Q3. Asking, Seeking, Knocking

[saja3]

It is essential because it shows that we have faith in Christ, that He will answer our prayers and that we believe in the coming of His Kingdom. I think that we give up so easily because we lack faith and patience-w want it now! We gain boldness and persistence in prayer by continuing to pray and being faithful.

[RLL]

Q3. (Matthew 7:7-8) Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom? Why do we give up so easily? How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer?

Continually doing this helps us to get a glimpsr of how wonderful His kingdom is gonna be and helping us to somewhat understand that. The evil in this world and the trials we go through. Continually staying in fellowship with Christ.

[Craig]

Q3. (Matthew 7:7-8) Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom? Why do we give up so easily? How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer?

Continual asking, seeking, and knocking keeps me focused and on-mission regarding all aspects of the Kingdom. Many give up easily because they are not committed for the long haul. As Christians we must see the long view of things. My spiritual development and growth aren't about instant gratification but long term development. Their are those people who if they cannot become a Peter or Paul over night they give up. They quite trying. We gain boldness and persistence in prayer by being bold and persistent in prayer!!!

[Pearl]

Q3. (Matthew 7:7-8) Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom? We have to have a don't give up attitude. Just like we go after something we wanted in the world before we received the Lord and not let go of it until we got it. This is the way that we continually seek the kingdom. We have to have that bull dog type of faith. Jacob wrestled with God until He blessed him. This is what we have to do.

Why do we give up so easily? We don't have enough Word in us is one of the reasons, lack of prayer, not having the mind renewed.

How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer? Keep asking for it. Keep praying, keep asking, seeking and knocking in prayer. Wrestle.

[Commissioned]

Q3. (Matthew 7:7-8) Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom? Why do we give up so easily? How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer?

Our continual asking, seeking, and knocking is so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom because it show a constant active quest to gaining the promise given. We give us easily when we break trust in the promises of God. We gain boldness and persistence in prayer as we open ourselves completely knowing that God already knows our thoughts, in fact he knows the intent of our hearts and He wants us to present everything to Him in prayer.

[wizzie55]

IT KEEPS US IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH GOD WHICH WE NEED TO GROW IN HIS WORD [3B] WE WANT THINGS NOW NOT LATER [3C] BY READING,BELIEVING AND DOING GOD'S WORD EVERY DAY

[kcjim]

Q3. (Matthew 7:7-8) Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom? Why do we give up so easily? How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer?

The continual asking seeking and knocking are practice. The more we practice, the better we get at it. I have often shocked myself by rereading a passage in scripture that I thought I knew well, only to find entirely new things there.

There have been a number of songs written with this verse in mind, and I took a look at them to see if there was any inspiration there for the answers to the questions. An old Black Gospel song was transcribed by Pete Seeger and later amended by several popular groups, notably, The Kingston Trio, The Limelighters, and the Isley Brothers. This song has the refrain "Seek and ye shall find/Knock and the door shall be opened/Ask and it shall be given/and the love come a-tumblin' down." The 3 (in most versions) verses have a blues AAAB format: 1- "My Mother, the Lord has been here"; 2 - "My sister, the Lord has told me"; 3 - "My brother the Lord has showed me"; each followed by the B phrase "And ('That' in 2 & 3) the love 'll come a tumblin' down." This song says to me that the Lord has been here and left a great message and promises fulfillment, and that is the information we ask, seek, and knock for.

Another song tied to these verses was written by Steven Foster, and it talks to the the prayer issue. The refrain says, "Ask and it shall be given/Seek and ye shall find/Every prayer is heard in heaven/That's breathed from a truthful mind." Practice at prayer makes us truthful in prayer.

Why do we give up? Usually, I'm afraid, boredom. Especially in this day and age we have become used to instant gratification, so the persistence to learn to have a truthful mind is b-o-r-i-n-g! As well, we are now multitaskers, and prayer requires focus and lack of distraction. This is why I like "praise music." Its repetitiveness induces a trance state surrounding the oh-so-simple messages in the songs that we otherwise would pass over too quickly.

[andyho1]

Q3. (Matthew 7:7-8) Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom? Why do we give up so easily? How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer?

This verse is very relevant to the reason(s) why we should continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the kingdom "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8), since we have to be persistent about it, it is hard work, God created the heaven, earth and us by working, since we are created in his image, we also should work, even though salvation is free, but still we need to work hard to maintain our salvation and love for God, that is the reason we need to study, meditate and memorize his word, and put it in our heart so we know more about him. Just like if you want to know about your wife, you will have to work in a relationship, there is no difference in knowing God as well.

