Ask and you will receive

-Jesus

It is such an easy concept. Ask, get what you asked for.  Not hard to understand right?  Easy enough to diagram the steps in the process. Even Aladdin got it.  Rub the lamp, genie combs out, and poof!   Wishes and desires granted!  Whatever Aladdin desired, or wanted, he was able to ask for.  The genie would grant whatever he asked for.  And life would be all the much better. 

The concept is so basic, that all over the world, children are taught to ask for something.  All over the world, cultural celebrations and holidays are followed by children asking for a gift, a blessing, something they want and because they ask they receive it.  Yet Jesus had to teach about it.  Actually, several of His teachings on the subject are recorded. 

There is the story of the persistent widow, who just didn’t care that the judge was unjust and unrighteous.  She became an irritating thing to him, and just to shut her up, the unrighteous judge granted judgment against her oppressors, and Jesus asks the question, if an unrighteous judge being evil would do this, how much more would God do for His children?

Then there is the command, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ASK and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full”

He once again taught on asking, when the fig was found dead from the root the next day, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘be taken up and cast into the sea;’ it will happen. And all this you ASK in prayer, believing you will receive.”

It is a truly fascinating fact to contemplate, that so little, if anything, is recorded in the Scriptures on various subjects that now seem to be the focus of many books, conferences and prayer meetings but that Jesus himself is not recorded speaking on.  Why would He not be recorded speaking on witchcraft, jezebel, or even how to speak in tongues? If today people are focusing on those subjects, why would Jesus not even be recorded as speaking on them?  However He is recorded teaching on ASKING.

Why would that be?

Because, the petition, asking, is a protocol of The Kingdom.  

This protocol is an essential concept to understand for it allows one to activate or rather said, to be able to access the resources of the Kingdom.  Recall that a Kingdom has a set way of expected behavior, a set of characteristics that establishes what sets it and its citizenship apart from other kingdoms.  It has an accepted cultural norm, a way of doing things.  David did not say to God, “tell me what to do.”  Rather he asked, “show me Your WAYS.”  The ways of the kingdom are far more critical than what is being “done” for the kingdom.  Jesus even gave a warning about it.  “Many will say on that day, Lord didn't we DO all these things in your name?”  And He will say to them DEPART from me.  Many call themselves virgins and un-adulterous Christians but yet Jesus said, even if you look at someone with lust in your eyes, you have committed adultery.  Why?  Because such hearts are rooted not in HIM but rather in their own desires and selfish wants.  Many are actively thinking since no one can see the adultery, no one is harmed and they are still “pure”.  Yet God sees and searches the heart and intentions of a man’s heart, the ways, that is the driving motivation of the heart.

The way something is petitioned for can either gain access to an answer or can shut down access to it.

James understood this when he wrote down a rebuke.

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? 

Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 

You desire and do not have, so you murder. 

You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.

You do not have, because you do not ASK.  

You ASK and do not receive, 

because you ASK wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

You adulterous people!

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? 

Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

A theme emerges in the rebuke from James, an environment of inner fighting, quarreling, desires unmet, so a pattern of self-sabotage (murder) is occurring within the house.  He even addresses that at the root of their ask is to have their own passions aligned to the world's desires granted. And this all results in a plain statement, friendship with the world makes one an enemy of God.

One does have to ask the question then, “Why would The Kingdom of God grant kingdom resources to the enemies of God?”

The answer is that it wouldn’t. 

Jesus even said that a kingdom against itself would not stand.  Yet so many “prayer” meetings have become echo chambers of selfish desires.  The walls of the prayer rooms echo with “bless me, help me, do for me, something is wrong with my life and the ways I want them to go”.  In essence, people treat prayer like that genie in the bottle. Rub Rub, here’s MY desire, now grant it.  And not unlike an ancient magical word or mystical incantation, they finish off their “prayer”, their “petition”, their “ask” by ending it with “in Jesus name.”  Some even finish off with a more spiritual “sound” by saying Jesus as pronounced in the Hebrew language.  They think that doing so, it will be like the wizard Gandalf pronouncing the word “friend” and mystically, if pronounced “just right” unlock the hidden door.  This is no different than Ali Baba and the magical word that opened up the cave that contained the blessings, the vast treasures inside. In truth, this is all spell casting or witchcraft.

Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

-Jesus (John 14)

What Jesus was indicating in this declaration was the same thing that the ten commandments point to when God declares: You will not take the NAME of your Lord God in vain.  Recall that God changed Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Sarai to Sarah and at the end of time, people will be given a new name engraved in a white Stone.  You see the NAME is the essence, the character, the destiny, the truth, the reality of a person.  It is not about a word or how it is pronounced but rather about a state of BEING.  

“Whom shall I say sent me?”  Moses asked.

And God responded, “I AM THAT I AM”.

With that simple but profound answer, God revealed an aspect of His character, His identity, a revelation of Who He is.  So taking the “Name” of the Lord God in vain is NOT about saying a word, or finishing off a “prayer” with a magical word.  It is about taking alignment with that name but not adhering to its essence, its identity, its characteristics.  As a matter of fact many will be surprised one day.  They will even say to Jesus, “didn’t we cast out demons, healed people, raised the dead in YOUR name”  and Jesus will say, depart from me, for I never knew you.  The word “knew” is better translated as intimate connection as a wife knows a husband.  For you see, those protesting to Jesus on that day, “knew” of God, that is had information about God, thought they understood the “magical” words to say.  They would have failed to realize that knowledge of information does not equate to intimacy.   Just because someone reads the diary of an author, does not mean they know intimately the author himself.

This brings us to the Kingdom Protocol.  Children of God, bear His character, His essence, the fruit of the Spirit described by Paul is just that, God’s character.  So before a petition can be brought forth to the courts by the petitioner, it is best that the petitioner have a heart check.  Does the heart, the root of the ask, come from a surrendered heart to God’s character and will?  Or does it come from selfish wants and desires?  Selfishly, many have convinced themselves and gotten others to agree that their petition is pure.  They convince many and claim their prayer and asking for prayer (outcome) does come from a “pure heart and intention” when the reality is that, just like Saul, it is a twisted way to interpret something God has already declared.  The hidden goal is to get their desired outcome while claiming to be doing things, “in God's will” or in other words, in “God's permissible will”.  It is bluntly taking God’s name (character and essence) in vain.  The prophet Samuel revealed to Saul that someone operating in such a way was rebellion and that was really just operating in witchcraft.

Many will ask then, what is the point of prayer, for the heart is deceptively wicked.  They will ask, “How do I know then if I'm asking in selfish desire or if I'm asking wrongly?”

Many have heard what is written, 

“It is impossible to please God without Faith, for those that come to HIm must believe that He is.  And that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.”

You see the petition from the heart, the real heart, is not tainted with make believe.  A heart after God’s own heart does not come from a place of demand for selfish gain.  It comes from a place that realizes that everything and anything one has comes from a place of dependence on God and God alone.  It is a place of children going to their father and saying “I need help, I need your wisdom, not mine.  I need your will not mine.”

That’s why the petition is a protocol of the Kingdom.  It is surrendering one's own will and desires into the will of The father.  It is an honest conversation of admitting where one is, and relinquishing control into His will.  Listen to the petition by Jesus at Gethsemane:

“Let this Cup pass from me…but even so...not MY WILL but YOUR will.”

Jesus did not want to die, for it would mean to be separated from The Fathers presence.  He asked for this to pass from him, for God to find “another way.”  You see Jesus was walking in truth.  He was in essence saying I don't want to die and be separated from YOU, this was his petition.  But He surrendered that to the Will of the father, while yet admitting his own heart’s posture and desires.

In this crucial step is where many invalidate their petition. They never yield to God’s authority and Lordship.  Rather, their petitions is presented as the final ultimatum and treat God as a genie that must grant their wishes and desires.  It all becomes then a series of “proper pronunciation” of God’s name or the correct “way” of doing something.  The petition becomes then a way to qualify that their wishes be granted.  Prayer becomes a checklist to force their genie to grant their wishes.  Since all their checkboxes have been completed, God is “forced” to grant their wishes.  They won't call it witchcraft, but use modern terms, like “God’s permissive will”, or make statements like “God’s not concerned about such little details/matters. (yet God knows the exact number of hairs at any one moment in one's head), and several other terms to justify their will over God’s will.

This is why Jesus taught so many times about asking.  The apathy of non-prayer, is basically the pride of life, saying that one does not need anyone's help.  In essence, asking without a posture of surrender to His will over one’s own will,  is really becoming a lover of oneself. In doing so, make one’s own will, an idol they worship above God.

