Providence – Prosperity – Success

Providence, Prosperity, Success, Abundant Mindset,

Ask, Seek, Knock – Matthew 7:7

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Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find;
knock, and the door will be
opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

By Dawn 2 Dusk

Doorways of Divine Invitation

There is a rhythm in Jesus’ words that pulls us closer: He tells us to ask, to seek, and to knock. This is more than a formula for getting what we want—it is an invitation into deeper fellowship with a Father who loves to respond. On this day, you are being called out of passivity and into a living, expectant relationship with God, where your heart is engaged, your desires are laid bare, and your persistence is honored.

Ask: Bringing Your Real Desires to a Real Father

Jesus does not tell us to come to the Father timidly, apologizing for existing. He simply says, “Ask, and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7). That is staggering. The God who upholds galaxies invites you to bring Him specific requests about your family, your work, your temptations, your future. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). Asking is a child climbing into the Father’s lap, not a beggar trying to twist a stranger’s arm.

But asking is not about treating God like a vending machine. James warns, “You do not have because you do not ask. And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives” (James 4:2–3). The promise stands, yet it is held within the bigger truth that God is wise and holy. “And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14). Today, dare to ask boldly—but also honestly: “Father, here is what I want. Now shape my desires to match Your will, and give what You know is best.”

Seek: Pursuing the Giver More Than the Gift

“Ask” can feel momentary; “seek” is a lifestyle. God is not hiding in irritation—He is inviting pursuit. “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). To seek is to open your Bible not just for information, but for encounter. It is to rearrange your priorities so that knowing Christ becomes central, not optional. When David says, “My heart said of You, ‘Seek His face.’ Your face, O LORD, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8), he is modeling that relentless, God-centered longing.

Seeking also means refusing to be satisfied with shallow Christianity. “And without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). Faith pushes past distractions, boredom, and spiritual laziness. It keeps coming back to prayer when you don’t feel anything. It asks hard questions of your heart: What am I truly chasing? Comfort? Approval? Success? Or Christ Himself? The Lord loves to reward those who seek Him, not just His blessings. Make it your quiet resolve today: “Jesus, I want You more than what You can give me.”

Knock: Staying at the Door Until It Opens

Knocking implies resistance. There is a closed door, and you are not content to walk away. Jesus promises that if we knock, “the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). In Luke 11, He tells of a man knocking at midnight until his friend finally gets up, then adds, “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13). God is not annoyed by your persistent prayers; He is honored by them. Persistence proves that you believe Someone is listening on the other side of that door.

Sometimes the door doesn’t open quickly. You pray for a prodigal, for freedom from a sin pattern, for revival in your church, and it feels like silence. But think of this: Jesus Himself is also pictured at a door. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). As you keep knocking in prayer, He is knocking on your heart as well. Will you stay at His door until He answers—and will you open your door fully when He presses in?

Lord, thank You for inviting me to ask, seek, and knock. Today, move me to pray boldly, to pursue You earnestly, and to persevere until You answer—help me put this into action one concrete step at a time

My Pondering

Before we ask, let’s make sure we know our purpose and mission. Let’s discover why and what we want. One thing worse than being stuck is going fast in the wrong direction. God fortunately gives us direction from His Word; both extrinsic and intrinsic.

Extrinsic comes as we read and connect to Scripture. It starts general and hones specifically as the Spirit enlightens the meaning and application for us. The Spirit of God also uses circumstances, people, angels and Providence to lead us.

Intrinsic comes as the Spirit guides us internally via our spirit. To hear the still voice, we need to avoid sinful behavior, quiet the noise and settle down upon God’s will by empowering the Spiritual disciplines of Prayer, Study, Meditation, Fasting and Service.

I believe God has a specific and general purpose for our lives. Just as there is a macro and micro world the same principle applies with His will.

As Pilgrims Progress so eloquently stories, lets first begin our celestial travel by asking WHY and for WHAT purpose is our mission.

God rewards those who diligently ask, seek, and knock — not because process prayer earns His favor, but because it draws us into deeper fellowship with Him.

SEEK

Now then, let’s venture out and seek. Let’s seek to glorify God in all that we do. Seeking isn’t often easy, it requires bold adventuring. Examples: the Pilgrims travels across the Atlantic in the bows of a primitive ship to the New World. Settlers and Pioneers venturing from the East Coast out to the midwest and plains. The Apostle Paul missionary trip as he launched and brought Christianity to the Greeks and Barbarians.

KNOCK

Knocking requires persistence at times but always requires expectation that someone is home. In God’s timing, He promises to open up.

God is a rewarder of those who diligently Ask. Seek and Knock.

“He rewards those
who diligently seek Him.”

Hebrews 11:6

Summary

Ask → Alignment

Seek → Direction

Knock → Breakthrough

Flow → Overflow

Dwell in safety – Psalm 4:8

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I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for You alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.

Psalm 4:8

Dawn 2 Dusk

Sleeping in the Arms of God

There is a special kind of peace that comes only at the end of a hard day—a peace that goes deeper than a completed checklist or a balanced budget. In Psalm 4:8, David talks about lying down and actually sleeping because he knows the Lord is the One who makes him secure. His world is noisy and threatening, but his heart lies down in the quiet confidence that God is awake, watchful, and completely in control.

