I am computer illiterate. Computers and I do not see eye to eye. I won’t deny it.  I need a manual just to find out how to do simple things, like turn the computer on. But computers are important to our information-driven society, so recently, I purchased my own personal computer. Like other people who do not know what they are doing, but are doing it any way, I am frustrated, but determined. I know that if I keep searching and seeking through that manual, with practice and some trial and error, I will evenutally learn how to operate a computer.

     That’s my story. My youngest brother, on the other hand, is a computer genius. He knows all the jargon, all the acronyms, and, most importantly, he knows how to turn a computer on. Simply put, he can build one from scratch with his eyes closed. When I told him that I had been charged an additional $100 upon delivery of my computer, he knew immediately that something was wrong. He suggested that I call the dealer and ask him about the discrepancy, but in my rationalization, I decided that there was an additional cost because of some sort of set-up fee or just an extra cost that was incurred.

     So he took it upon himself to call the dealer and ask him. The dealer immediately knew that he had made an error and agreed to send me a refund as soon as possible.

     “Wow,” I thought, “an extra hundred bucks in my pocket, just because my brother had the guts to just ask!” In the instant that my brother told me I would receive a refund, the Word of God from James 4:2 resounded in my spirit: “Ye have not, because you ask not.” All I had to do was ask. That refund was mine just for the asking.

     Is it possible? Can you imagine that there are some things you do not have because you have not asked for them? Could it really be that simple (Matthew 7:7-8)? Is that all you have to do -- ask? STOP! Before you throw down this book and fall to your knees in a prayerful frenzy of asking, let’s see what the rest of the reference from Matthew says.

       “If you knock, it shall be opened unto you.” How many times have you visited a friend and rang the doorbell again and again hoping that someone would answer. But no one ever came. You won’t be disappointed like that with God. He is omnipresent, He is always there. He tells you that if you knock, the door will be opened and if you ask, you WILL receive.

     What is it that you are promised? What are you entitled to? What do you have to understand about your heavenly relationship with God before you can approach him with a request? If there is any desire, any request, any petition, any obstacle that needs to be overcome in your life, you must first believe that it is just for the asking. One of the most important steps in getting your prayers answered is to ask God. If you do not ask for something, how can you expect to receive it? I almost did not receive my refund because I was not willing to embarrass myself by asking. If there is a void in your life and you have not asked God to fill that void, you have tied God’s hands.

Pray, Pray, Pray

     Simply ask! When you ask something of God there are two possible responses. You guessed it -- yes or no. Either God will grant your request or He will not. Be assured, however, that whether it be a yea or a nay, His decision is perfect and is for your good.  With that understood, it is important that you also understand that if you do not ask , you have a 0 percent chance of getting your prayers answered. If you do ask, you have at least a 50 percent chance of receiving what you asked for.

     I am an avid golfer. And from experience, I know that making a putt carries with it its own set of odds. When putting, you would rather putt short than long. Putting short gives the ball a 0 percent chance of reaching the hole, whereas putting long increases your odds of reaching the hole. So, if I cannot putt the ball an exact length, I always try to putt long.

     The Word tells us that we will receive everything for which we petition God. Does this mean that  you can pray to God to cause some harm to someone or ask for another man’s wife? Of course not. Just like football, basketball and any other sport you can think of has rules, God has rules. The ground rules that He has established are specific and to the point.

     First, you must ask according to God’s will and according to his Word.

     Second, you must have the proper attitude when asking. You cannot expect God to answer our prayers if they are prayed out of jealousy, envy or revenge. You must also know the limits that govern our asking. Once you discover the proper way in which to ask of God, you will open up to and receive improved communication with Him.

     To petition and ask God, you must first have a prayerful attitude. You must have a relationship with God in order to ask Him for things. You may have a “friend” who only calls or comes by when he needs something. You become apprehensive every time he calls or drops by because you already know he wants something from you.  A true and fair relationship does not require one party to give and give and give and the other to take and take and take. God does not want a relationship with you like that either.

     There is a reason why you do not just walk up to strangers on the street and ask for money. Believe me, if I thought that would work, I would definitely try it. You do not ask strangers for money because you know you will not receive it. There is no relationship with that stranger. Don’t be a stranger to God.  There is a big difference when you bow down and go before your Father whom you know and have a relationship with and present Him with your request.

     Prayer is communication between you and God. Think of it as your toll free 1-800 number with an operator standing by 24-hours-a- day, seven-days a week. Prayer is the uninterrupted quality time you spend in communion with God. There is a difference in the communication, however, when you approach God with a prayerful attitude. One reason that approaching God in prayer is so important is that prayer eliminates sin. There is no way that your mind can dwell on sin if your heart is in earnest prayer. You either have to think on the sin, or proceed to pray.

