WHAT ARE YOU REALLY ASKING GOD FOR?
When Our Prayers, Plans, and Resources Come Into Alignment With God's Will
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” — Matthew 7:7
Ask.
Seek.
Knock.
Those are powerful words spoken by Jesus Christ.
They invite us to pray.
They encourage us to believe.
They remind us that our Heavenly Father hears us.
But before we rush into God's presence with another list of things we want Him to do, perhaps we need to ask ourselves a question that is much more uncomfortable:
WHY AM I ASKING?
What is my motive?
What is my end goal?
When I pray, am I primarily trying to get what I want?
Am I simply trying to get what I need?
Or is my greatest desire to be in the center of God's will?
There is a difference.
And sometimes it is a very big difference.
“ASK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN YOU”
Matthew 7:7 is one of those Scriptures that Christians love to quote.
And rightly so.
Jesus tells us to ask.
But Scripture must always be understood alongside Scripture.
James gives us another perspective:
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” — James 4:3
There it is.
We can ask and still ask wrongly.
The problem isn't always that we didn't pray.
Sometimes the problem is why we prayed.
God isn't a vending machine where we insert prayer, select our preferred outcome, and wait for Heaven to dispense it.
Prayer is relationship.
Prayer is fellowship.
Prayer is dependence.
Prayer is surrender.
And prayer should increasingly bring our hearts, desires, motives, plans, and priorities into alignment with God's will.
WHAT IS YOUR END GOAL?
Suppose you're praying for more money.
Why?
Suppose you're praying for a promotion.
Why?
Suppose you're asking God to grow your business.
Why?
Suppose you're praying for influence.
Why?
Suppose you're asking God to open a particular door.
Why?
The request itself may not be wrong.
But what is the end goal?
Is it simply:
“Lord, give me more so I can have more”?
Or could our prayer become:
“Lord, bless me so that I can become a blessing”?
There is a tremendous difference between asking God to finance our kingdom and asking God to use everything He has placed into our hands for His Kingdom.
WHAT IF GOD HAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT PLANNED?
Yesterday, September 13, Cecilia and I visited International Christian Church.
There was a very special reason for us being there.
Our granddaughter was being baptized, and she had invited us to witness this next step in her walk with the Lord.
As grandparents, what a blessing to witness!
There are many things in life that can make us proud of our children and grandchildren.
Achievements.
Graduations.
Careers.
Promotions.
Awards.
But there is something especially meaningful about watching someone you love publicly identify themselves with Jesus Christ.
Another life saying yes to Jesus.
While we were there, the speaker brought his message from James 4:13–15:
“Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain... For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”
Those words stayed with me.
Because they speak directly to something every one of us does.
We make plans.
We plan tomorrow.
We plan next month.
We plan next year.
We plan our careers.
We plan our finances.
We plan vacations.
We plan retirement.
We plan ministry.
We plan where we're going and what we're going to do when we get there.
But James reminds us of something essential:
GOD'S PLANS TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER OURS.
“IF THE LORD WILL...”
Those four words can transform the way we live.
If the Lord will.
That isn't fatalism.
It isn't laziness.
It doesn't mean Christians shouldn't make plans.
It means we make our plans with our hands open.
“Lord, this is what I hope to do.”
“Lord, this is where I believe You're leading.”
“Lord, this is what I would like to accomplish.”
“But if You have something different in mind, Your plan takes precedence over mine.”
That is surrender.
And that principle should govern our prayers too.
WHAT IF THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER IS BIGGER THAN GETTING SOMETHING?
Perhaps prayer isn't primarily about persuading God to enter our plans.
Perhaps prayer is partly about allowing God to bring us into His.
Jesus taught us to pray:
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” — Matthew 6:10
Think about those words.
THY WILL BE DONE.
Not mine.
Not yours.
His.
That changes the question.
Instead of merely asking:
“God, how can I get what I want?”
we begin asking:
“God, what do YOU want to accomplish through me?”
Now we're getting somewhere.
POMI HAS ONE VISION
Pilgrim Outreach Ministries International has many outreaches.
There are many things we want to accomplish.
There are communities we want to enter.
There are people we want to feed.
There are young people we want to help.
There are families we want to encourage.
There are Bibles and discipleship materials we want to place into people's hands.
There is ministry work to be done throughout the Philippines and beyond.
But underneath all of it, Pilgrim Outreach Ministries International has one vision:
REACH ONE MORE SOUL WITH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
One more.
Then one more.
And after that—
one more.
Because crowds are made up of individuals.
Statistics represent people.
Nations consist of families.
And behind every ministry report is a person with a name, a history, a struggle, and an eternal soul.
Jesus said:
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” — Luke 19:10
That's the mission.
I BELIEVE YOU CARE ABOUT PEOPLE
I believe many of you reading this genuinely want people to know Jesus Christ.
