Ask, Seek, and Knock | Selena Greiner

In this encouraging message centered on “the new,” the speaker unpacks Matthew 7’s call to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking as a blueprint for stepping into what God has prepared for 2026. Through powerful biblical examples like Hezekiah’s answered prayer and Paul’s transformed pursuit, the message emphasizes the importance of speaking life, staying persistent in faith, and keeping your mind fixed on God’s higher purpose. It’s a motivating reminder that God responds to our voice, honors consistent pursuit, and reveals new methods, new direction, and new strength when we remain rooted deeply in His Word and presence.

Transcript

Opening Prayer And Focus

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Let's just start out in prayer. Father, we just thank you, Lord, for tonight. We thank you for your word. We thank you that it is alive, it is powerful, it is sharp. And we open our hearts to you. It is not my words, but it's your words through me, Lord. And so we um we are not distracted by the cares of this world. We are not distracted by what went on today. We're not distracted by this upcoming week, Father. But our attention and our focus is on you, Father. Your word says to pay attention to your words. And so we pay attention to your words tonight. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah. So I really don't have a title tonight. Um, I don't like not having titles, but I guess if you're taking notes, the title is um uh at key, so it comes out of Matthew 7. Keep on asking. Um, actually, no title, but it's it's the new. It's the new. It's a pastor's been preaching about the new and one of his scriptures that he used. Of course, he used Revelation uh 21. Behold, I make all things new. And then another scripture that he had uh preached on was Matthew 7. So on return to Matthew 7, and I wrote it down in the New Living translation, but it's good in many translations. In the New Living, it says, Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives, everyone who seeks finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be open. And uh, and then a couple of verses after that says, You parents, if your children ask you for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? No. Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not. So if you simple people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more? Everybody say, How much more? Will your heavenly father give you good gifts to those who who what? Ask. Who ask him? And so we have a heavenly father that loves us, and and he knows the desires of our heart. We're his kids. Sometimes people get that confused and they blame God for things. But um, how many of y'all know people have a free will, right? Sometimes you wish you could make them do the right thing, but no, that it's a free, they have God gave us free choice, free will. And um, and so here he uh he keeps on asking. I like it in a new living because you keep on, right? You don't just ask, you keep on asking, you keep on seeking. You know, you don't just say, God, I prayed once and it didn't come to pass, right? So it must your word not must not be true. No, we have to keep on asking, we have to keep on seeking, we have to keep on pursuing. And so um, my number one point is just ask, which really means to me when when you ask, you're using your voice. So it's words, it's new words. Ever say new words, new words, and so sometimes um, you know, in the new uh we can get into a habit of just we say the same thing, or um, we're going through a trial, we're going through tough stuff, and um, you know, we can flesh can creep up and become negative, right? We can we're pro like pastor has said, we're programmed negative, but that's the old you. The new you has positive words, the new you has life-giving words, and so to asked means you at you're using your mouth. And so I thought of Isaiah, we want to turn to Isaiah 38, talks about Hezekiah, and I'll read just a couple of verses here. Um, Isaiah 38, 1. In those days, Hezekiah was sick and near death, and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos, went to him and said to him, Thus says the Lord, set your house in order, for you shall die and not live. And then if you skip down verse 5, uh go and tell Hezekiah, thus says the Lord, the God of David, your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. Surely I would add to your days fifteen years. And then if you read it again, and just long story short, verse 14, like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered, I mourn like a dove, my eyes, and this is a prayer from he was praying. Uh, my eyes fell from looking upward. Oh Lord, I am oppressed, undertake uh for me. And the new living it says, Help me, Lord. Hezekiah is saying, Help me, help me, Lord. And so if you read about Hezekiah, he restored true worship, wasn't perfect, no kings were perfect in the Bible. He was he uh cleansed the temple, restored it. And so here, I mean, God, the Lord answered him and added 15 years to his life. I mean, and that's Old Testament. How much more when we ask, when we pray, when we seek, God will add to us, right? And so, and it doesn't have to be a perfect prayer. Sometimes um, you know, we have words, God knows what's on the inside of our heart, right? Um, I remember being young, way back in the day, and I did not like praying in front of people. Not that I was always called to do it, but I grew up in a big youth group, and I remember the first time Pastor Gary called me to pray, I was like, oh, sitting in the back row with my friends. I was like, Oh, I hope