We can gain boldness and persistence in prayer by doing the following: We aren't to pray with a whimper or a whine or a whisper. No. We are to come with a confident, bold, persistent asking, seeking, and knocking. God our Father desires to hear our petitions and we are to be entirely open with him. Prayer is not a time to hide what is going on inside us, but to share it openly -- warts and all -- with our Father who, as we know, loves us and understands us and seeks good for us. We can trust him, even though we might misunderstand an issue, or ask for the wrong thing.

[andyho1]

Q3. (Matthew 7:7-8) Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom? Why do we give up so easily? How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer?

This verse is very relevant to the reason(s) why we should continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the kingdom "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8), since we have to be persistent about it, it is hard work, God created the heaven, earth and us by working, since we are created in his image, we also should work, even though salvation is free, but still we need to work hard to maintain our salvation and love for God, that is the reason we need to study, meditate and memorize his word, and put it in our heart so we know more about him. Just like if you want to know about your wife, you will have to work in a relationship, there is no difference in knowing God as well.

We give up easily because it is hard work and sometimes Satan and his lies will influence us that we should enjoy life to it's fullest, so we stop working, and just giving up to or flesh and pleasures in this life which is temporary. When a person stop working to maintain purity for example, they will fall back into it immorality.

We can gain boldness and persistence in prayer by doing the following: We aren't to pray with a whimper or a whine or a whisper. No. We are to come with a confident, bold, persistent asking, seeking, and knocking. God our Father desires to hear our petitions and we are to be entirely open with him. Prayer is not a time to hide what is going on inside us, but to share it openly -- warts and all -- with our Father who, as we know, loves us and understands us and seeks good for us. We can trust him, even though we might misunderstand an issue, or ask for the wrong thing.

[mrenquist]

Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom? This keeps our attention where is should be our relationship with God; remember the Holy Spirit is given to those who ask.

Why do we give up so easily? We want what we want NOW! We lack patience for all good things come in time.

How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer? Trust and faith to be honest about what is going on inside our hearts. Give all your worries and trouble to God, repent and be saved.

[Raph]

Q3. (Matthew 7:7-8) Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom?

It is essential because God our Father desires to hear our petitions and as such, we are to be entirely open with him.

Why do we give up so easily?

I think we give up so easily because of our impatience - we want our prayers to be answered at once; and also because of our little faith - we are full of doubts as to whether our prayers will be answered.

How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer?

By knowing and believing that God loves us and understands us and seeks good for us. We should have full trust in Him.

[Eager Bver]

Q3. (Matthew 7:7-8) Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom? Why do we give up so easily? How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer?

Continual asking is so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom because being persistent will pay off. We can't get discourage as it will show a lack of faith and our impatience of trust. Being persistent in prayer shows how bad you want a thing, that you will not give up.

[blezed]

Q3. (Matthew 7:7-8) Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom? Why do we give up so easily? How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer?

1) Continual asking, seeking, and knocking is essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom because Jesus commands us to keep on asking and to be persistance in pursing God.

2) We give up easily because we are an impatient people. We want what we ask for right now. When we don't get what we ask for right away, we feel God is not listening and give up.

3) We gain boldness and persistence in prayer by continuing to seek God. Pray with confidence, boldness, persistance asking, seeking and knocking.

[Gerbrand van Schalkwyk]

Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom?

We must built our relationship with God everyday. We must keep our focus on Him all the time. We must be aware of the Kingdom constantly. Asking, seeking and knocking can be seen as prayer, it is one step in building our relationship with God. The next step and just as important is to red the Bible, the 3rd step is to do God's will, to follow His comand, to be obediant

Why do we give up so easily?

Lazyness, impatience, no proper commitment. God is a patient God, He want us to be as well. He doesnt give us what we need imediately, He want us to reach out to Him all the time so that we can learn where our help is coming from, so that our relationship can grow. Very often we dont want to fall into God's timing for our life, and then we give up and lose so much.

How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer?

Experiance. Faith. Practice. Obediance

[pickledilly]

This continual asking, seeking, and knocking is essential to our anticipation of the Kingdom because what we talk about, think on, and act on determines and reveals the focus of our hearts. As we engage in these actions, a longing for the coming of God’s Kingdom on earth deepens and intensifies in us, and vice-versa. That growing desire influences our priorities and keeps us from fixating on worldly concerns. It’s clear that believers are in training while on earth, and these disciplines will keep our hearts pointed in the right direction. They also bolster our confident expectations (hope) in the fulfillment of God’s promises!

