ASK part 2 – Seek
July 6, 2009 by William Robbins
Filed under Christian Network Marketers, Recent Posts, insights, training
Matthew 7:7-8 (New International Version)
Ask, Seek, Knock
7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
In part 1 of the ASK series we covered that the most important part of asking God for anything that gets answered is asking God for what He would want in our lives. Ask and it will be given to you is the promise that is fulfilled once we meet the condition of Matthew 6:33, Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will given to you as well.
Seek and you will find
You may know that God has called you to be an entrepreneur and pray diligently for His favor and blessings but prayer alone will not make you a success. The idea of seek in this passage is that you deeply desire something and search it out. We must be willing and determined to seek out the knowledge necessary to become successful.
If Ask is about your heart and connection to God and His will then Seek is about preparing your mind and emotions.
You must seek out…
What you consume (thoughts, books, audio’s, etc.)
The adage “You are what you eat” is true physically, physiologically, and spiritually. We must be very careful what we allow in our body. Just as what we eat forms our physical body, what we read, watch, and listen to forms our thoughts and perceptions of life.
Our thought life is one of the most important parts of us. Constantly watching the news on how bad our economy is, murder, and war is probably not the best breakfast for you. I would suggest dieting on the Word of God. CNN will tell you how uncertain things are right now. You can carry that through your whole day and allow your thoughts to be shaped by their food, or you can wake up and read a verse like…
Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Somethings we consume that are detrimental for us don’t actually taste bad. Watching excessive sports, sitcoms, or movies may be fun and very enjoyable but they are not adding anything of value into your life. Shut off your TV and get a good book on leadership and watch your emotional love-handles turn into a six-pack.
Who you associate with (fellowship, peer group)
1 Corinthians 15:33 (New International Version)
33Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
One of the first things that fitness gurus will tell you when you want to get in the gym and back in shape after a long hiatus is to get a “gym buddy”. The reason is so that you have someone to hold you accountable, give you encouragement, and go through the process with. God has placed community and fellowship in our hearts. We want to do life with others.
The company we keep is so vitally important to how we prepare our mind and emotions. Allowing others in our lives to hold us accountable to our actions and emotions is a wise and difficult thing to do.
Be careful who you allow to speak into your life. Find Godly entrepreneurs who understand the difficulty and challenges you face will provide you with a good balance fellowship and support.
If you’re smart you’ll find someone to hold you accountable in all the important areas of your life (your walk, your marriage, your business, etc.).
How you deal with challenges (character development)
You may be frustrated that as soon as you pray for God to promote you and bless your business that life starts to get harder. My pastor once said “be careful what you pray for, especially for patience.” Why is that? Because God does not waive a magic wand and poof, you have patience. No, God develops character in His children through life’s circumstances. The sooner you realize that life’s difficulties are the very things that make you grow you’ll complain less about them and focus more on what you can learn.
James 1:2-4 (New International Version)
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
I have a few guys in my Bible study who are very strong. These guys are huge, but they weren’t born that way. They developed their muscle by pushing against resistance. The more resistance they push against the stronger they get.
God uses the resistance we face in our businesses and our lives to form our spiritual muscles. The more resistance we push against the stronger we become. If you’re facing a lot of resistance in your life right now then praise God. God will use these problems as the very thing to prepare you for what He has in store for your life.
Seek and you will find. Be intentional and diligent about seeking out the things that will promote growth in your life. Your business will not out grow you. So as Jim Rohn says, “Work harder on yourself than you do on your business.”
About the Author: William Robbins is the founder of MLMFellowship, and the owner of iWantMoreWealth.com with his wife Bethany. Learn more about William and Bethany.
