“Ask, … Seek … And Knock” Matt 7:7-11

We Are Expected To Ask for the Things God Has Promised. “ask and it shall be given.” This same principle is stated in the negative in James 4:2 “… you do not have because you do not ask.” Don’t those words describe the church as you know it today? EVERY SELF EFFORT FAILS. The venerable evangelist preacher of the early nineteen hundreds Dr. R.A. Torrey said, “We do not live in a praying age. We live in an age of hustle and bustle, of man’s efforts and man’s determination, of man’s confidence in himself and his own power to achieve things, an age of human organization, and human machinery, and human push, and human scheming, and human achievement; which in the things of God means no real achievement at all.” “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” There are two certainties when we pray. One is that God hears every prayer. The other certainty is that God always answers. This verse says for ‘everyone who asks receives,” did I read that right? Yes, it says everyone receives! But we have the misconception that the only possible answer to prayer is yes. There are two other possibilities. God can say, No or he can say, Not Yet. WHAT YOU DID NOT ASK GOD GAVE. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? (10) Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? (11) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” HE GIVES YOU EXCELLENT THINGS. A lady once asked God for the most handsome person. The Lord pointed to her the handsome person. But at the same time showed her how wicked he was. The lady dropped the idea of getting the most handsome person but the man who loved God and will take care of her till the very end. SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND. Many times over the years people have expressed to me they were trying to find God's will for their lives. Often they make statements like "I really do not know what God wants me to do."          We first must determine what the person means by their statement they are seeking God's will. Are they seeking to know? 1. What they should be doing today 2. What they will be doing in the future 3. If God has some special thing He wants them to do?          There is really no mystery to the matter and the answer to all these questions is actually quite simple. Let us look at this matter of finding God's will for our lives in two categories:        God's present will for me and God's future will for me. SEEKING GOD. Romans 12:1 begins with a simple but profound statement..."I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." B. Note there are three specific statements which will accomplish "proving, that good, acceptable and perfect will of God. 1. Present your bodies a living sacrifice. V1 2. By not conformed to this world. V2 3. By transformed by the renewing of your mind. V2 I hear of many testimonies of people who do not believe in the Lord Jesus but they want to know who God is and they found Him. One Muslim boy who was seeking for God and I told him ask God to appear to you in a dream or vision. He saw Jesus in White Clothing told him that He is God. Another Muslim lady from Indonesia also was searching for God and she saw Jesus in her vision. The next day she came to me wanting to believe in Jesus. KNOCKING IS THE GREATEST KEY FOR FUTURE SUCCESS. KNOCKING IS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS IN A CHRISTIAN LIFE. DO NOT STOP KNOCKING. DO NOT GIVE UP ON YOUR KNOCKING. IF YOU KEEP ON KNOCKING THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED. THE WICKED JUDGE WHO GAVE JUSTICE TO A WIDOW. Luke 18:1-8 [18:1] Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. [2] He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. [3] And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' [4] "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, [5] yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' " [6] And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. [7] And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? [8] I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" THE JUDGE DID NOT FEAR GOD NOR MEN. The phrase "feared God" refers to piety, faith in God, and recognition that He will judge the sons of men. The judge had no regard for God's justice. The phrase "cared about" (NIV) or "respected" (KJV) is Greek entrepo, "to show deference to a person in recognition of special status. How much more God will answer all your prayers. The judge was wicked. Yet when the widow kept knocking persistently at Judges door he was unable to stand her anymore. God is not like that but He wants the children to keep on ask, seeking and also knocking. So that our lives will be on total dependent on Him alone. CLOSE: KEEP ON ASKING KEEP ON SEEKING KEEP ON KNOCKING. Areas to ask Your family. Church building (funds, location.) Sunday Service (pray more musicians, children church(teachers) Friday Bible Study good attendance. Tuesday prayer meeting. Morning prayer led by the Holy Spirit. (Teaching on 100 days favor of God. By Joseph Prince. Pray that the giving in Tithes and offering will increase in Jesus name.

GOD IS EVER READY BUT ARE YOU………? Joshua 5vs 1-13

The name Gilgal comes from the Hebrew verb (galal), meaning to roll some object on, upon, away (even whirl or dazzle). In a figurative sense it is used in ideas like to roll oneself onto the Lord, meaning to put one's trust in Him (Psalm 22:8) or to commit oneself to Him (Psalm 37:5, Proverbs 16:3). When this verb is used for physically rolling something away or somewhere else, the object is usually stones (Genesis 29:3, Joshua 10:18 However, instead of commanding His people to go forward into the battle, God commands them to remain at Gilgal and to do several things that, on the surface, appear very strange. It even appears that the things they are required to do puts them at risk before their enemies. Are you ready to conquer your Canaan? Let me ask you a question. Are you ready to conquer your Canaan? The answer? Only if you are willing to make the right spiritual preparations. Let's take a few minutes this morning to consider the steps that Israel was commanded to take before they could conquer their Canaan. As we do, ask yourself whether or not these things have been taken care of in your life. Because, until they are, you will never be able to conquer your Canaan. Are you ready to conquer your Canaan? Let's find out this morning. RENEWING THEIR COVENANT WITH THE LORD The first command the Lord gives to Israel is that all the man are to be circumcised. It would seems that all the men who came out of Egypt were circumcised according to the demands of the Abrahamic covenant. For 40 years there was no sign of the after the first Circumcision. WHAT IS YOUR COVENANT WITH THE LORD TODAY? Colossians 2 vs 13-15 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,[b] God made you[c] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. WHAT EVER PROBLEM YOU ARE FACING, HE WILL ROLL IT AWAY. DO NOT FACE THE BATTLE YOUR WAY. DO NOT GO WITH YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. REST IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. REMEMBER HIS COVENANT. HE IS NOT MINDFUL OF YOUR SINS. HE JUST WANT YOU TO BELIEVE IN HIM MY WAYS ARE NOT YOUR WAYS Isaiah 55:8-9 New King James Version (NKJV) 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. REAFFIRMING THEIR CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD At this point, Israel is camped in the heart of enemy territory. After they have been circumcised, every male in the nation of Israel is temporarily disabled and is rendered unable to fight. It took great faith for them to submit to the rite of circumcision! They had to be willing to trust the Lord to protect them until they healed. They were literally sitting ducks for the enemy. However, their faith was the secret to their success. These men had learned the valuable lesson that their battles would not be won by military might and by superior battlefield tactics. They knew that if they ever saw victory, it would be because God gave it to them. Theirs would be a victory based wholly in faith. RECENT TESTIMONY OF A LADY BEING HEALED FROM BREAST CANCER. 4 STAGE BREAST CANCER. SAI BABA BACKGROUND. UNABLE TO WALK- WAITING FOR HER TIME TO GO. A SISTER FROM OUR CHURCH SPOKE TO HER ABOUT JESUS OUR HEALER. SHE EXCEPTED JESUS AND SAID THE SINNER’S PRAYER. OUR SISTER GAVE HER THE HOLY COMMUNION GURANTEEING THE HEALING. THE NEXT DAY SHE WENT FOR HER CHECK UP NO SIGN OF CANCER. JESUS IS OUR HEALER. REMOVING THEIR CONDEMNATION BY THE LORD . The term "reproach of Egypt" has reference to 2 events during Israel's wilderness wanderings. The first is found in Ex. 32:1-12 when the Children of Israel made a golden calf and worshiped it as God. The other happened at Kadesh-Barnea when the children of Israel displayed unbelief and refused to enter into the promised land, Num 14:11-14 UNBELIEF IS BRINGING CONDEMNATION. IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE THAT GOD IS ABLE TO DO GREAT THINGS IN YOUR LIFE YOU WILL BE COME LIKE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AT KADESH BANEA. IT IS JUST TELLING GOD MY PROBLEMS ARE BIGGER THAN YOU. Romans 8:1-2 New King James Version (NKJV) Free from Indwelling Sin 8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. REMEMBERING THE COMMITMENT OF THE LORD We find Israel once again keeping the feast of the Passover. They first observed it when they were still in Egypt, Ex. 9-14. They also celebrated it at Mount Sinai before they left for Kadesh-Barnea, Num. 9:1-14. However, there is no evidence that they had celebrated the Passover in 40 years. The fact is they couldn't! The new generation had not been circumcised and this was a requirement for participating in the Passover. BELIEVE IN JESUS AND PARTAKE THE HOLY COMMUNION New Testament Circumcision Romans 2:28-29(17-29) - vs. 28-29: "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God."                                 OUTWARD CIRCUMCISION INWARD CIRCUMCISION BY BELIEVING IN JESUS. YOU WILL BE BLESSED FOREVER. RIGHT BELIEF PRODUCES RIGHT RESULT. GOD HAS ALREADY BLESSED US BUT WHY IS NOT FLOWING AS IT OUGHT TO BE. GOD IS ALWAYS READY TO KEEP YOU BLESSED AND YOU MY BROTHERS AND SISTER BE READY TO RECEIVE ALL HE HAS GIVEN THROUGH HIS SON . HE IS THE COMMADER IN YOU. HE IS ALWAYS FOR YOU. THANK YOU JESUS.