I think we give up easily because we get distracted by the world, we grow weary or disappointed in waiting for answers, sometimes our faith stumbles and we entertain doubt or self-indulgence. The confidence and boldness Jesus encourages here are found in personally knowing God. This knowing isn’t just knowing about Him, but getting to know who He is and what He’s like. That starts with learning His Word. It depends on the intimacy of personal conversation with Him, as we speak to Him and listen as He speaks to us. It grows as we pay attention to His involvement in our lives and remember His past faithfulness so that we will rely on it for the future. Learning to trust God’s character gives us boldness and a persistent attitude.

[jacquie7]

Continual asking, seeking, and knocking is essential because it’s so easy for believers to give up when faced with life’s circumstances. It requires persistence in pursuing God, which requires consistent follow through. We give up so easily because we grow weary or lose faith. We gain boldness by being persistent and pushing our way through with continuous prayer, taking all of our cares to God who is ready, willing, and able to handle them.

[brycle]

Continual asking, seeking and knocking means that we are continually aligning our own desires with the desires of God, and that God is the fulfilment or completion of these desires.  It shows that God can be influenced and that our persistent praying has the power put into effect that influence.  

 

At times, I think that the main reason for giving up is a result of doubting ourselves.  Do we deserve what we are ask?  Do we know what is right for us?  We could be on the wrong track or asking out of selfish motives.  Receiving what we ask for may cause us to become conceited, complacent, proud and generally less spiritual.  Therefore, why ask when we have no idea of what God wants to give us in the first place?  

 

We learn to persist in prayer by first developing our understanding of God as a kind and generous giver.  He wants to see us happy and prospered and for us to know that he cares for our every need.  Unless we have this revelation of God, then we will struggle to approach God with boldness and persistence.  We receive this revelation of God by spending time getting to know him.  Inadequate time with God means inadequate revelation of God.  One of the important points of this whole passage is that he rewards effort.  Effort sets the whole process in motion.

[tgandy]

Continual asking, seeking, and knocking is essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom because seeking the Kingdom is a constant striving quest.  The more we ask the more will be given, the more we seek the more we will find.  The thirst is unquenchable.  The love we find is limitless.  I do not know why people give up.  The closer I get the more I want to know.  God knows our heart.  We can hide nothing from him.  Be bold and persistent in asking.  My husband had a transplant at Duke for multiple myeloma.  I can do nothing to help him.  Only God.  I prayed and placed my husband in his hands.  No matter the outcome He has a reason.  If the transplant works, to God is the glory, for the great thing he has done.  If it does not work, God has a reason and to God is the glory for my husband will touch the face of God.

[Ernie's Son]

A. In Christ's words (Mt. 7:7-8), we are given three pairs of words.  The action is found in the first word while the result is found in the second word: ask/given; seek/find/ and knock/opened.

 

The "command here has the effect of saying, 'Do this (and keep on doing it).'"  The point found in (Mt. 7:7-8) "reinforces the point that seeking the kingdom is a constant, active quest" (Dr. Wilson).

 

B. I think we want to hold God to our time table.  When we don't have our answer within the time frame we expect, we flounder.  In our prayers, nor do we persevere.  We forget that this Scripture is saying, "Do this (and keep on doing it)."  Lastly, God knows best: either "yes" or "no."

 

C. If we would take the message of these two parables to heart, we would find "relentless seeking."

 

Also, Heb. 4:16 says, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

 

"We are to come with a confident, bold, persistent asking, seeking, and knocking" (Dr. Wilson).

[MosesSole]

On 9/16/2010 at 2:37 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q3. (Matthew 7:7-8) Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom? Asking, seeking and knocking is our way of communicating with our Heavenly Father, who rejoices in hearing from us. So we should not be shy about looking up, reaching out to our God Most High, because He would surely welcome us.   

Why do we give up so easily? How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer? Myself personally, I feel embarrassed about praying for too many things. I think I'm bothering Heavenly Father, who has millions and millions that need Him. I often wonder, am I worthy enough to be asking for this and that? But all the preachers out there encourage us to pray, and to pray often, and to pray boldly. The last part is hard to do because I come from a culture where we were taught to be reserved and respectful. But I'm working the boldness because I'm without a home, a job, and running out of money. I have to start getting bold because I will surely end up on the streets without divine intervention!