Daily Bread 3-9-18

The Sermon on the mount(cont'd)

Matthew 7:7,8

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that seeketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

ref. - Mt 21:22 - And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Mk 11:24 - Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Lk 11:9,10 - And I say unto you, 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.

Lk 18:1 - And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Jn 14:13 - And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Jn 15:7 - If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Pr 8:17 - I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

What a wonderful promise from a wonderful savior! In these dark and dreary times on this earth we all need someone who actually keeps their word and delivers the great things that they have promised. In Jesus Christ we have found not only a savior but someone who is not ashamed to call us friends! He tells us that if we ask, he will deliver! And that he does. If we read the references and study his will in our lives we must also realize that he will not deliver unless we are doing our part. This part is not hard but it is necessary for us to prosper in his kingdom. One thing that most of us lack is prayer. No, not the Lord I thank you for this food, Amen prayer, but the prayer that is in accordance with the way that Christ instructed us to pray. In this instruction it does not say to ask for worldly things, it does not tell us to try to make deals or promises in exchange for his favor. What it tells us is to put God on the highest plane and to allow him to do his will in our lives. It tells us to ask him to transform us into forgiving and honest people who are sincere about following the Father through is Son. So, the worldly person says, "Yes, but what about the references and the scriptures that say ask for anything and I will give them to you?" Well, let us approach that question with knowledge and wisdom. In Jn 15:7 it says; If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you. This meaning that if we possess his Holy Spirit within us we will pray for the things that he prayed for. We will follow the instruction that he has given us on how to pray. His will has become our will if we abide in him and his words abide in us. Do we speak his words, or do we speak the words that we have been taught by carnal and worldly men? Do we love him and seek him early? Do we look to him for answers or do we seek out the advice of the world? Even if we do not receive the enligthenment that we are praying for right away, the word says to pray always, and not to faint. Don' t give up when the chips are down, dig in and stay the course. No storm is too big and no mountain is too high that God cannot solve it. Just be patient and remain humble and true to Jesus Christ. In this we will see that he has been with us all the while. Some of us are given heavier loads so that when he brings us out of them we will have an even stronger testimony. Some are not as strong and he delivers answers in a more rapid fashion. Either way, if we believe in Jesus Christ, then we will believe in his words and we will have faith in the answers to our prayers! It is time to get on our knees so that we can one day stand. Pray and believe. Like the song says; Prayer is the key to heaven, but faith unlocks the door!! Keep honest, keep humble, and keep praying!! Help is on the way!!! Have a great day!!!