The Sermon on the Mount – Ask, Seek, Knock

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Matthew 7:7-11 (NIV)

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Ask

God is so much more than just some all powerful deity. He is our Daddy in Heaven. He loves us and calls us His very Own.

It’s OK to ask God for things. And when we ask, we can be certain that God will answer us. However, it may not always be how, when, or what we expect. He is not some genie in a bottle that will grant us our every wish. Yes, He loves us very much and wants to give us the deepest desires of our hearts. He also loves us enough to only give us what we can handle and what lines up with His will for our lives.

As we walk with Him and begin to grow in His Word and submit to His ways, our petitions and requests will begin to line up more with what He has planned for us. They will become less selfish, and eventually we will get to a place in our walk where God answers our prayers before they are even asked.

So, ask. It’s OK to ask. Just make sure that when you ask, you ask in faith, have pure motives, be willing to submit to God’s Will for your life, and be ready to accept whatever answer God gives you…even if it’s not what you wanted to hear.

Remember: Daddy knows best!

Seek

All of us have asked God for something at one time or another in our lives. I’m sure some of us more than others…Then we usually sit back and wait…and wait…and wait…

I believe that waiting is part of receiving our answer. I also believe that Jesus is telling us to go a step further. He is telling us to not only ask…but to seek…

If you are asking for wisdom, God is not just going to give you the IQ of a genius. You will have to put forth some effort. Seek. Seek the knowledge. Study the Word and seek for your answers within it. There are countless treasures in the Word.

Here is how we should ask and seek…

Ask– You petition God for wisdom, help, clarity, prosperity, discernment, vision, healing, provision, etc.

Seek – Then you study the Word, go to church, listen to your Christian CD, watch Christian television, etc.

As you are seeking, God will answer you. He may answer you through what your pastor preaches one Sunday…or while you are studying His Word…or while chatting with a sister in the Lord…or while listening to your CD…or the Holy Spirit speaking directly to you in a dream or through your own heart….

God will use just about any method He can to answer our prayers. We need to be asking, believing, trusting, and seeking for the answer. We cannot just ask and then sit on the couch and wait for the answer to drop out of the sky.

Jesus said; Seek…and you will find.

Remember: Ask Daddy and He WILL answer!

Knock

We now know that we must first ask, and then seek. The next step is to knock.

Let me explain…

Suppose that you ask God to bless your business. Then you begin to seek God for a clear answer. Now, you must begin knocking. You must do the things that it takes to have a successful business. You will need to learn about business, listen to the advice of successful Christian’s in business, promote your business, and so on…

Or maybe you have written a wonderful book. You have asked God to bless it and help you get it published. You ask Him to reveal His will about it. Then you begin to seek God’s Word for your answer….

If you never send out a query letter, you will never get the book published. You must act. You must do. Faith without works is dead. We don’t have to have all of the answers or even any of them to begin to move in the direction of our victory or success.

We must always begin with asking and then seeking. Finally we must knock (“DO”), without knocking, the process is incomplete. Knocking is the action.

If you go to school to become a brain surgeon, graduate with honors, and never apply for a position, all of your schooling was pointless. It’s the same concept when we are seeking God for answers.

Ask – You petition God for wisdom, help, clarity, prosperity, discernment, vision, healing, provision, etc.

Seek – Then you study the Word, go to church, listen to your Christian CD, watch Christian television, etc.

Knock – Finally, you must DO…You learn all you can about the job, thing, or request, act on it, listen to godly wisdom, make your move, promote yourself or business, get up off the couch and DO!

I hope all of this makes sense…

Remember: Ask, seek, and knock. Then watch Daddy to His Work on your behalf!

Let’s Pray,

Daddy God, thank You that I may come boldly before You. Thank You for loving me and wanting me to make my requests known to You. Thank You for caring for me. Daddy, help me to get my life in alignment and Walk in Your Word. Help me to pray Your Will over my life. Help me to receive whatever answers You give me. I want Your Will more than my own, because I know that You know me better and You want only what is best for me. Help me to learn how to seek You and Your Truth. Help me to seek answers through Your Word and through Your many helpers. Thank You for making things clear through Your Word. Help me to be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer. Help me to learn to ask, seek and then knock. Help me to learn Your ways and help me to shine for You. Daddy, I love You and I want to learn how to seek You better and trust You more. Thank You. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,

Lara ;)

Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved