The mystery of asking

GREETINGS to the nation. Matthew 7:7–11, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”

When we read Scripture, we see Jesus giving instructions to His disciples about asking, seeking and knocking. We are living in a generation where we claim to have things, even when they are not yet visible in the physical.

We are that generation, which trusts in God for certain things, yet for others, we do not fully trust Him.
For example, we can trust God to heal headaches and stomach aches, but we struggle to trust Him to heal us from cancer, high blood pressure and other terminal diseases or even in other spiritual dimensions.

We see Jesus telling His disciples that there are possibilities to be found in God that can come to us.

However, these possibilities, dimensions or levels cannot come simply because we assume that God knows what we need in our lives.

Jesus taught that in His kingdom, these things that we desire or want can be asked for and they can be given to us or we can receive guidance or direction.

Some say, “God knows that I want this or that, so He will give it to me.” They say, “God knows I want to grow spiritually, I want a job and I want to travel.”

But, brethren, yes, God knows that you are in need of these things. Yet, when we read Matthew 7, we hear Jesus telling His disciples to ask and it shall be given to them. Remember, we are speaking of the sovereign God who knows everything about us.

Still, He wants us to ask Him. There are people whom the devil has been telling that they have asked God too much, that there are certain things to ask for and others not to ask from God.

He is our Father, He wants to provide for us. He says, “If our evil fathers know how to give good gifts, how much more will our heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him?”

When you read the gospels, you see Jesus asking a blind man what he wants Him to do for him. Jesus could see that he was blind but still asked him.

Then Jesus said, “Your faith has healed you,” and He commanded his sight to be restored.
Many people are struggling in certain areas of their lives and are trying by all means to succeed. Some face frustrations and some ask themselves why they are failing to overcome their challenges.

Instead of being humble enough to go before God and tell Him how frail and weak they are, so He can strengthen them, they try to do it on their own.

Some even make vows, saying they will not do certain things again, only to find themselves breaking those vows. Instead, what you need to do — rather than trying to be a strong person — is go to God and ask for help.

Surely, He will help you. Asking from God is a sign of dependence on Him. It shows that without His help, you are nothing.

It will bring humility because you will recognise that you need His help and guidance. James 4:2–3 says, “You lust and do not have, you murder and covet and cannot obtain, you fight and war.

Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

In the book of James, the Apostle James addresses the church. He says, “You lust and do not have.” How many people are lusting after things belonging to others? We become bitter over others’ testimonies and achievements, not realising that we too can have what they have.

If we are men and women of God, we should not hate others because they are operating at levels we have not yet reached.

We start gossiping, envying and backbiting, trying to make others look bad so they will be hated.
All of this stems from a lack of possession of these possibilities. I want to help deliver others from jealousy, stop envying, stop competing.

You can still go to your Father and ask and He will give you the increase you need. I have seen men and women of God attack certain gifts simply because they are not operating in those gifts.

This is because of lust, pride, and the refusal to ask from God. May God help us to come into a place where laziness die in us, because we ask through prayer.

Yes, some may use dark powers to obtain things from the devil, but that does not stop us from asking. God is a giver to those who diligently seek Him.

The Bible says, “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives liberally and upbraids not.” So, God is a generous giver.

There are many conflicts within the body of Christ caused by envy and lust. The Bible says we murder, covet, and have wars among us because we are lazy to ask and pray. There is so much laziness because we assume God knows what we need.

Even if God knows, we are still commanded to ask. There is so much hatred in the body of Christ. The Bible states that if we hate one another, we have committed murder.

How many murderers are there in the house of God simply because they do not ask?
We also see another type of asking —asking amiss. The attitude we have when asking from God can disqualify us. Do you know that everything God gives must benefit His kingdom?

We live in a generation that is selfish, one that does not want to see others prosper, a generation of “me, myself, and I.” This attitude has destroyed the church of God. We ask for things merely for show, to be seen, instead of empowering each other.

God wants to bless us so that we may be a blessing to others. The gifts He has given us are for the benefit of others.

May we not be like Elisha, who died with the mantle. Some are asking for marriages, but marriages should reflect the love of God for the church.

Many, especially young people, no longer desire marriage because our marriages do not mirror what benefits the kingdom of God.

They have become showpieces that do not reflect God’s love. As a church, we need to repent. May God grant you your heart’s desire as you seek Him. May He give you what you want in Jesus’ name.

I invite you now to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour by believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that He is Lord and you shall be saved. May God bless you all. Amen.

For feedback, please contact [email protected] or WhatsApp number: 0772494647.