You Had Access All Along

Written by Rebecca Johnson

‘Yet you do not have because you do not ask.’ -James 4:2

A while ago, I bought a new TV and set it up in my living room. I moved my old TV into my bedroom. Nothing unusual about that—until I realised something weeks later.

What’s crazy is that I had been using the old remote on my new TV and suddenly had access to channels and apps I had never used before. Things I didn’t even know were there. I was discovering new features simply because the new TV revealed them.

Then, about a week ago, I was in my bedroom using that same remote with my old TV. And it hit me—I started scrolling, exploring, pressing buttons I’d never pressed before. I found channels and apps I had never used in the seven years I owned that TV.

Seven years.

For seven years, I had access to something I never knew existed.

It wasn’t that the access wasn’t there.
It was that I didn’t know how to use it.

And suddenly, it reminded me of our walk with God.

So often, we don’t realise the access we already have. There are gifts, talents, ideas, connections, and divine opportunities that God knows about—but we don’t. Not because He’s hiding them, but because we haven’t gone to Him to discover them.

We have access to God.
We have access to the Holy Spirit.
Yet sometimes, because we don’t spend time in His presence, we don’t even know what we’re missing.

Before this year ends, I believe this is a powerful moment to pause and pray—not just for provision, but for revelation.

To ask God:

• What gifts have You placed inside me that I haven’t accessed yet?
• What ideas, talents, or callings have been sitting dormant?
• What do You want me to step into next year that I didn’t even know was available?

Just like that remote, the access was always there.
I just needed to explore.

As we move toward a new year, my prayer is this:
May God open our eyes to what we already have access to.
May He teach us how to use what He’s already placed in our hands.
And may we stop living unaware of the fullness He’s made available to us.

Because sometimes, the breakthrough isn’t about receiving something new—
it’s about discovering what’s been there all along.