he doesn't see me, right? And he called me and then I prayed. We were actually in Mexico, we were on a missions trip, and he called me to pray, and I prayed, and I was like, I don't even know what I prayed, right? Have you ever had those moments where you just say stuff and then you're like you pray, and like, what did I just omit to pray that? And I, you know, two sentences came out. Mind you, I was like 15 or 16. Um, I I don't even remember. No, I think I prayed in I think I prayed both. I prayed a little bit of English and a little bit of Spanish. Um, but gloria Dios, hallelujah, su nombre, Gloria. Anyways, but um, but my point is God hears us, God knows our heart when we pray, when we seek Him, when we when we have these new words, we do it with confidence. God, just like Hezekiah, I need your help, right? Hey, your house is out of order, you you ain't you're gonna die. And then he repent, hey God, I need your help. Help me. And so we can pray those prayers, help me, Lord. Um, and we do it with confidence, right? We do it with confidence, and so God wants to hear your voice, right? Not pastors, pastor, he has his own voice, right? Very loud and clear. We each have our own voice, and God wants to hear your voice regarding your situation. You don't just like Pastor says, you now you can call the office and we will pray for you, but God needs to hear your voice, not your husband's, not your wife, not your kids, your voice. And so it's so important that in this asking in Matthew 7 that we you we use words, we use these new words and we ask, right? And we declare some things. Romans 8, let's turn to Romans 8. Um, I like it in the Amplified Classic. Romans 8, chapter 8, verses 8 through 10 in the Amplified Classic says, but what does it say? The word, God's message in Christ is near you. Everybody say, It's near me on my lips and in my heart. It says, on your lips and in your heart. That is the word, the message, the basis and object of faith we preach, which we preach. Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips, right, how do we confess with our lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe, adhere to, trust in, rely on the truth, right? You trust in it, you adhere to it. It's like glue, right? Um, you rely on the truth that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with a heart, a person believes, right? Adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ, and so is justified, declared righteous, acceptable to God, and with the mouth he confesses, declares openly and speaks out freely his faith and confirms his salvation. And so we declare, I like that amplified. It says, we declare openly and speak out freely his faith. It's in us. We're not born to be timid, we're not born to be shy, we're not born to be below, underneath, stepped upon. No, we're we're to declare what God says about us, not what your pastor said about you, not what your parents say about you, but what God says about you. And so daily, that's a daily talking about his goodness, daily talking about his faithfulness. God, you're so, so good to me, Hannah. We gave Hannah a little concert in Jay's office, and we only sang that song once. Jay played it on the guitar once. And we a couple days later, I brought her in there, and I she sat, we have a little routine. She sat in his chair, she took off her socks, she got a little comfy, and then he was gonna get his star and she said, Me, and I was immediately like, so so good to me. She wants you to play her that song. It was so sweet. Um, but just like God, we can do that daily. Like, God, you're so, so good to me. It doesn't just have to be on stage, it doesn't just have to be on a Sunday, right? It's like daily we say, God, you're so, so good to me. Thank you for being so, so good to me. And so it's daily when we ask Him, when we pray, when we petition, we're taking the limits off, right? We serve a God that's limitless. We put limits on ourselves. We we sometimes can put limits, but no, God's saying, Hey, you're well equipped to do what I've called you to do, right? Say, I am well equipped to do what God has called me to do. Yeah, and if you read in the word, like Jesus was constantly confessing his identity and his destiny, right? He didn't remain silent, he was confessing the word. He was tempted. It is written, man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. And so we constantly like we have to say it, we have to confess it. We have to, we have to keep on speaking. And so Matthew 19, 26, it says, with men, this is impossible. But I'm glad it didn't stop there. I'm glad the verse does just didn't say with men it's impossible, but with God, all things are possible. All things, and all things means all things, all things are possible. The new things that you're believing God for, right? And the new things doesn't mean just adding more stuff to what you already have. Because how many of you know we live in Houston first, and then we live in trap this crazy traffic and all the things. And if you have a job or multiple jobs or all the things, like it's it's it can be crazy. And so so a new thing isn't just oh my gosh, I now there's this other thing. No, maybe it's a new method, it's a new way of doing things, right? God doesn't want us to live in turmoil, God doesn't want it to be stressful, God doesn't want this new thing that you're that He wants you to step in to be to be um just turmoil and confusion. He wants it to be peaceful, right? And so um where there's envy and where there's strife and when there's confusion, that's you know that's not God. You know that's the enemy. But where there's peace, right, and