, and start giving Him thanks for it as if I already had it.  Usually I don’t have to wait long and it’s there. 
   Some people believe you have to keep nagging God continually until you wear Him down. There are a few verses I’ll use here they use to support that theory:
Luk 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Luk 18:2  Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
Luk 18:3  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
Luk 18:4  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
Luk 18:5  Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
Luk 18:6  And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
Luk 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
   But did you notice something here?  Verses 5, 7, and 8 don’t tell us He is pleased with the continual squalling and bawling of His children, but rather, when the Son of man comes, will He find faith on earth?  Will He find those who can ask once, and then believe they receive?  We needn’t weary God with our continual asking.  Tell me, if your child came to you and asked for a cookie, and you said YES, how would you feel if he just kept coming back and saying, Can I have a cookie?  How about if he came asking about every minute asking for that cookie?  How many times must you say YES until he understands?  Wouldn’t it tend to aggravate you?  It surely would aggravate me.  Multiply that by the millions of His children that keep asking for the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over….you get the idea.
    Somehow through the ages, God’s children have allowed their trust in Him to slip to the point that they have trouble believing He wants to do anything good for them at all.  People have been listening to the lies of the devil for so long, that they believe God is a harsh taskmaster who does not want them to have any good thing.  Therefore, their expectation to receive is at an all-time low.  God used the simple example of my dog to show people how to turn on their “receiver”.
    If you drive a car, you don’t have to understand how every system in the car operates, what makes electricity flow from the battery to the starter, what makes the motor run, or the transmission operate, or what force makes the wheels turn.  You just know if you put the key in the ignition switch and turn it that the engine will start, and that’s good enough for you.  But that’s not good enough for me, I want to know what makes everything work.  And with God, that just isn’t possible, and some things we just have to take by faith.
   My dog is not the smartest thing in the world, but she knows I love her and always do good things for her.  She knows if she stands up, I will pick her up no matter how busy I am at the time, even if I’m wearing my best suit.  She knows if I have a treat in my hand, she can expect to receive it from me, that I will not fail to give it to her.  If she gets my attention, whatsoever she needs, I will make sure she has it.  Imagine that, she is only a dog, yet she has greater faith than many of God’s children.  Even though she has never read the Bible, yet deep inside she knows the truth of 1 John 5:14-15
1Jn 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jn 5:15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
   Does it say here we must keep asking over and over?  No. We must learn to ask once and receive.  We have no problem asking of God, it’s the receiving part where we have the trouble.  Just remember that the heavenly Father LOVES you so much He gave His only begotten Son for YOU, and that His thoughts toward you are continually GOOD, and not evil.  That should make it easier for you.  Now, if a dog can exercise simple faith in the love of its master, how much more can a child of God exercise faith in their heavenly Father, and receive good from Him?