Ask For The Answers You Need

“Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need.” Luke 11:10 MSG

I’ve realised that some blessings aren’t activated until we ask for them. It doesn’t matter whether the blessing can be fulfilled by man or God Himself, receiving it isn’t possible until a request is made.

I know people who have no problem asking. I on the other hand have deprived myself of many things because of the fear of asking. Someone once told me, “Just ask. The worst response you’ll get is no. But it won’t kill you”. Sometimes, hearing that NO is not exciting. But what he said is true.

Some people would have never received that promotion at work if they didn’t ask their supervisor about it.

Some would never have gotten married if they didn’t ask. At least I did this one :).

You may only receive that discount when you ask. My wife always accuses me of not being scared to ask for available discounts whenever we grab a pizza. I realised that whenever I don’t ask, they assume I don’t know and so keep quiet so they make their profits. Then I switched and started asking every time. Lo and behold, there was almost always an offer on the table.

When you go through peculiar situations, there is no need to be shy with God. You can ask directly every time until you start to see the answers manifest. Being persistent in your request creates the perception that you’re sure of your request. It’s not a “maybe”.

In business, whenever I’m able to deliver results for a client and feel the client may be open to getting more results, I pitch an upsell. It works and it’s the same strategy I’ve taught others when trying to increase revenue.

Being able to ask also requires that when the answer you get is NO, you don’t give up on yourself. Yes, you may have a hard time dealing with rejection, especially when you had to summon a lot of courage to ask, but it probably means it’s not the right time, or you just need to be more strategically persistent.

Whatever the case may be, ask for what you need. Be direct, but do it in a way that will increase your chances of getting what you ask for. For some, you need a PowerPoint presentation. For others, you probably just need to smile. For God, ask as a son would humbly ask His Father.