where there's joy, where there's the fruit of the spirit, you know the spirit, you know, that's where where God abounds. And so every step we take, God is with us. And so moving forward in 2026, know that you're well equipped of what God has called you to do. I'm well equipped. So number two is to seek, right? And that's a new pursuit. When you seek him, it's a new pursuit, it's a high calling. Philippians 3 14 says, I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus. Paul was pressing, right? There was a high call for him. He was pressing. He wasn't just staying back, he was he was pressing, he was desiring more of him. And if you read about Paul um in Acts, I mean, even Paul was saw, and on the road to Damascus, he had an encounter with God. Asked him two questions. Who are you, Lord, and what do you want me to do? Right? Saw a bright light. Who are you, Lord, and what do you want me to do? Right? It's kind of like his next steps. What do you want me to do, Lord? And so he ran with that for the rest of his life. Who are you, Lord, and what do you want me to do with this? Like I've had an encounter with you. What do I do now? What are my next steps? Right? What are my next steps? And so there was a new pursuit for him, right? When he was pursuing um the things of the world, he was killing Christians, but now there was a new pursuit, there was a high calling. And uh let's see, Colossians 3 2 in the New King James, I'll read it in the New King James and the Amplified. Colossians 3 2 says, set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth. And so in this new pursuit, we set our minds, right? It means to keep it there, we set it. In the Amplified it says, and set your minds and keep them set on what is above the higher things, not on the things that are on the earth, right? How much we need that now in 2026. Oh boy. Oh boy. Um so we have to set our minds and keep them set. And it can be as easy. The enemy wants to get our minds off of the word of God and onto the circumstance and on to what so-and-so said, or um, you know, offense, and and it can get you off course. And here, if we just do the simple, you know, it's it's clear, set your mind, keep your mind on the word of God, keep your mind on what God's called you to do, not on what somebody else, your neighbor or your other family member, we don't focus. Hey, we pray for them and we do what we can, but then you, you're gonna have to give an account to the Lord. And so we're the battlefield is in the mind. And so here he's saying, set your mind on things above and keep them set there, right? And so, in pursuing in your new pursuit, you have to make sure that that we don't get off focus, that our mind is set on the word of God, that we're just not watching the news all day, that'll get us in the dumps, right? Or we're not just wasting time on our phone. That's just you can't get that time back, right? Seize the day, seize the opportunity. And so there's so many distractions nowadays. You have to make sure to put that away and set your mind on things above, keep them, set it and then keep it there. And so Paul was pressing towards that mark, right? And so, new methods, it's the new, and so new methods, new worship, new desire, the pursuit of his presence, really. Because when you're in his presence, you know, and again, it doesn't mean you're weird and just worshiping God. You can worship God, go to work, and still worship God. You can have this attitude of just worship comes from the inside. You know, it's not like you're not gonna get the job done and you're just oh, I gotta worship God. Hold on, I can't. No, no, you're you're you're just this, it's just you're always we're thanking God, you're worshiping him, you're exalting his name, you're thankful for everything, right? And it keeps you, it keeps you in his presence instead of in the world, right? It keeps you when you've when you've read the word, when you prayed much in the Holy Ghost, it keeps you. And then later on, if you read in Acts 26, talking about Paul, um it says, I was not, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. And so Paul, even through all of it, he wasn't, he he had the high calling of God on his life. He had an encounter with God on that road. And um, those two questions of who are you, Lord? And then what do you want me to do? What are my next steps? What do you want me to do for the rest of my life? What do you want me to do? And so he fulfilled that. Look, we have the word now, all of his letters. Philippians 3 16 in the Passion Translation says, and let us all advance together to reach this victory prize following one path, or gonna say one path with one passion. That's so good. I've never read in the Passion Translation, and I ran across it. I'm like, that is so good. We are all advancing, following one path with one passion. But how many of y'all know that a lot of times people, you know, they don't follow one path. They don't follow one passion, they don't get under a pastor, right? They they're doing their thing. They're they're they're here because of whatever the circumstance, but no, God wants us to work together for the victory prize, following one path with one passion, coming together. And so what pastor preached this morning, and I didn't get to hear it all. I went back on Live Street and heard like 10 minutes of it, but it was so good. I was teaching junior high. But just coming together with the new, with the grow, with the go, like God's equipped us. God's God's equipped you. We need you. We need you. God needs you. More importantly, God needs you. And so we push past, you know, the struggles of