So, how does one petition the Kingdom?   How does one properly petition the Kingdom?

As you have read, it begins with the proper posture of the Heart.  The Psalmist wrote it down, “Search ME oh Lord and see if there is any wicked thing in me”.  Jesus taught how to start “Our father..”  This indicates a heart acknowledging both relationship, intimacy, identity and dependance.   The truth is that many petition the kingdom out of want and need rather than out of dependency and intimacy with God. 

When petitioning heaven, it involves the whole heart, walking in truth and in rightful standing.  That is why it is written that “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avail much.” A righteous person has their heart surrendered to the will of God not theirs.  It is also written that God is a spirit and those that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and Truth. 

Follow me in a petition scenario.

Scenario 1:

God, I want to buy a house and this is my house, where I want to live, in the neighborhood I want to live in and I want it to be painted white with green accents.  Oh yeah and I want it to be surrounded by large trees and 3 very nice neighbors that are all ex-military and go to the same church as me.  Thank you for granting me my desires of my heart, in jeshuuaha name amen.

Scenario 2:

Father, I feel a tug to prepare a house, a home for my family.  Lord we would like to live in this area, surrounded by great neighbors, and not a new neighborhood or subdivision…But honestly, we really DON'T want to live where you keep pointed us to, it makes no sense, and how can anything you have laid on our hearts to do, be accomplished by moving away from this region?  Father, I'm mad and it’s not where I want to live, but NEVERTHELESS we surrender our will to your will.  IF there is any other way, show us Lord, but we surrender to Your will.  Leads us to the place you want us to buy, for the purpose and increase of Your kingdom, grant us boldness, strength, courage and favor to go to the place YOU will show us, not our will but your will.  Leads and helps us with your peace and love, we ask for this in our eldest brother's name, Jesus.

Do you see/hear the difference?

Scenario 1 is the genie in the bottle god.

Scenario 2 is walking in truth and relationship. It acknowledges one’s own position, reality and truth and expresses one's real emotion and where one is. Its perspective is beyond just ones own desires but involves how it involves others.  It surrenders to God’s will and does not make one’s own will supreme above His.

God created us in His image.  The books of Hosea and Song of Songs prove that God is not a cold, mechanical being towards us, but that His affections and feelings are oh, so strong towards us.  Throughout the scriptures we read of many miracles.   One thing in common among the miracles recorded is that the emotions of the petitioner came into agreement with the emotions of God.  When this alignment occurs,  great miracles occurred.  Are you desiring a breakthrough and miracle from God?  Posture your heart to be in sync with the Emotions of the father.  Don’t hide behind a mask of make-pretend religious piety and fake emotions, for that is NOT truth.

God is also Spirit.  So to properly align the petition, one must also come to him in SPIRIT.  How?  The Holy Spirit teaches, guides, speaks, reveals, and comforts us.  The Gifts of the Spirit helps to reveal what is needed in a situation.  The submission to one another, brings the revelation of the WHOLE that we may come into unity and agreement.  You see we need each other, to understand the entire picture.  The father designed it this way on purpose.  That we not become prideful and in arrogance say we don't need anyone else.  James knew this and states it:

Confess your faults one to another, 

and pray one for another, 

that ye may be healed. 

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

You see, submitting to one another, is not only for priests, leadership or only for “pastors”.  Submitting to one another involves anyone claiming the name of God, in other words, His children. It directly involves the position of the heart to be a position of vulnerability and transparency.  And when one does, healing comes.  Due to this healing, the prayer petitioned, comes not out of a wounded heart, but out of a healed, healthy heart.  However the opposite is true, an unhealed heart can’t be walking in righteousness.  A heart that is not healed can’t have as it’s priority God’s heart but rather, it is after protecting the wound, it wants the trauma to be kept hidden.  Such hearts do not want to surrender to God’s will but rather want to have their own will to be supreme.  We must not only walk in truth with God, but also with one another and confess (not just silently forgive) to one another.  This is where many struggle.  The struggle is the ownership of the offense and hurt AND going to the other and saying “I’m sorry, i messed up and trip up, was hurt, hurt you, carried offense against you and need to ask for forgiveness”

Why would the heart position be a requisite for a petition to the courts?  Well, because a kingdom divided against itself, can not stand.  So one child coming to the father asking something but another one asking for the same thing but for different results from a different heart would make the kingdom divided.  Thus the legal recourse of the Courts of Heaven is to dismiss the petition since its qualifying criteria has not been met. 

