Asking, Seeking, and Knocking

I can't believe it is already mid-week! Time so far this week has definitely flown. The beginning of this week focused on the importance of communicating with the Father. During Monday and Tuesday, I had the privilege of sitting under the instruction of my organization's president as he taught several sessions on this important matter. He was a hoot and a half to listen to, could do alliteration like nobody's business, and had the craziest similes and metaphors I had ever heard. A couple of the great ones are: "if you put my wife's banana pudding on the top of your head, your tongue will beat a hole through your brain to the top of your head to get it" and referring to morning breath "it stinks so bad it could make the blades of a windmill in a painting turn." Too funny!

Okay, I promise I got more out of the sessions that that. I want to share with you some of the things the Father reminded me of and some interesting things I learned.

• Luke 11:5-10 has the famous verse, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be open to you." It is followed by a couple word pictures that are sometimes a bit hard for me to understand. However, what ÁC was illustrating was the need to be persistent. Ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking. Claim the promises of the Father and be deliberate repeating them back to Him. Of course, this is not because He doesn't know what we need or desire. It is the exercise of communicating with the Father…not just a thought, but an activity.
  
• When asking, seeking, and knocking, the Father gives gifts in accordance with His character. In most cultures, especially Eastern cultures, what you request/ask reflects what you think of the person. So, the Father is huge, holds all things, and lavishes His love on us. What type of things do we ask for? What does what we ask for show what we believe about the Father? When in the presence of the King, ask, seek ,and knock for BIG stuff.
  
• The importance of having a sustained, unbroken time with the Father is Time for Communion with Gsd, Time for Conflict (a place to deal with it), and Time for Conformity to Gsd's Will. Think about this…when Judas came to betray ÁC, he knew where to find Him. How did Judas know? Because ÁC went to that place often to talk to the Father and was faithful in his communication with the Father. Would somebody know where to find us? Would we be communicating with the Father or might they find us somewhere else?
  
• He talked some about the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10). I've heard this story many times and have often thought of myself as a Martha—a character in this story who is too busy to sit with ÁC—and am always a bit irked when Martha gets the bad rap. However, I think something he pointed out was valid and worth remembering. Being with ÁC was defined by Mary by her Posture (seated…a bent heart), Proximity (at the Lsrd's feet), and Preference (listening to His Word). Being with ÁC was differentiated by Martha by her Praise, Pr@yer, and Productivity. This was the important point though: The things Martha does are things a person does if they are in tune with ÁC. However, a person can do things Martha does and not be in tune with ÁC. Most people think evidence of ÁC is enough and never have the essence of ÁC, belonging and walking with ÁC.
  
• The final session, he spoke on Hosea 10. He was specifically referring to "fallow ground"—ground that is hard and cannot be planted, similar to the prairies that haven't ever been worked up. I would encourage you to read verse 12 and the surrounding verses. He said this is a Condition to be Feared and these are some of the characteristics: hard, impervious to the Word, noted for stubbornness, unfruitful, asleep during seasons of life, and requires great effort to reach or move. In verse 12, there is a Command to be Followed. Let Gsd drop the plow of the Hsly Spiri+ into my fallow heart and expose the sin in my life. Finally there is a Choice to be Faced—either continue with what I am doing or let Gsd change me.
  

All these teachings were quite striking! It is interesting how sometimes things just "click"! I know in my life, it doesn't take long to become fallow ground. I, who often has trouble maintaining Quiet Times, have displayed many of the fallow ground characteristics before and, sadly, am still displaying some. Sometimes I become very indifferent to the lost in the world and I think that what I am doing is more important than my time with the Father. Wrong! I had some confessing to do about that! Pride is awful and gets me into all sorts of trouble…that is one thing I am in communication with the Father about. Would you please life me up in that regard as well? Thanks!

A common thing that was repeated and is essential to remember about seeking Gsd is: "The plans of the Father are revealed to the man or woman of Gsd by the Hsly Spiri+ of Gsd through the Word of Gsd.

I had intended to write about more topics than just this…but I will have to do that later. I hope that what I am learning/being reminded of can somehow help you as well. Know that I am seeking the Father on your behalf as well!