Ask and it is given

In honor of my 50th article for the Examiner I would like to write about my favorite saying of Jesus. Ask and It Is Given is the title of the current book I am reading by Esther (Abraham) and Jerry Hicks. A fascinating pre-cursor to their book The Law of Attraction in which I couldn’t put the book down! I suggest voraciously reading both books as they are a complete owner’s manual to the Law of Attraction. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7 of the King James Version of the Bible, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Let’s examine this statement phrase by phrase.

Ask, and it shall be given you – This is the starting point for the Law of Attraction, or That which is like unto itself is drawn. By asking for what we want, we are accepting and believing that something beyond us can give it. The desires of our heart are placed there by God for us to fulfill and actualize them. How many people go through their entire lives never becoming what they were created to be simply because they never asked for what they wanted. They either didn’t know how to ask, never believed they should have asked, or couldn’t bring themselves to a state where they were humbled by the presence of God. Asking turns over the control of self from the ego (edging God out) to the divine. The divine responds with whatever thoughts you predominately think about and emotionally charge according to the next phrase, Seek, and ye shall find. Like the genie (the Universe) says in the movie The Secret, “Your wish is my command.” Asking is a form of prayer to God for the things, circumstances and people you desire to have in your life.

Seek, and ye shall find – God doesn’t hand anyone things on a silver platter. You have to earn them. Esther (Abraham) and Jerry Hicks state this next phrase as The Science of Deliberate Creation or That which I give thought to and that which I believe or expect – is. This is where you get what you predominantly think about, whether you want it or not. If you don’t apply these phrases or laws to the benefits of yourself and others, they still operate by default. If you think bounty, you will reap bounty. If you think lack, you will reap lack. Seeking is a form of meditation because it allows you to let go of the outer world of distraction and focus on what you truly desire. You must first know what you desire, make a plan to achieve that desire and expect it to happen. This can only come as a result of inner focus and not outer distraction.

Knock, and it shall be opened unto you – Once you know where you are going, you must take the steps to get there. Many have said it is hard and few have said it is easy. Whomever you choose to believe sitting around and dreaming of your desires without expecting them is a mind game. You must implement your plan by providing a service to mankind. This is based on the Hicks’ third law of The Art of Allowing which says I am that which I am, and I am willing to allow all others to be that which they are. This means to serve others by not judging them. It means to accept them as they are and love them for who they are. When you allow you cannot resist. If you resist the flow of life, everything that annoys you will persist. It’s like the story of the barnacle who wondered what it was like downstream away from the turbulent waters. All of the other barnacles told him that if he let go of the rock he would be swept downstream and be bashed on the rocks. He would surely die! One day he let go of his hold on the rock and was swept downstream being bashed from rock to rock. However, he didn’t die as the other barnacles told him. He ended up in a peaceful pool and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of his life. Allow others to be who they are, even if they don’t allow you to be you. Don’t invite others to rent space in your head with their troubles and circumstances. Allow the universe to work as it does and your reward will be the joyous freedom of being able to create your own life experience exactly as you want it to be according to the Hicks. Set your daily intention to deliberately create your own life experience. Jesus followed in Matthew 7:8 with "For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” What a promise!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

The Path to the Golden Rule

In the previous article I talked about how daily practice of prayer, meditation and service can help you finely tune your perception of reality to experience what exists beyond our sensory world. What parallels exist to help support this assertion? Jesus said in Luke 11:19, “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.” Prayer, in essence, is asking God to give you something you perceive you do not have. Since God has created this abundant universe, then asking Him for something shouldn’t be a problem, right? But there’s more.

The second part of Jesus’ statement is “seek, and ye shall find.” How do we seek what we want and find it? Through meditation. The outer world is rampant with distractions and misguided focus. Only in the peace and stillness of God are we removed from the distractions and chaos of the outer world and we can listen to the still small voice of God giving us instruction as to where to find what we seek. Again, there is more.

The final part of Jesus’ statement is “knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Taking action and moving your feet are performing service. When you are blessed with the awareness to ask God for what you want, and you make the time daily to practice listening to God, you must get up and do something about it. Do you remember the joke about the man in the flood who drowned while waiting for God to save him? When he got to Heaven he told God he trusted in Him and God let him drown. God responded, “I sent you a rescue truck, a boat and a helicopter and you refused their help.” God’s response to our prayers often comes in natural means through other people and not supernatural means as some expect.

Prayer can come in many forms. It can be a simple request of God, a visualization, an affirmation or an undoubting focus on an expected outcome. Meditation can be a simple undisturbed quiet time, a relaxation response to a repeated mantra, or even peaceful observation in nature. Service can be following through on your goals, spending your time helping others or contributing to life in subtle ways without expecting recognition.

In many instances Jesus told us exactly what to do, yet our spiritual leaders often focus on what his disciples’ interpretations tell us to do. For example, Paul is revered as one of Jesus’ most intense proponents; and he was. Yet, many of his own personal feelings are injected into his writings which were interpretations of what Jesus had said and done. Paul’s wisdom came from, as James puts it, asking. James 1:5 states, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” Paul was familiar with what the Prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 26:3, “Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.” Trust is key here. Some of Paul’s writings were done in a cell exposed to raw sewage. In this environment Paul accepted his current situation, prayed for something better, accepted God’s word in peace, and continued to serve his fellow man. He was a big proponent of the laws of God summing them up into what Jesus said, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Romans 13:9).

If you truly love yourself, then you respect yourself by thinking, listening and giving your best. Performing good service is treating your neighbor as you would treat yourself. This is known as the Golden Rule; “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). Simple enough to say, but it requires daily practice to implement.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.