You want your family to know Him.
You want your friends to know Him.
You want your coworkers to know Him.
You want your neighbors to know Him.
You may even find yourself looking at complete strangers and wondering:
“Do they know Jesus?”
If that is you, then our paths are in alignment.
You don't have to board an airplane for the Philippines to participate in missions.
You don't have to stand behind a pulpit.
You don't have to preach before hundreds of people.
There are many ways to participate in reaching one more soul.
You can pray.
You can share.
You can encourage.
You can give.
You can tell somebody what Jesus has done for you.
And you can help ministries carrying the Gospel go where you personally may never be able to go.
ONE BAPTISM REMINDED ME WHY WE DO THIS
As I watched our granddaughter take this step in her walk with Christ, I was reminded of something.
Behind every ministry effort—
behind every prayer—
behind every mile traveled—
behind every dollar given—
behind every Gospel tract—
behind every Bible—
behind every sermon—
behind every outreach—
there is the possibility of another changed life.
Yesterday it was personal.
It was our granddaughter.
Tomorrow it may be someone's granddaughter in the Philippines.
Someone's son.
Someone's mother.
Someone's father.
Someone's coworker.
Someone standing on a roadside.
Someone living in a village.
Someone who has almost given up.
Someone who has never clearly heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
One more soul.
That is why we go.
SO WHAT ARE WE ASKING GOD FOR?
When POMI prays for resources, what is the end goal?
More money?
No.
Bigger numbers?
No.
Recognition?
Absolutely not.
The goal is:
ONE MORE SOUL.
We ask because ministry requires resources.
We seek because there are doors we cannot open ourselves.
We knock because there are communities and lives we desperately want to reach.
But at the end of everything, our prayer must remain:
“Lord, if this is Your will, open the door.”
“If this is Your will, provide.”
“If this is Your will, send us.”
“If this is Your will, use us.”
“And whatever You place into our hands, help us use it for Your glory.”
YOUR CLICK CAN BECOME PART OF SOMEONE'S STORY
This is where I want to invite you to do more than read.
Pilgrim Outreach Ministries International has an active GoFundMe campaign supporting our continuing ministry and outreach efforts.
If our paths are truly in alignment—
if you believe people need Jesus—
if you believe the Gospel should be carried beyond church walls—
if you believe one soul is worth reaching—
then I invite you to prayerfully help us.
With the click of a keystroke, you can help us help them.
🙏 Pray for us.
📣 Share our campaign.
❤️ Tell somebody about the ministry.
💝 And if the Lord places it upon your heart, give.
POMI GoFundMe Campaign:
Your gift isn't merely about helping fund an organization.
Our prayer is that every resource entrusted to this ministry helps us move toward:
One more person reached.
One more Bible shared.
One more family helped.
One more door opened.
One more person hearing about Jesus.
One more soul.
WHAT IF WE ALL PRAYED DIFFERENTLY?
What if instead of beginning tomorrow with:
“Lord, what can You give me today?”
we prayed:
“Lord, what can You do THROUGH me today?”
What if we prayed:
“Put somebody in my path who needs encouragement.”
“Show me someone who needs Jesus.”
“Help me recognize an opportunity to serve.”
“Show me where I can give.”
“Interrupt my plans if Your plans are better.”
And perhaps the most dangerous prayer of all:
“Lord, whatever You want—I'm available.”
That prayer may change your schedule.
It may change your priorities.
It may change your spending.
It may change where you go.
It may change how you live.
It might even change your entire life.
But wouldn't you rather spend your life in the center of God's will than successfully accomplish everything you planned while missing what God wanted?
ASK. SEEK. KNOCK. SURRENDER.
Jesus said:
Ask.
Seek.
Knock.
James reminds us:
Check your motives.
And James also reminds us:
“If the Lord will...”
Put them together.
Ask—but ask with the right motive.
Seek—but seek God's Kingdom first.
Knock—but let God decide which door should open.
Plan—but surrender your plans to His.
Give—but give for His glory.
Go—but go where He sends you.
And when God brings our hearts into alignment with His, perhaps our greatest prayer will no longer be:
“Lord, give me what I want.”
It will become:
“LORD, USE ME FOR WHAT YOU WANT.”
Pilgrim Outreach Ministries International has one vision:
ONE MORE SOUL.
Will you help us reach them?
One prayer.
One share.
One gift.
One act of obedience.
One Gospel conversation.
One life changed.
One more soul for Jesus Christ.
Pilgrim Outreach Ministries International
Your Feet to the Nations
We are your eyes, ears, mouths, and feet in Asia.
🌎 Ministry: pomitaly.homestead.com
📚 Bookstore: thewilltosucceed.homestead.com
📰 Ministry Blog: joybells49.blogspot.com
Help us help them—one soul at a time.
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