Ask For It!

When I started The Landing in 2002 I was under the impression that God and I could do anything. I did not ask for help with anything that was happening. I remember "telling" God that I did not want to ask for anything, no help and no money. I remember telling God that if this was His deal He would have to take care of it. We were doing well as a church and the growth was steady though we really weren't going anywhere. It was the fall of 2006 when the Lord finally broke through the hard candy shell of my brain and helped me realize what James 4:2 says, "you do not have because you do not ask God". I had heard all of that before...ask and you will receive...seek and you will find...knock and the doors would open. The Lord prompted me to make the Keyword for our church in 2007 the word ASK. I began to apply that principle. I realized that by not asking I wasn't being humble and Christian: I was being silly and even prideful. I began to ask for help with the ministries and outreaches. And people responded. I began to ask for God to send to The Landing people that had a genuine heart to serve Him and use their gifts to bless others. And they started coming! I began asking for specific positions in the church to be filled with specific people...and it happened! I still don't ask for money...but I'm working on it! (At our church we don't pass a bucket:if you want to give you drop your offering in a box by the doors) When there is a pressing need, I do ASK now...guess I am maturing!
I realized something that year about the Lord. Even though He already knows what I need, He still wants me to ask for it. I think it is because He wants me to put a voice to the desires of my heart. He wants you and I to be specific. If you are asking for a job, list the details. If you are in need of finances speak out the amount!
It's true that when we ask, we receive. It's a divine principle that I wish I had activated sooner in my ministry life. Charles Spurgeon once said,"Whether we like it or not, asking is a rule of the kingdom"