So, I've heard and watch brother Eli on the video talking about a topic "Is praying enough to get closer to God?". It is all about praying and working at the same time. And like anyone else, this topic made me think a lot. It is like, the person who just pray and wait, not doing anything to make his / her prayer possible.
It is simmilar to these scenario, if you want to buy a peice of land or a car, you just can't pray for having a car or land. You need to work for it, earn money and buy it, am I right? That is what brother Eli on the video talking about. We just can't asked God for the things we like or the things we need, then wait for it, doing nothing. It is not like a Genie on the bottle story, we got to do our part, we work hard until we achieve what weve pray.
The Bible passage in Matthew 7 verse 7, have said, "ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you". Ask, seek, and knock, these made sense to me. It is like, First, ask help from God, Second, help yourself and find ways making it happen, and Last, if God see's your dedication HE opens doors for you to achieve it.
Yeah, I get it, God wanted us to work hard for our dreams, our wants and our needs. It is very simmilar when our parents wants us to learn and become independent. They teaches us how to make our own money at very age, and of course with there guidance and support. It is the same with God our father in heaven. He wanted us to become responsible, strong and independent.
Meanwhile, praying very important to us. It is a way of communication to God and telling our creator of what we need. It is like when we tell to our parents about our hard times in life and they their ready to give a helping hand and also, give you an advice.
Final thought, this video of brother Eli, left a conclusion about "How important it is to have faith in God and at the same time to work harder for our dreams. It is like, God helps those who help themselves, right? It is all about the balance, praying and doing our part.
That is what the Bible says it is not sufficient just to pray. We do not just pray for God to receive us. We pray and after praying we start doing the work that God wants us to do. You see even if you pray hardly all day all night of your life but you are stationary. You are stagnant as water, you do not move to follow God. Then your prayers will be in vain.
Let us read Matthew chapter 7 verse 7, ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you. Is the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ask what do you mean when you ask it is prayers. If you ask God, you ask God in prayers. Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find you, ask God, God give me my daily bread. Oh now if you are going to stay in your room for all the day who will give you your daily bread? Will the bread fall down from heaven? No, no, ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find. You pray first then you seek and then knock so you have to employ action.
You do not just pray, pray then act, knock. See that is what the Bible says it is not sufficient just to pray. After praying you act accordingly. Ask God, God I want to have a house then are you dreaming of a house coming from the clouds. Sitting on the ground and presto you have your house. That's not the way ask God for a house because, I want to live peacefully with my family. Give me a house father after asking go out and seek what are you going to seek. Seek for money, seek for opportunities, seek for an employer, go as far as Denmark and after finding a job save what you are earning.
Go back to the Philippines and build the house. So God has given you a house by asking him and by acting you do. Not just ask, you do not just ask. It is not sufficient to ask God only. Because God wants us to work he doesn't want us to be lazy or to be dependent on other people's work. For ourselves we must eat our own bread according to the Bible. So we ask then we seek and God will make us find what we look for. And if we not he will open the door for us the door of opportunity the door of a chance. To live peacefully and honestly and to lead a clean and a Frugal life. It is God that will direct that. Ask and ask that is the teaching of the Bible.