     I am a happily married man. If I were thinking about a beautiful woman I would like to meet, there is no way in the world that I could think that thought and pray at the same time. The attitudes are contrary to each other. An attitude of prayer blocks out sin and, therefore, allows you a straight path to God. If sin is gone, God is present. If He is present, He will more readily meet your petition and your request.

     Matthew 21:22 teaches that you must believe before you can receive. If you are like most employees, you believe you deserve a raise. You believe that you should be making more money. You might choose to approach your boss and ask for a raise. Why? Because you believe that he will give it to you. If you did not believe you would receive it, you would not ask for it.  You must also believe that God is going to answer your prayers. It is not enough to simply ask, you must also believe it and then....
YOU WILL RECEIVE IT! If you ask in faith, you have every right to receive it.

A Good Evil Man

     What are the types of things you should ask for? Is it proper to ask for cars, mansions or millions of  dollars? Too often God receives requests for material gains and not for spiritual ones. To show God that you are concerned about Him and not just material prosperity, you need to ask for gifts of the Spirit.

     Remember the parable about the evil man who gives good gifts unto his children?You might be surprised to learn how God would feel if you were to ask Him about the things that concern Him. If I continually asked my earthly father (who is now in heaven), for only those things that benefitted myself, he would have eventually wondered if I were ever concerned about anyone or anything else. But since I went to my father and often asked, “Father, I would like to ask you of your wisdom. What can I do for you? How can I serve you?”, I appealed to his heart, and he automatically endowed me with material blessings.

     You need to ask God of His wisdom. You need Godly wisdom everyday of your life to be able to survive. Think about how many times you have faced a complex situation and had no idea how to solve it. You need to ask God of His wisdom and how you can serve Him. Ask God to make you a blessing each day, not to always give you blessings. If an evil man, who is prone to do unkind things, would look upon his own children with kindness and give them gifts, don’t you think that God, who is known to do good things, will give you His Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13)? Jesus lets you know that you are entitled to ask God for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a material blessing, yet possessing Him will cause you to prosper materially.

     Despite this knowledge, there are still find very few people who will ask God for the Holy Spirit. God  receives more requests for those things that address immediate concerns and needs and those things that are self-centered. Think about how small children express themselves. Some of their first words are “cookie” and “bottle”. That is because they only know how to ask for things that they want. I have never met a two-year old who has said to her mother, “Mom, what can I do to help you today?” 

       God wants you to first ask for heavenly and spiritual things (Colossians 3:2-3). Have you ever heard the old saying, “You can’t take it with you?” The only thing that you can take with you once you leave this earth are your spiritual blessings and your salvation. Do you think God will allow you to drive your Lexus through the gates of Heaven? Will the $1 million in your bank account be transferred to an account in Heaven’s Bank?  No. Think on this.

Ask For The Holy Spirit

     There is no doubt whatsoever that receiving the Holy Ghost is in God’s will for you. After all, it is the Holy Spirit who enables you to execute God’s perfect, complete will on the earth. Would your car work without your putting its keys in the ignition? Just like you need the keys for the car, you need the Holy Spirit to complete His will in your life. He combines your natural ability with His supernatural ability. No one is able to heal or prophesy with her own natural ability. It is the supernatural power of God that allows it to happen. Just like everything else, it is just for the asking.

     Let this request be your prayer: “Father, I want this Holy Spirit that you have spoken of. I don’t want to know Him just from what I have heard about the day of Pentecost, but I want Him to be real in my own life.”  You should want Him to be real in your life. I guarantee that as you begin to ask of the things of God, you will be so consumed by what the Spirit offers you that you will not have time to ask for material substance. Don’t worry, you will find yourself blessed beyond anything you could ever imagine. God will give you all you need once you ask for spiritual things. If you take care of the things of God, God will take care of your things. 

     If you spend your time in earnest prayer, praying for others and asking for the Holy Spirit, having to ask God for material blessings would be a very rare event. Do not just pray for yourself. Think back to the time before you were saved. You probably had a mother, father or friend that continually prayed for your salvation. Where might you be today had it not been for those prayers? Once you prioritize your asking, and ask God to make you a blessing, instead of asking Him for a blessing, He will automatically take care of  the unspoken desires of your heart.

     Remember King Solomon? When given a choice of asking God for anything, he decided to ask God for His wisdom. God was so impressed with Solomon’s very noble request that he was endowed him with all kinds of riches and wealth, in addition to being endowed with the wisdom for which he had initially asked.

What Is Whatsoever?

