TEXTS:
Matt 7:7 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"(KJV)
Matt 7:8 "For every one that asketh receiveth…"(KJV)
James 4:2 "…ye have not, because ye ask not." (KJV)
Matt 21:22 "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

INTRODUCTION
  A.  SOME WINDOW SHOP WHEN THEY PRAY
    1.  Some women can go shopping for a whole day and not buy anything.
    2.  They just go window shopping.
    3.  They look to see what’s available but they don’t expect to get anything.
    4.  They don’t expect to bring anything home.
    5.  Some people pray like that.
    6.  They can pray all day and not expect to get anything.
    7.  They aren’t praying to get anything. They’ve been taught not to.
    8.  They pray the Rosary, or some other repetitious thing.
    9.  Or perhaps they’ve been told to just praise God without asking.

  B. PART OF PRAYING IS ASKING
    1.  God says ASK!
    2.  Part of praying is asking!
    3.  There are two Greek words which mean "ask."
    4.  Eperotao = means to inquire or to ask questions about something
    5.  Aiteo = to ask, beg, crave, or call for
    6.  Matt 7:7 tells us to request or call for things from God

  C.  SOME DON’T BELIEVE THAT PRAYER CHANGES THINGS
    1.  They don’t accept the plain teaching from the Scriptures.
    2.  They don’t accept prayer as asking and receiving.
    3.  They don’t accept prayer as seeking and finding.
    4.  They don’t accept prayer as knocking and the door opening.
    5.  They don’t accept that one of God’s names is "THOU THAT HEAREST PRAYER."
        (Ps.65:2)
    6.  They don’t come to God believing that He is "a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
        (Heb.11:6)

  D. SOME MOCK US FOR ASKING GOD FOR THINGS
    1.  They tell us that God is not some big Santa Claus up in the sky.
    2.  They are right!  My God is not some big Santa Claus!
    3.  Santa Claus could never do what my God has done for me.
    4.  My God is much more than a Santa Claus!
    5.  My God is JEHOVAH JIREH - MY PROVIDER! (Can I have a good Amen?)
    6.  They claim they’ve gone on to maturity and don’t ask for things anymore.
    7.  That’s not showing maturity. That’s showing immaturity!
    8.  The simple teaching of the Word of God is "GOD SAYS ASK!"
    9.  It’s not maturity when one contradicts the Scriptures.
    10.  They’ve gone on to IMMATURITY!
    11.  It's called false doctrine!

I. WHAT PRAYER IS NOT!

  A. NOT JUST ADORATION, MEDITATION, AND HUMILIATION
    1.  Prayer involves ASKING!
    2.  Prayer may include other things, but primarily, GOD SAYS TO ASK!
    3.  We are to ask for daily bread. (Matt 6:11)
    4.  We are to ask God for forgiveness of sin. (Matt 6:12)
    5.  We are to ask for God’s direction in our lives. (Matt 6:13)
    6.  We are to ask for deliverance from evil. (Matt 6:13)
    7.  Don’t ever be ashamed to ask God for what you need.

  B. PRAYER IS NOT JUST ADORATION
    1.  Adoration is good.
    2.  Every Christian ought to adore the Lord.
    3.  Every Christian ought to express his adoration to God in praise and worship.
    4.  But, Adoration should never take the place of asking God to meet needs.
 
  C. PRAYER IS NOT MEDITATION
    1.  It is proper to meditate day and night in the Word of God.
    2.  But, some people confuse Bible Study and meditation with prayer.
    3.  You need them both!
    4.  Furthermore, I’m not talking about Transcendental Meditation.
    5.  I’m not talking about some mystical trance when I speak of meditation.
    6.  I’m talking about studying and memorizing the Word of God.
    7.  I’m talking about applying the Word of God to your life as you read it.

