Ask, Seek, Knock

The scriptures below, from the Bible in Matthew 7, are quite well known. Verses 7 and 8 read as follows:

7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
 
So very often, the emphasis given when this is taught is that God will give to you if you just come to Him, yet I'm delivering this teaching to show you a deeper revelation in these scriptures. Have you ever noticed the order of the directions: ask, then seek, then knock. There is actually a spiritual significance to it.
 
Just before this scripture it talks about not giving your pearls to pigs for they'd just trample over it then turn on you, so I pray that there are no pigs (ignorant, insatiable, obnoxious, scavenger-minded, greedy fools) that are receiving these pearls, that they may not go to waste. Likewise, this is important to know, as it sets the tone that what is about to be taught is related to the wisdom of the word of God. Let's break it down then.

1. Ask and it will be given to you.  This first part is referencing the beginning stages of your faith. We are referred to as babes in Christ when we first get saved, and our Father, God/YHWH, treats us that way. When we are new Christians, He will answer our prayers quickly and feed us with His wisdom and His blessings at a mere asking, sometimes without us even having to ask. Yet, as any good parent, He cannot just keep spoiling us as we start maturing. It begins to become time for us to grow up and start doing something for ourselves.
2. Seek and you will find.  Just as when kids get older, they are required to obtain more responsibility by figuring out things on their own. Just the same, God expects us to progress to a point where He doesn't have to keep spoon feeding us, but where we shall search out the scriptures ourselves through constant study, sowing, praying (seeking Him) to start finding our own answers on how to live in faith.
3. Knock and the door will be opened. God finally expects us to become mature enough Christians that we have learned the Word good enough (from all the reading, studying, praying, fasting, fellowship, etc.) that the actions of our faith become automatic. At that point, we already know what to do to receive the breakthrough. We understand the principles of showing that we shall reap, of forgiving that we shall be forgiven, of loving our enemies, of compassion, etc., therefore we know longer have to spend so much time searching and simple knock (take the action necessary) and then the door will be opened. It is also important with that to note that when a door is opened to you, you now have the free reign to enjoy as you please whereas before the stuff you were seeking was measured to you.  At this stage, it's in your hands to be disciplined and sensible enough to measure just how much you need, so though the doors to your blessing have been opened, the responsibility required has also increased.

Thus, this is the hidden message to that scripture.  As you finish reading this, please take a moment to review the lesson, meditate on it, and digest it, that you may begin applying it to your life. Consider the pearls, that you may not trample on them as would the swine, but use them to grow to that place of maturity in Christ that God so wants of us. Therefore, now, be led by the spirit and act accordingly to this Word, even now, in the name of Jesus Christ, here and evermore. Bless you. Amen.

But, You Are Not The Same

Many times, Christians find themselves comparing themselves to friends, family members, co-workers, etc., but for the wrong justification. Note that when I say Christians, I'm not referring to everyone who says that they are Christians, but rather the ones that regularly, sincerely seek out to do the will of God. That is the first thing to understand about Christianity: It's not that you are perfect and name no mistakes, but that you are forgiven by God's grace through Christ and have committed your life for living for Him because of it. And if you are truly committed, then it is evidenced by what you strive for, rather than just what you say or justify. In fact, one who is committed will not justify sins, but actually repent for them (no matter how many times he/she falls).

Now that we've cleared that up, let's discuss the wrongful comparison. If you are committed and sincere about your walk, then you are not the same as someone who is purposefully seeking temptation, sin, etc., and always justifying it. You are not the same!

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

With this, we are to understand that we should not be yoked with unbelievers (or rather, unequally yoked). So in other words, those who are not going in the same direction (I didn't say at the same level, but rather going in the same direction) spiritually, socially, etc., towards God should be let go, because anything that takes you away from God's will/plan is to be cut off.

And yes, you don't want to seem all self-righteous, especially in a world where so many pompous idiots have so falsely represented themselves as Godly. But, you also don't want to sell yourself as less than God's will for you to be, because if you are not seeing yourself, or representing yourself, as God would have you to be seen, you are in disobedience! Many times we don't want to declare our righteousness, or say something is wrong even though it actually is, because we are afraid that we'll be judging someone and that the response will be "don't judge."

Well, there's a difference between judging (as in being a hypocrit, which is the negative connotation of it), and judging what is right or wrong based on and speaking the Word of God. See we have to see the rest of that scripture which states that you will then be judged by the measure that you judge another. This is very important because it clarifies that there is only a problem with calling out sin, when you are committing that sin, which is what makes you a hypocrite. If when you are speaking truth based on the word, even applying it to yourself, there is no hypocrisy. Yet, if you are ashamed of the Word because of others, Jesus will be ashamed of you!

So what's the overall point? The overall point is that if you are sincere as the saint that God has called you to be, it's time to stop comparing yourself to others that are insincere as though they are the same as you. It is time to stop justifying their deliberate sins in comparison to you, just because you are so concerned about hurting their feelings, no matter how "close" they are to you for Jesus said if you are not willing to "hate" your brother, mother, etc., (as in, being willing to separate from them) for His sake, you are not worthy Him. These are not my words, but the Lord! It is time to stop telling those that you care about that the sin they deliberately do is okay because they might get offended and you're afraid that they will throw your past in your face. For God has called you to be separate, a holy nation, and righteous in His ways, and what you associate yourself with (as far as who you identify yourself with by saying you are the same) is also how God is going to associate you. Please body of Christ, learn to identify yourself as sons and daughters of God, by sincerely, SINCERELY seeking His ways.

Bless you!