Please, in the name of Jesus we pray, amen. Amen, so the title of the lesson this morning is From Leech to Light, Asking for the Right Things. From Leech to Light, Asking for the Right Things. So we've been going through the book of Matthew on Sunday school, and I just want you guys to really notice how deep the Bible is. Like every single verse, there's great truths, and we can learn something from every single verse. And the Bible is amazing of how deep it is. So I just wanna continue on through chapter seven of Matthew, chapter seven. And we live, basically, we live in a society today that loves to acquire things, right? Like we, as human beings, we like to get things. And when I say things, I'm talking about physical possessions, right? Our economy is fueled by greed, and the love of money and people not being satisfied with what they already have. And many people, they always seek to take and to consume and leech off of other people with no desire to give back, right? And so I want you to think about a leech for a second, right? A leech, you might have seen one before, it's like a parasitic worm. And they actually use them, there's medical leeches where they stick them on people to get blood out of them for medical procedures. And so a leech, it's a type of worm that attaches itself to humans or other animals and feeds on their blood, right? It sucks the blood of the host that it's attached to. And the word leech, it's also used to describe someone who acts like a parasite, right, in their own lives. They live off of others and offer nothing in return, right? And they just take, take, and take. And the Bible actually talks about leeches in the book of Proverbs. In Proverbs chapter 30 in verse 15, it says, the horse leech hath two daughters, crying, give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied. Yea, four things say not it is enough. The grave, and the barren womb, and the earth that is not filled with water, and the fire that saith not it is enough. So we see how the leech is used to describe these four things in the Bible. They continually cry, give, give, right? The grave is one of them, right? The grave never has enough, right? People will continue to die because we live in a sinful flesh. The barren womb, right? Someone is always longing after children. There's always going to be someone that's longing that. The parched earth, right? The ground that is dry, it thirsts for rain. Even when it rains, it continues to want more rain. And then the fire continues to consume as long as there is fuel for the fire, right? It never says, I'm full. So, the same way that the Bible describes these four things, always taking and never being full. There are also people that act this way in their own lives. They're never satisfied, right? Crying, give, give. And some people treat God as their personal genie in a bottle, right? They want God to give them physical and material things in their life. Like, they'll say, God, you know, if I could just have that brand new $70,000 car, or God, please allow me to have this $1,000 iPhone, or, you know, God, I have to have those $300 pair of shoes, right? And think about these things. And in Matthew chapter seven, In verse seven it says, ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be open. So many people read verses like this in Matthew chapter 7, and they say, see, God wants me to ask for things, and he says if you ask, you will receive, right? And that's true, but I want to show you some other verses that when people read these verses, they think that God will give them anything and everything that they desire. So in Matthew chapter 21 and verse 22, says, "...in all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." And then in Mark chapter 11 verse 24 says, "...therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." So there are people that like to use the phrase, name it and claim it, right? You might've heard that before, name it and claim it. They think that if they ask God for things and they believe that they already have them, then they will get those things, right? Like for example, there are people that will say, I'm a millionaire in Jesus' name, right? They'll claim that, they say, I'm claiming that million dollars and I'm believing that I will receive that million dollars. And it's silly, because people actually do that, and they say, you know what, I'm claiming that million dollars. Well, newsflash, right, God's not going to give you a million dollars when you're greedy and all you care about is money, right? You can claim the million dollars all you want, but you're not going to get it, right? God's not going to give it to you. In 1st Timothy chapter 6 in verse 10, it says, So what do great riches bring you, right? When you have a lot of money, it pierces you through with many sorrows, it brings you trouble, right? And Ecclesiastes chapter five and verse 10, it says, he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with increase, this is also vanity. So someone that loves money, that wants to continue to obtain money and abundance in their life, they're never gonna be satisfied with those things, right? You're gonna continue to want more and more. And then in Luke chapter 12 and verse 15, it says, So why are you trying to obtain material things in your life if that's what life, it doesn't consist of those things? So we see many places in the Bible that talk against greed, against riches, against physical abundance, seeking after material things. And in Proverbs chapter 30 in verse 8 and 9 tells us the attitude that we should have. It says, remove far from me vanity and lies, give me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me, Lest I be full and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain." So you see, this is the mindset that we should have when it comes to seeking after physical possessions or money. We need to ask for food convenient for us, meaning we just ask, we should ask God for the things that we need in life, right? Not extra in abundance, because when we have more and we become rich, we forget God, right? But then if we have too little, then we're going to, you know, try and steal and take God's name in vain. So we want to ask God for just what we need in life. So let's go back to Matthew 7, verse 7, it says, Ask and ye shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" So, Jesus is giving us an example If a son asks a father for bread, is a good father going to give him a stone in return? No, right? A good father is going to give him bread. Or if he asks a fish, is the father going to give him a serpent? No, he's going to give him what he asked for. if we being evil, right, and we are evil outside of Jesus Christ, like the Bible says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it, right? So we are evil apart from from Jesus Christ. So if we know how to give good gifts, how much more shall our Father in heaven give good things to them that ask Him. So the question is, what are these good things that Jesus is talking about, right? As children of God, He wants us to ask Him for things, right? Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you." So is this talking about asking for anything that we want no matter what it is, right? That new car, the new phone, large screen TV, physical and material things. Are these the good things that God gives us or is he talking about something else, right? I want to look at a parallel passage in Luke chapter 11. In Luke 11, verse 10 through 13, it says, for everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" So, I want you to notice here that in this passage, we have a clearer picture of what those good gifts are that the Father in heaven will give us, right? He's specifically talking about spiritual things and not physical things, right? How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? So the question that I have for you this morning, and think about this, what are you asking God for in your life? Right? Are you asking Him for the physical things, right? The cars, the boats, the phones, houses, TVs, the things of this world? Are you trying to, right, leech off of God and other people, seeking after those physical possessions? Or are you asking Him for spiritual things in your life? In John chapter 14, In verse 13 through 14, it says, And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. So why does God give us things when we ask in Jesus' name, right? So that the Father may be glorified in the Son. So if you ask God to win the lottery, is that bringing glory to God? When you ask God to win that gambling machine in the convenience store, is that going to bring glory to God? No. When you win that lottery, you know what's going to happen? You're going to consume it upon your own lust. That's what James chapter 4 says. So the things that we're asking God for, they're supposed to bring glory and honor to God. That's why He gives us things to bring glory to Him. So we need to make sure that we're asking for the right things in our life. For example, asking God for wisdom gives honor and glory to God, right? And how is that? Because you're humbling yourself And you're saying, God, I need your wisdom, right? I'm nothing without you. If you think you already know everything, right, that's prideful. And God, he despises pride, and he wants you to bring glory and honor to him. And in Proverbs chapter 23, In verses 4 through 5, it says, So we're supposed to cease from our own wisdom and ask God for his wisdom, right? He's saying labor not to be rich. Don't seek after the riches of this world. Why? Because certainly those riches, they're gonna make themselves wings and fly away. What is that talking about? Those riches are gonna be gone in an instant, right? Like it's not gonna last. And so we need to seek after God's wisdom Asking for spiritual things in our life, not the things that we think that make us happy, right? The physical things, they're never gonna make you happy. Ask God for spiritual things. In Daniel 2 in verse 20. And 20 through 22, it says, Daniel answered and said, blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are his, and he changes the times and the seasons. He removeth kings and setteth up kings. He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding. He revealeth the deep and secret things. He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with them. And then in Romans chapter 11, 33 through 36, it says, Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who hath known the mind of the Lord or who hath been his counselor or who hath first given to him and it shall be recompensed unto him again. For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever Amen. So which would you rather have in life, $1 million or God's wisdom? Some people will say, I'll take the $1,000,000. Without God's wisdom, that $1,000,000 is gone like this. It's gone in an instant. You can have your $1,000,000. I'll take God's wisdom all day long. Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. His wisdom has so much depth and power. The wisdom of God is as great riches, and last week we talked about how King Solomon, he asked God for spiritual wisdom, if you remember that, to be able to judge righteously. And because he asked for spiritual things, not only did God give him that wisdom, he also gave him physical blessings as well, right? In James 1, verse 5, it says, 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." So, God, He doesn't hold back wisdom from you when you ask Him for it, right? Like, is anyone here lacking wisdom? I know I lack wisdom, right? Just ask God for it, and He's gonna give it to you, right? What are you asking God for in your life? Are you only asking Him for physical things? or are you asking God for spiritual things, right? The things that please Him and bring glory and honor to Him. Those are the things that you should be asking for, right? And so maybe you're asking yourself, well, what are some spiritual things that I can ask God for, right? We know wisdom is one, right? That's a great thing to ask God for. But I wanna give you a list of seven spiritual things that you can ask God for in your life. And these are good gifts that God will give you when you ask him, right? Like, not the physical things. Like, those things, they go away. And we talked about that a few weeks ago, about seeking