I believe in the Word of God are principles intended for us to grasp and apply to our walk with Him so as to become beneficiaries of the promises thereof and have an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father. It has been my desire to seek and understand these principles. Today by God’s grace we will have a look at the principle of continual asking, seeking and knocking from the seventh chapter of the book of Matthew.
(Matthew 7:7-8)
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
Ask?
Jesus tells us to ask so as to receive. understanding this, James said ‘Yet you do not have because you do not ask.’(James 4:2). So how exactly do we do this asking? It is through prayer offered in faith (Matt 21:21-22; Mark 11:24). Even though our faces should beam with joy regarding this wonderful provision by God, we ought to approach prayer with caution. Notice what James points out; ‘You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures’ (James 4:3). Asking amiss is something we do not want, therefore, it becomes of great importance the understanding of how to ask appropriately in order to receive answers to our prayers.
In our praying, we should consider these things:
a. Our asking should be in accordance with God’s will (1 John 5:14).
b. We are to ask in the name of Jesus (John 14:13; 16:23-24).
c. That we are abiding in Christ and His words abide in us (John 15:7).
d. That we are bearing fruit and our fruit abides (John 15:16).
e. That we keep God’s commandments and do what pleases Him (1 John 3:22).
f. We are to ask in faith (James 1:6).
What are we to seek?
a. God - we are to seek God diligently. When we set out on this quest, we will surely find Him (Prov 8:17).
b. Wisdom - wisdom is to be sought as for hidden treasures. Why is this important? It is through wisdom that we will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God (Prov 2:4-5). Where do we find wisdom? Wisdom proceeds from God (Prov 2:6) and we can get it through asking in prayer (James 1:5-6).
Knock?
We are told by Jesus our Master to knock and it will be opened to us. The question is where are we to knock? The door we are to knock is the entrance into the kingdom of heaven (Matt 7:21). We have the assurance that if we knock the door will surely be opened for us (Luke 11:9-10), but at one time this door will be shut and it will be impossible to enter (Luke 13:25-27). Now that we know there is knocking and an entering to be done, let us consider how to enter into the kingdom of God:
a. Through adoption – we can enter into the kingdom of God when He adopts us as His children. This is done:
i. Through faith in Christ
We become sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Gal 3:26). But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name [Jesus Christ] (John 1:12). God predestined our adoption to sonship only through Christ (Eph 1:5).
So what are we to believe about Jesus Christ for salvation?
- God raised Him from the dead. “That if we confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus and believe in our hearts that God has raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom 10:9-13).
- That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures (1 Cor 15:1-4)
The Spirit of God is the Spirit of adoption (Rom -8:15). When we receive His Spirit, then we will receive a place in the house of God and belong to Him (Isa 56:5). The house of God is the church (temple) which we are. If the Spirit of God dwells in us then we belong to God (1 Tim 3:15; 1 Cor 6:9).
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