life. We push back the uh through the heartache, through the disappointment. Um, and we have the spirit of faith with one path, with one passion. And then number three is to knock, um, which means persistence. It means persistence. And so Matthew 4, um, I'm gonna read it a little bit out of order. It talks about the sower. Uh, I'm gonna read in the amplified classic, Matthew 4, 24. Uh, you know, and I put this kind of in the, I don't want to say negative, but sometimes we can be persistent about the wrong thing, right? Certain personality types. Um, you know, God's made us all different and wonderful and unique, and and uh we can be persistent, but we have to make sure it's persistent in the right way, persistent, the way God wants us to be persistent. Because you, yes, there's there's a job that needs to be done, but again, how you got you got the job done, but um, how many people did you take out? But we got the job done, right? But we ain't got no people, but we got the job done. So it's it's um so we don't want to be persistent in the wrong way. We want to make sure it's God's way, and the only way we can be godly persistent is by staying close to him and reading his word. And so here, Matthew 4, 24, in the Amplified Classes, the classic, it says, be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the truth you hear will be will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you. And more besides, will be given to you who hear. And so uh here it's talking about the sower sows the word. So it's not just talking about if you read the whole chapter, it's not just talking about dirt and seeds, it's talking about hearts and lives of people. Um, and so we have to guard what we're listening to. It affects what we believe. Who you're listening to will eventually affect what you believe, and then what you believe affects how you receive things, right? And so it becomes a truth in you. Well, that's my truth. No, that's not, that's a lie. You think it's the truth, but it's not based on the word of God, so it's not just, oh, it's my truth. No, it's a lie from the pit of hell. And so we have to make sure that um we don't give ear to what the enemy is saying. Um And uh also, especially now with online and every preacher and everything, and like you don't know where that preacher's been, you don't know where he came from, you don't know who who you listen to online, he can get you off track. Like, you have to be guarded, you have to um make sure that um just stick with your pastor. Like, you know, I just I'm thankful for the foundation um that I had growing up of being under Pastor John Osteen and then um being under here at Glorious Way Church. I'm thankful for that. Okay, and so if you read Matthew 4, so if you go a couple of verses before that, I wanted to read verse 14, Matthew 4, 14, uh and then through 19. Let's see. Uh the one, the ones along the path are those who have the word sown in their hearts, but when they hear it, Satan comes at once and by force takes away the message which is sown in them. And in the same way, the ones sown upon stony ground are those who, when they hear the word, at once receive and accept it and welcome it with joy. And they have no real root in themselves, and so they endure for a little while. Then when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, they immediately are offended, become displeased, indignant, resentful, and they stumble away and fall away. And the ones sown among the thorns are the others who hear the word, then the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of this age, and the pleasures and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the word, and it becomes fruitless. And so we have to make sure that we're not those, right? That we're we want our roots to grow down deep. We don't, we want to move forward in faith and not fear, we want to move forward in soundness of mind, right? We want to move forward in in peace and not depression and anxiety. And so as I was reading this, I was thinking about um, you know how, so if you're on Instagram watching the reels, Jay watches more reels actually than I do, but we won't talk about that. But it feeds you. So if you didn't know, if you if you watch a reel for a certain amount of time, it feeds you more, right? So, like if you like cooking and baking and you watch that for a certain amount, it'll feed you more. It'll, it'll, in your, in your feed, it'll give you more baking clips and cooking, and that's mine usually is about that, or gardening. And and so sometimes I'll quickly watch little gardening clips because I like flowers and I like plants and I like to take care of them. I don't like for them to die, even though there have been a couple that have passed away in my hands. But uh, I was watching this small little video clip of um a lady, she was talking about just how to um, but she was talking about potted plants. Anyways, um uh and the and the guy next to her actually taking the video, she was going back and forth with him. If in a plant, like you don't water it, you're not supposed to just water it, and many people do because we live busy lives, but on top, right? It's supposed to be actually soaked from the bottom. And he says that it creates a stronger root system, a stronger, it's a soaker, right? You soak it, you don't just but a lot of times we just we we water the plants and we think they're water from on top, and actually the leaves not good for the leaves because it can create like fungus and all those things. And so he was just saying that it if you put a little coaster at the bottom and put water in it, it'll soak it, the roots