after heavenly things, right? Laying your treasures up in heaven. We know all the physical things that we lay up on this earth, they're gonna pass away. We need to lay up treasures in heaven. So these are seven spiritual things that we can ask for God in our life. So, number one, is ask for a heart that hates sin, right? Ask for a heart that hates sin. In Psalm 51 in verse 10, it says, create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. When we sin against God in our life, we should have a broken heart and have great sorrow for sinning against our creator and savior. And we should ask God to renew a right spirit within us to hate sin, and to walk in his ways. So, if you really want a heart that hates sin in your life, and I want you to really think about this, because this is really important, guys, as far as how we live our lives, right? Every single day, if you want to hate sin in your life, you have to read God's Word so you can understand how God feels about the things that you're doing in your life. Make sure you understand how God feels about the things that you're doing in your life. So I want you to think about some superficial things in your life that you hate. For example, maybe there's a particular song that you hate, or maybe there's a certain type of food that you hate. For me, I hate mayonnaise. And it's an abomination to me. It's disgusting. I don't understand how anyone can eat it, right? So now that you know that about me, if you go and eat mayonnaise in front of me all the time, I'm going to get mad, right? Because it's nasty. So are you all going to eat mayonnaise in front of me now? You love me, right? You love me. You don't want to eat mayonnaise in front of me because you love me. So now apply that same principle to God, right? Now when you read his word, you find out what he hates. Once you know what he hates, you don't want to do those things anymore because you know how much he despises those things, right? And so in Psalm 119, Verse 104 says, through thy precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way. So through thy precepts, that's talking about the word of God. How do you hate every false way? By reading God's word and understanding what God hates, right? It's important that you read his word and look for those things, like the sin in your life. You don't want to do that because God despises it and he hates it. And so we need to, that's how you have that heart that hates sin and ask God for that, right? Like ask God, Lord, help me to hate sin in my life. And you do that by reading his word, that's really important. And he'll give that to you, right? Like if you ask him for that, he will give you that hatred for sin. Point number two, we need to ask to walk in the spirit, ask to walk in the spirit. So going hand in hand, with hating sin is walking in the spirit of God. Because if we don't want to sin, we must walk in the spirit. Galatians chapter five in verse 16 through 17, it says, this I say then, walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. And then in Colossians 1 9-10 it says, For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will, and all wisdom, and spiritual understanding, that ye may walk worthy of the Lord, and the all-pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. So when we walk in the Spirit, we will also have the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. And that's what we want. We want to produce the fruit of the Spirit. And that fruit in Galatians chapter 5, 22 through 23, it says, but the fruit of the Spirit is love. joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law." So if you are having a hard time loving people in your life, it's time to ask God to help you love other people, right? If you're lacking joy, If you're lacking peace, if you're lacking long-suffering or patience or gentleness, all these things, if you are lacking them in your life and you want them, right, you should want these things in your life, then it's time to ask God for them, right? And God's not going to hold back. He's going to give you these things, right? Ask God to help you walk in the Spirit of God. And He will help you do that. And that's so important when it comes to pleasing the Lord, living a life that's pleasing to Him and a blessed life, we need to walk in the Spirit. So, number one, we need to ask for a heart that hates sin. Number two, ask for God to help you walk in His Spirit. Number three, ask for a godly spouse in your life. Ask for a godly spouse. When I was about 21 years old, I decided that I wanted to find a wife and get married. I always, as a teenager growing up, I prayed that God would send me the right lady in my life, and I prayed that God would send me a godly wife that feared the Lord. and whose main focus in life was serving God, and not long after that, God sent Milana to me, right? And in Proverbs 18, verse 22, it says, Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor the Lord so I'm so thankful that God has shown favor towards me right by giving me a godly wife and That loves the Lord with all our heart soul mind and strength. All right. I would not be here without Milana, right? I need her. I love my wife greatly and if you want to know what strength looks like Look at Milana, right? She's extremely strong. She had two back-to-back C-sections, then she had a natural birth in a hospital, then she gave birth at home, and then a couple years later she gave birth at home again. That's strength. She's been through so much in her life. And so you need to ask God to give you a godly spouse in your life that loves the Lord, In Proverbs 31 verse 10, it says, So men, it's time to step up and get married to a good wife that loves the Lord, right? If there's not a lady in your life that believes in Jesus Christ and loves God, then you need to ask for God to send you someone, right? Maybe there is someone in your life that's a saved and hey, It's time to get married, right? And do what God wants you to do, and God will give you that godly spouse, and he's going to bless you in your life when you do that. So ladies, if you want to be married, then it's time to ask God to send you a godly husband