(Jam 4:2) Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
How many things have we missed out on in our Christian lives because we have never asked the Lord for them, or because we asked for something to promote ourselves? The Lord did not need something just to fill space and plug in a few empty promises.
He basically has told us that we are doing so many things in our power and still are coming up empty. He gave us a simple message, “Ye Have Not, Because Ye Ask Not”.
(Luk 11:9) And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
We are not finding lost people because we are not doing three simple things. We are not asking for the Lord to lead us give us souls, we are not seeking the lost, and we are not knocking on the doors to find them.
As I thought about what to say in this message I was reminded of three people that the Lord allowed me to reach with the gospel. These three are unique to me because I remember specifically asking the Lord to lead me to a lost person.
One was a guy that I worked with for sometime, and I remember asking the Lord to lead me to someone. It was close to the end of the day and the Lord directed me to this guy who was sitting on some pallets. I had talked to him before but this day was something a little different, because it was the Lord driving me to go and speak to him. I remember telling him that I did not think he had much time and that he needed to be saved. He said he did not want to at this time, but said he would come to Church. Sunday rolled around and he did not show up and did not even call. The following Monday he came to me and asked if he looked different and I did not have a clue to what he was talking about. A short time later I found out that he got saved by his chair in his living room that Sunday morning.
A few years later I was at the Mall and the Lord convicted me that it had been a while since I had opened my bible and show someone how to be saved. So I prayed and asked Him to lead me to someone, and a few minutes after I looked up there was a guy walking into the mall. The trouble was I was leaving and he was walking in, so I did the Christian thing and began to drive off anyway thinking it was just my imagination. I did not make it far before the Lord began to deal with me even more, so I turned around and went in the mall to look for him. I did find him and come to find out he was a young marine who was just out of basic training. I asked him if he was saved and he was not sure, I got to show him the scriptures and he said he was not ready just yet. I asked him to come to Church and he did, and after a few Sunday’s he walked the isle and accepted Christ as his savior. This all happened right before he left for Iraq and many times he told me how thankful he was for being saved.
The third one happened a few Saturday’s ago when I was visiting the bus route. I was about to finish up and then it hit me how I had been just trying to hurry and get finished. I was feeling empty and the Lord reminded me how His joy comes from reaching the lost. I begin to look for someone to give the gospel to and I was at a home of some youth and I had never met their mother. She worked nights so most of the time she was asleep, but this Saturday she came to the door and as we talked it was like the Lord said, “You asked and there she is” I asked her if she was 50, 75, or a 100% sure if she died she would go to Heaven and she said about 30%. I just read over the tract that I had given her and when we got to the end she was ready to ask Christ in her heart. My heart was full of joy and I was excited because the Lord had answered my prayer in less than 30 minutes.
(1Jo 5:14) And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
(Psa 37:4-5) Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.
You see we do not have the Lord answer many prayers because our desire is not yet His. When we desire what is close to the Lord’s heart then, He will answer our prayers at an amazing rate. No matter if it is finances, talent, or any other thing, just as long as we will use it for His glory and that souls might be saved. We will see the windows of Heaven open when we get about the fathers business.
(Luk 19:10) For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Next time you leave your home, just don’t forget to ask the Lord to send you to someone who needs to be saved. Lastly just remember to keep your eyes open and listen when God speaks to your heart, because that person just might be someone walking back into the Mall.
Ye Have Not Because Ye Ask Not!