will soak it up, and it creates a stronger plant, a stronger root, versus the other way, if you just sprinkle on top or use even if it's a lot of water, the roots will are shallow, they will never become deep. And so it just made me think of like, hey, the word of God, if you just soak in it, right? But a lot of times people just want to be sprinkled, right? I'll come to church on Easter and it's good, and I'll come to church on Christmas, yeah. I'm talking to the choir, right? We come to church and went, oh, my house is on fire, I gotta get to church. Oh, no, you have to be consistent in the good times and the bad times, right? That's when your roots grow down really deep, when you are soaking in the word of God, when you allow that, uh, the word and his presence and the Holy Spirit, when you allow it to just soak in you, um, your roots grow deep, and then you become a strong person from the inside out, right? So then when tough times come, you don't buckle, you don't fall, you don't get offended, you don't get mad, right? You don't get upset because you know what? Because your your root system is deep, you've been soaking, right? Oh, so and so left me. That don't matter. Oh, okay, this person said that that don't matter. God bless them, right? Because you're strong inside, it's from the inside out, and so those what these verses reminded me of that. Again, it's not taught, he's showing up uh teaching a parable to the disciples, and the disciples didn't even get it. If you read it, they were like, What? That's not why he had to explain it. What Jesus, what are you talking about? And then he explained it. And so, um, and so when we when we're persistent, right? When we're when we're God said knock and the door will be open. When you're persistently knocking, when you're seeking him, he you'll find him. This scripture says you'll find him, right? When you how many of y'all ever lost something at the house? Man, like, man, somebody loses their phone. This teenager's over there. I'm like, I y'all leave y'all's Bible for four weeks, and then I've heard from you for four weeks, and your Bible's been on the counter, but you lost your phone for two days, and I'm like, oh Miss Selena, have you seen my phone? I was like, anyways, it's just a funny thing. Like, we lose stuff and we're persistent and we go for it and we find it. We keep looking. We we turn over the couch, we turn over the, you know, one time I lost a ring, and and like years ago, when we were, Ethan was little, we were watching baseball game, we were sitting in a hotel room, like, where's my ring? And I was like looking and looking and out, and finally was like buried in my suitcase. Like, praise the Lord, I found it. But persistent like that, right? When you're seeking him, when you're just looking uh for God, God's faithful, looking in every day, just his faithfulness. You're so faithful, God, you're so good to me. I'm persistently seeking you. And so, again, just like the word says, when you're persistent, when you knock, that door will be opened. That door will be opened. And so I just want to encourage you with that. When you when you're persistent, when you seek God, when you ask for things, when you pray, God listens to us. Amen. God listens to us, he hears us. When we pursue him and nothing else, like, hey, God, you're all I want. Right? You're all I want. Not people's approval, not people's every you're all I want. When you when your heart posture is turned towards him, nothing else matters, right? Then he'll show you the new things, he'll show you the new methods, he'll show you. Um uh, because what good is it to have more money in the bank account, but then you're sick and broke and or sick and and you know, depressed. Like he won't, it's not talking about just more money, it's just a new method, a new way of doing things. And so I just want to encourage you with that tonight. Um seek God, just like Matthew says, keep on seeking, you will receive, keep on knocking, the door will be open, keep on asking, keep on praying, keep on petitioning. And he'll give you the desires of your heart. He will give those to you. He is a good, good God. He is a good heavenly father that loves you. He loves you, he has a good plan for your life. The enemy wants to take you off course, but God has a wonderful plan for your life. Amen. Let's lift our hands, let's pray. Father, we just thank you for your word. We thank you, Lord, that 2026 is the year of new things, Lord. And so, just like your word says, we keep on asking and we will receive what we ask for. We keep on seeking and we will find you, Lord. Your word says, as we come closer to you, you come closer to us. And so you're not a father that is far away. You are near to us. And so we thank you, Lord. We thank you for all the gifts and the talents that are in this room. We thank you for all the callings that you have placed on our life. We thank you that they're just not for us, they're just not for us to retire, but we are re-fired. And so we thank you, Lord, that the fire dwells big on the inside of us for these new things in the upcoming year and years ahead, Lord. We thank you that our brightest days are ahead. Our brightest days are ahead of us, Father. So we we lift up your name. Every day we lift up your name. Every day we magnify you. We don't magnify the problem, we don't magnify the situation, but we magnify you, Father, because it's your word that brings uh forth much fruit in our lives, Father. It's us doing your words, it's us acting upon your word that's gonna bring forth fruit. Thank you, Father. We thank you, Lord, for your word in Jesus' name. Amen.