It is written that God searches the heart AND the intention.  Despite knowing this, many still try to obfuscate, mask, pretend what the reality of a situation is.  God is a patient father, and listens.  However, just because children express their wants and desires, does not mean their father is going to grant them.  No, God is a good father and knows from where the ask is coming from.  A child might want ice cream for every meal, but yet having ice cream everyday, every meal and as the only food will have dire results.  Malnutrition would be just one of the symptoms of such a diet.  You see the father can see the consequences of his children getting what they selfishly want, the unintended results of having what they asked for.

The protocol of the kingdom is not just to get people to ASK.  It is for the benefit of the Children of the King.  It is a protocol to get His children to position their hearts in alignment with the Heart of their father.  It really becomes more of an issue of walking in truth over walking in pride, arrogance and selfish desire.  In the right heart position, the petition then comes out of right standing, that is out of righteousness.

This is why fasting is such a powerful weapon.  Though not necessarily a qualifying factor to bring up a petition before the Courts of Heaven, It is a powerful tool to present an ASK.  Jesus even said it.  He said “WHEN you fast” not “IF” you fast.  Why would He phrase it that way?  Because He was teaching HOW to ask, how to operate IN the kingdom.  Fasting does many things.  One of the things it does is expose just how much the flesh is in control of one's perspectives, feelings, desires and wants.  Fasting is a powerful tool to submit oneself under.  However few do. Which makes you wonder, if JESUS said WHEN why would so many, come up with so many excuses as to why they “can’t”.

Many say they can’t fast, or rather they give a million excuses of why they physically can’t.  Like, they “Work out alot” or “they work in difficult physical environments” or even better, “they get angry and dizzy if they don't eat”.  Even more interesting is how to satisfy the command of Jesus “WHEN you fast” they come up with religious circumventions and ideas like “social media fast” or “Im fasting television”.  But in reality all those circumventing mechanisms and religious “Fasting” is really just self discipline and a way to avoid fasting, to deny the flesh.  Fasting is literally abstaining from something the flesh physically needs to survive.  Fasting from social media or television is not fasting, the body does not need those to live.

In essence, fasting helps to position the heart.  It is a powerful tool to help our heart to come into alignment with the Heart of the Father, instead of petitioning heaven from the desire of one’s own flesh. 

So, what happens next, what does one do next, if one has positioned as much as possible to be aligned with the Heart of God?

One Asks.

Be open, transparent, and honest about how you feel about the situation, the desire, the need, the ask.  God searches the heart and intention, so might as well be honest and open about it all.  Once the ask is complete,  truly surrender to HIS will, not yours.  It becomes then an issue of trust and obedience, that no matter what is the answer, you will obey the answer and verdict He replies with.

Jesus gave us a template of this.

“Our Father who art in heaven”

This speaks both of identification of whose family you are part of but also of HIS perspective and position.

“Hallowed be Your name”

This speaks to your honor, respect and acceptance of who He is.

“Thy kingdom come.”

Speaks to whose kingdom your heart is aligned to.

“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Speaks to whose will you have surrendered all areas you have dominion/control over.

“Give us this day our daily bread,” 

This speaks to your reliance on HIS provision.

“and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us,”

Speaks to the position of our heart in walking in forgiveness, even to those that have purposely hurt and harmed us.

“and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Speaks to us surrendering to his leadership and our acceptance to His deliverance from things.

“For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.”

Speaks to what we acknowledge as who is the Lord over everything.

The Ask, the PETITION, is a protocol of the Kingdom, because in its essence, it deals with the posture of one’s own heart to the Heart of God.  

It is a naked soul, coming to The father, as a child of God, in honesty, transparency, and openness.  It states one's honest desire, states that one needs help and guidance.

Jesus taught on the petition because He knew that for children of God to operate in The Kingdom ways, they needed to have a childlike heart that would identify, acknowledge and rely on the provision of their Father.  Knowing that God is a good father, they know that he will not give stones when His children ask for bread.  They trust that what He DOES answer with, is reflection of HIS love for them.  They know that His gifts are good and perfect, to bless His children, to bring them to the fullness of Joy and abundance of His Love.  Kingdom children know He is a good father.