     Allow me to share more information about properly asking God for physical and spiritual gain. Whatsoever you ask in Jesus’ name will be done (John 14:13).  Jesus uses the word “whatsoever” because He and His Father want to perform “whatsoever” for you. Everything is encompassed in “whatsoever” but there are some restrictions. For instance,  you cannot ask God to kill someone ---  that is not in the Word of God and it is not in his nature. When God refers to “whatsoever”, He is referring to those things that are in His Godly nature. Those are the things He will grant unto you.

     There are two ways to make your requests known unto God  --- in prayer and in believing. If you know that your request is in God’s will, come to Him in earnest expectation. When I was little, my mother made a deal with me that I would receive $10 for every ‘A’ I brought home on my report card. I worked hard the entire grading period convinced that I was going to make a lot of money. When I finally brought home my A’s, I went to my mother believing to receive the money she promised for those A’s. I believed. I did not approach her doubting and wondering if she would give me my money for those A’s. I knew she would because she had said it in her word. I had confidence.

     I remember sitting on the cold hard seats of the school bus with my friends surrounding me. Although they were noisy as usual, I did not hear a word they said the entire way home. I was too busy deciding on all the wonderful things that I was going to buy with my money. When I arrived home, I could not initially find my mother. But, bingo! I saw her purse laying on a table, and I knew she was home. I almost knocked her down as I ran to her shouting and waving my report card. I will repeat, I had confidence. I believed. She was so pleased that I had worked so hard to see her word manifested, that she renewed the offer for the next grading period.

     That’s how you should approach God. You should not go to Him with doubt, you should go with confidence. Go before the throne of God boldly knowing that as you ask you will receive because His Word has promised it and God cannot lie.

Live In God

     There is a third rule that we must follow in order to ask things from God. We must abide in Him.  To say that you abide in God means that you live in God. Since God and His Word are synonymous, if you live in God, then His Word lives in you. John 15:7 teaches us this principle. Jesus says, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Reading “If ye abide in me,” one would logically conclude that the next part of the verse would read “and I abide in you.” However, it reads “and my Words abide in you.” If you have God’s Word, then you have Him. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God (John 1:1). The more the Word becomes a part of you, the more God becomes a part of you. It’s that simple. If you begin to abide and live in God and his Word abides in you, then you can ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.

Learn The Business

     Before you ask God for anything, consult his Word to find out what He has to say about your situation. Plant His Word in your heart. If I went to apply for a job, the first thing I would do is research the company. I would go into that interview knowing all the key facts about the company, and even a few obscure ones. That knowledge would tell the manager that I am serious about what I want and that I have begun a rigorous pursuit of it.
     This should be the case when you go to God’s office. You need to know what His Word has promised you. You need to remind God that He said that He thinks thoughts of peace toward you and not evil. Go to God quoting some of His Word, and let Him know that you have learned something about His business and that you haven’t just walked in off the street trying to get a job. God wants you to learn more about Him. He is looking for people who will diligently seek Him. Know something about His business. Know something about His Word. If you have his Word in you, He will be more prone to listen to you and answer your prayer. It is that simple. It is all just for the asking.

How To Pray To Get Results

     Make room for God’s Word to abide in you. If you are sick, you need to find scriptures concerning healing and go to God quoting them. If you are in financial distress, remind God that He takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. If you are looking for a mate, remind God that He said it was not good that Adam should be alone and it is not good for you to be alone. Search God's word and find the scripture that will pertain to your particular problem or obstacle. Then go to God proclaiming his Word back to Him. Let Him know that you know something about his Word. Reading the Bible is an important part in getting prayers answered.

         In addition, ask in Jesus’ name. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. To quote a popular song, “There is wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb” and in His name.  There are a variety of reasons that your prayers go unanswered.  You ask amiss. You are not specific. You don’t specifically list your requests (James 4:3). Ask specifically for the particular blessing that you wish to be endowed with. Don’t be general. If you want a husband, be specific. Ask God for a spirit-filled man who knows Him and who would be a good father. If you are looking for a job, tell God what field you would like it to be in and how much money you would like to make. If you are in need of healing, ask God to heal whatever ails you. You can learn a whole lot about a person based on the questions that person asks. God will learn more about your nature based on the questions you ask and the petitions you make, so, be specific.

Summary --- Just For The Asking

1. Simply ask. “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” (James 4:2)

2. Ask according to God’s will and according to His Word. In order to do this, you must study the Word.

3. Prioritize your asking. Set your affections on things above. Ask for the Holy Spirit and material gain will follow automatically.

4. Know the prerequisites for asking anything of God:
      Ask in prayer.
     Believe before you receive.
      Abide in God by abiding in and studying His Word.

5. Steps To Praying That Get Results:
      Go to God quoting His Word.
      Ask in Jesus’ name.
      Be Specific. Don’t ask amiss.