that works hard and wants to serve the Lord. with everything he's got, right? A godly spouse is a gift from God, and he will give you one if you ask him, right? Just keep praying. If you desire, that's a spiritual thing that God wants to give you, right? Ask him for it. And so we need to make sure we're praying for a godly spouse in our lives. Number four, ask for strength in adversity. Strength in adversity, right? God doesn't promise an easy life. Like we have hardship in our life. God doesn't promise an easy life. So in Acts chapter 14 in verse 22, it says, confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith and that through much tribulation, We must, through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God. So God, He doesn't promise us an easy life. What we are promised is hardship and tribulation, right? In 1 Thessalonians 3, Chapter three, three through four, it says that no man should be moved by these afflictions, for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation, even as it came to pass, and ye know. So we're not supposed to be surprised when we face hardship in our life. It's going to come, right? If you're not facing hardship right now, it's going to come in your life. And so, even though we face these challenges, we have a God that we can lean on in those times, right? And in Isaiah chapter 40 in verse 29, it says, Do you sometimes feel like you can't keep going? I feel like that sometimes. So guess what? God gives you power and strength in those times. Just lean on Him, and He's going to increase your strength. In Isaiah 41, verse 10, it says, "'Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. "'I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, "'yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand "'of my righteousness.'" So we need to ask God for strength in times of adversity, and he will give you that, right? Ask God to prepare you for those hard times, right? Because they will come in your life. Ask him to help you to be ready for them, right? Because if you're not having trouble right now, that trouble is coming. Look in Isaiah 43 in verse two, it says, when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. So we are gonna go through those hard times, but remember, God's gonna give you strength if you ask him, right? Like that's a great spiritual thing to ask God for, and he will give it to you when you ask him. Number five. Ask God for understanding when we read the Bible, right? Ask God for understanding when we read the Bible. So Psalms 119 verse 18, it says, open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Like when you're reading the Bible, before you start reading or listening to it, ask God to open your eyes to be able to understand the words of God, right? He's already given you his spirit. and you can understand, just ask for that understanding. Psalm 119 verse 27 says, make me to understand the way of thy precepts. So shall I talk of thy wondrous work. Don't you wanna be able to talk about the wondrous works of God? And the way you do that is by reading God's word and understanding it, and then you can talk about it to other people, right? What a blessing it is to talk about the wondrous works of God. And Psalm 119 verse 34 says, give me understanding. and I shall keep thy law, yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart." Like, don't you want to do what God wants for you in life? Like, you don't want to go through life being ignorant to the things that God hates, right? You want to know what He despises, and so that's why you should seek understanding. In 1 Corinthians 2, verse 12, it says, now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us. So God has given us his spirit to be able to understand the mysteries of God. What a blessing that is, because not everyone has that, right? Anyone that believes in Jesus Christ for salvation, they have the spirit of God. You can understand the mysteries of God, right? Do you want, to have better understanding of things in the Bible, then just ask him, right? Ask God for understanding, he will give you that understanding. Seek it and you will find it. In Colossians chapter one, verse 26 through 27 says, even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints, that's you, right? He's made manifest the mysteries of God to you. to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." So what a pleasure and a blessing it is to have, you know, the Spirit of God in you, literally God himself, in his spirit and living inside of you. Like how powerful is that? You need to think about these things and understand like what you have inside of you, right? You have the power of God. That's amazing, right? And remember that, like when you're living life and you're going out and sinning against God, remember you're grieving his spirit. He's inside of you, right? Think about those things in your life. Number six, we need to ask for the salvation of others. Ask for the salvation of others and ask for things on behalf of other people, right? Pray for them. We should be praying for others and asking God to save the people that we love in our lives. We all have family and friends that are unsaved, right? Like all of us do. We need to make intercession for those people and pray on their behalf. So 1 Timothy chapter two and verse one through three, it says, I exhort, therefore, that first of all supplications and prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. for kings and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior. So God wants us to pray and make intercession for all men, right? For kings, for people in authority, everyone. We're supposed to pray for them. Why? So we can live a quiet and peaceable life. Do you want peace in your life? right? Pray for other people. God promises it to you, right? And Numbers chapter 14 says, Pardon I beseech thee. This is Moses, right? He's making intercession for the people. Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy. And as thou has forgiven this people from Egypt, even until now And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word. So Moses, he prayed and made intercession for the people and God was gonna destroy them. Moses says, God, please don't destroy them. Guess what? God did not destroy them. So prayer makes a big difference in life. Like the prayer that you make for someone could bring healing and salvation to their life. Right, what's better, like asking God for material things for yourself, that's gonna, those things are gonna go away, or asking God to give spiritual blessings in the lives of others, right? Think about that, because we know that God will give those things when we ask. We need to make sure we're praying for other people, praying for the salvation of others. It's really important. Point number seven, we need to ask for boldness to preach the gospel, right? Ask for boldness to preach the gospel. In Acts chapter four in verse 29 through 31, it says, and now Lord behold their threatenings and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word by stretching forth thine hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. So we need to ask God for boldness to open our mouths and to preach the gospel, right? I promise you, if you ask him, he will give you that boldness, right? I'm a living testament to that, right? Everyone that has known me throughout my life, they know that I don't talk much, right? I'm not an outgoing person. I'm a quiet person. I never wanted to speak in front of people, right? But here I am today in front of you all. speaking and preaching, right? I love preaching the gospel and going right up to people and asking them, are you 100% sure that you're going to heaven? It's the most satisfying thing you can do in your life. I promise you, there's nothing better than going up to someone and asking them, are you 100% sure you're going to heaven? And then when they don't know, then you get to share that with them. Like leading another person to salvation in Jesus Christ, that is the greatest thing you can ever do. So if you want to be bold, Just ask God. It's that simple, right? Ask him for it. Ask him for that boldness. He will give it to you. I promise. I asked him for it. He gave it to me. Okay, just ask him. Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18 through 19 says, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto. with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel." And then in 2 Timothy 1 7-8, it says, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord. So we weren't given that spirit of fear, right? We have the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind. So we need to ask God for that boldness to go out and preach the gospel, right? So those are seven spiritual things that you can ask God for. I'm gonna just recap them. Number one, ask God for a heart that hates sin in your life. Ask Him to walk in the Spirit. Ask for help to walk in the Spirit of God. Number three, ask for a godly spouse in your life. Number four, ask for strength in adversity. Number five, ask for understanding when reading the Bible. Number six, ask for salvation for others. And number seven, ask for boldness to preach the gospel. So we started this message talking about leeches, right? Creatures that cling to others, they cry, give, give, right? Never satisfied, always taking. And that same spirit of never being satisfied lives in people today, right? Many live as leeches, only coming to God when they want something from Him, right? They treat God like a personal genie, asking for cars, cash, comfort, convenience, and they never stop to ask, what kind of things does God really want me to ask for, right? Are these verses, like in Matthew chapter 7, are these just saying, well, I can just ask for anything and God will give it to me? No, we need to ask that question, what does God really want me to ask for in life? And we saw in Luke chapter 11, God isn't promising to give you the latest iPhone, or a mansion, or a million dollars, right? He's promising something much better. He's promising you the Holy Spirit of God. He's ready to give you good gifts, but those good gifts are spiritual gifts, right? Gifts that make you more like Jesus Christ, and they bring glory to the Father, right? Matthew 7, verse 11 through 12, it says, If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets. So because God has given us many great blessings and spiritual gifts, he's ready to give to you when you ask, because of that, We ought to give to others and treat them the same way that we want to be treated in life, right? That's what God's saying. We need to be giving to others. We ask God for spiritual gifts so we can give back to other people. And poor... Jesus Christ into other people's lives. That's the purpose, right? So when you stop living like a leech, right, taking, consuming, and demanding things, and you start living like Christ, giving, serving, praying, and seeking the good of others, you become a vessel for God's blessings, right? You get to give and pour back into other people's lives. In Psalm 37, verse 4, this is the last verse, it says, delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." So when you delight yourselves in the things of God, not in the things of this world, right? Delight yourself in the things of God. When you ask for those things that bring glory to him, he will give you those desires, right? So God, he says, ask, seek, and knock. Right? Think about that. Ask, seek, and knock. But not for Alexis, right? Not for lottery numbers or those physical things. He wants you to ask for his spirit, for the spiritual things, right? Seeking his kingdom. Knock on the doors of heavenly wisdom and understanding, right? And he will give you those things freely, right? So let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you again so much for your word. Lord, we're so thankful that you are a God that's ready to give to us freely, and we know that those things that we're supposed to be asking for are spiritual things, things that bring glory and honor to you, not to ourselves, not to satisfy our flesh. Please help us, Lord, to go from here. Remember these things that we need to ask for in our life, the spiritual things, and just help us to go and be bold, preach the gospel. Thank you for everything you do for us. In Jesus' name, amen.