  D. PRAYER IS NOT HUMILIATION
    1.  It is also proper for a Christian to HUMBLE HIMSELF IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD.
    2.  James 4:10 "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." (KJV)
    3.  Humbling yourself before God is a good and proper thing to do, but it is not prayer.
    4.  Remember, God says to ASK!
    5.  Some people think it is humble to refuse to ask!
    6.  That’s not humility, that’s disobedience!
    7.  God says ask, and if you are humble, you will ask!

II.  BIBLE PEOPLE WHO ASKED

  A.  THE PUBLICAN (Luke 18:14)
    1.  In the temple he prayed, "God be merciful to me a sinner."
    2.  He went down to his house justified.
    3.  That means, he received God’s mercy and was saved.

  B.  BLIND BARTEMAEUS (Mark 10:47)
    1.  As Jesus passed by, he shouted, "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me."
    2.  Then he prayed, "Lord, that I might receive my sight." (Mark 10:51)
    3.  He asked and he received.
    4.  He sought and he found.
    5.  He knocked on the door of healing and it was opened.

  C.  THE SYROPHENICIAN WOMAN (Matt 15:22&25)
    1.  She cried out to Jesus, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David, my daughter is
        grievously vexed with a devil." (Matt 15:22)
    2.  She prayed, "Lord, help me!" (Matt 15:25)
    3.  She kept praying and asking until she got what she asked for.
    4.  She asked for her daughter to be healed and she received it.

  D.  CONTRAST THESE TO THE PRAYER OF THE PHARISEE
    1. Luke 18:11-12
        11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as
        other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
        12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. (KJV)
    2.  He prayed in public long and loud.
    3.  He prayed to be seen and heard of men.
    4.  He gave a lot of thanksgiving, but he didn’t ask for anything.
    5.  In all his praying, he forgot to ask for mercy!
    6.  The other man, the publican, who was obviously not very famous for his piety and religion,
        was the man who asked for and received mercy.
    7.  This religious leader, didn’t ask for it and didn’t get it.
    8.  The religious leader was WINDOW SHOPPING.
    9.  The poor publican was PRAYING.  Which do you do?

III.  PRAYER INCLUDES ASKING

  A. NOT A BUS TOUR, BUT A TRUCK ROUTE
    1.  Some talk of prayer as if it was just a big bus tour.
    2.  They come to church, they get in a group and they all act like they're talking to God.
    3.  They use the biggest words they have in their religious vocabulary.
    4.  It may sound pretty, it may seem nice; but what have you got when it’s over with?
    5.  Prayer is NOT A BUS TOUR where you just look at all the pretty things!
    6.  Prayer is a TRUCK ROUTE!
    7.  You drive up to the loading dock, you load up the truck, and you come home with the goods!
    8.  Prayer is asking and receiving!
    9.  God says to ASK!

  B.  WHEN YOU ORDER FOOD YOU DON’T QUOTE POETRY
    1.  You don’t go into a restaurant and say, "Roses are red, violets are blue, I’d like a pizza
        and a big coke too!"
    2.  If you have more sense than to treat a waitress like that, then why do you want to treat
        God like that?
    3.  Why don’t you just get down to the business of asking Him for what you need?

  C.  BEGGARS DON’T TRY TO BE FANCY
    1.  When a beggar comes up to you on the street and asks you for some change, he doesn’t
        start out by saying, "By the way, did you see the lovely sunset this evening?"
    2.  He doesn’t get an engraved plaque or a high gloss sign to stand along the road.
    3.  He simply asks you for what he needs.
    4.  If a beggar has enough sense to cut to the question, then why don’t we?
    5.  God doesn’t answer us based on how well we ask.
    6.  God answers us based on whether or not we ask in faith believing!
    7.  Heb.11:6 says, "He that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder
        of them that diligently seek Him."
    8.  He rewards us because we have faith that He will do so, not because we asked in a more
        pleasant manner than the last petitioner.

CONCLUSION:
Brothers and sisters, learn to ask God for what you want and then go home with it!   Learn to ask God for things when you pray!  GOD SAYS TO ASK!

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