A Different Kind of Security

We are trained to feel safe when the doors are locked, the accounts are stable, and the plan is clear. But David says his security is not in any of those things; it is in the Lord alone. That word “alone” slices through our props and backups. If everything else were stripped away, would God still be enough for you to rest? Scripture keeps pressing this same question: “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me” (Psalm 3:5). The sustaining hand of God is meant to be more real to you than the pillow under your head.

This is why the peace promised to believers is so different from the world’s peace. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid” (John 14:27). The world’s peace depends on circumstances lining up; Christ’s peace depends on a Person who never changes. To embrace this, we have to keep confessing where we’ve trusted insurance, technology, or our own strength more than the living God—and keep returning, again and again, to His faithful character.

Learning to Rest Like a Child

The sleep David describes is not the escape of someone numbed by distraction; it is the rest of a child who knows his Father is near. Think of how a little one can fall asleep in a noisy room simply because he is in his parent’s arms. That is a picture of faith. “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you rest, your sleep will be sweet” (Proverbs 3:24). Sweet sleep is not for those who have no problems, but for those who entrust their problems to a greater Hand.

Scripture shows us how to hand them over: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7). That “guard” is like a soldier on night watch. Before you go to bed, you can actually tell the Lord, one by one, the things that are gnawing at your mind—and then consciously leave them with Him, believing that His peace stands between your heart and the dark.

Carrying This Peace Into the Day

Nighttime trust should shape daytime living. If God is the One who makes you “dwell in safety” when you are most helpless, then you can walk into your responsibilities with the same settled confidence. You are never more vulnerable than when you are asleep, and yet that is exactly when God proves His care. “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7) is not just a bedtime verse; it is a lifestyle call to refuse the lie that you are on your own.

This means we fight worry not by pretending things are fine, but by remembering who our Father is. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Tonight, and throughout this day, you can keep answering your fears with that truth. You can choose, again and again, to say, “Lord, You are my safety, You are my Keeper, and I will act, speak, and plan as someone who truly believes that.”

Lord, thank You that You alone make me dwell in safety; teach me today to hand You every fear and to live—and sleep—as someone who truly trusts You

My Pondering

The sustaining hand of God is meant to be more real to you than the pillow beneath your head.

Nighttime trust should shape daytime living.

This is where the supernatural dominates the natural realm. The key is putting first things first. But the first thing is not a thing — it is God. He is a person, actually three Persons of the Godhead, the Holy Trinity. The face of God is Jesus Christ. This is relationship first and foremost. A a believer, this is where it starts and ends; He should be foremost as He is in reality.

Secondary is to acknowledge that God gave us mind, soul and body along with resources and He expects us to use them as good stewarding leader managers. So let’s diligently plan our work and work our plans including success and safety but never prioritizing the creation over the Creator.

All you can do is all you can do, but all you can do, including praying, is enough…when your relationship is right with Jesus. Not perfect, but sincere, authentic, respectful, loving and desirable.

Let us not grow weary in well-doing,… — Galatians 6:9

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Let us not grow weary in well-doing,
for in due time we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.

Dawn 2 Dusk

When Your Soul Feels Tired of Doing Good

Some days it feels like doing the right thing doesn’t matter. You pray and don’t see answers. You serve and no one notices. You choose purity, honesty, or forgiveness, and life still feels hard. Galatians 6:9 speaks right into that ache, reminding us that God sees every unseen “yes” to Him and that His timing for reward is very different from ours. He calls us not to quit in those moments when we feel like nothing is happening, because in His world, nothing done in faith is ever wasted.

The Hidden Harvest

A farmer doesn’t panic the week after planting because he can’t see anything breaking through the soil. He trusts that a hidden process has begun. In the same way, your obedience is seed. You can’t always see what God is doing beneath the surface—in your children, your marriage, your church, your co-workers, or in your own heart—but that doesn’t mean nothing is happening. “And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). God binds your faithfulness to His promise of a harvest, not to your feelings today.

That’s why Scripture can say, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). The Lord attaches meaning to every act of faith you offer Him—every prayer whispered when you feel dry, every kind word when you’re misunderstood, every unseen sacrifice. The harvest may not come when or how you expect, but it is guaranteed by the character of God, not the quality of your circumstances.

Fighting Weariness God’s Way

Weariness itself isn’t failure; it’s a signal. It tells you that you are limited, that you were never meant to carry the load alone. The danger isn’t feeling tired; it’s letting tiredness drive you into withdrawal, bitterness, or compromise. Into that place, Jesus speaks: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The way forward is not to harden your heart and “push through” in your own strength, but to come—honestly, humbly—to the One who never grows weary.

God doesn’t merely command you to keep going; He supplies the power to do it. “But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Waiting on the Lord—lingering in His Word, pouring out your heart in prayer, worshiping when you don’t feel like it, resting when He says rest—is not inactivity; it is refueling. You don’t conquer spiritual exhaustion with more busyness but with deeper dependence on the Spirit who lives in you.

Keep Sowing, Even in the Hard Soil

If the harvest is certain and God supplies strength, then the call is simple and radical: keep sowing. In the verses around Galatians 6:9, we’re told that what we sow, we reap—whether to the flesh or to the Spirit. So keep sowing forgiveness into relationships that feel stuck, truth into conversations that could easily slide into gossip, generosity into finances that feel tight, and the gospel into hearts that seem uninterested. God is at work in the “hard soil” you most want to abandon.

This is why Scripture echoes, “But as for you, brothers, do not grow weary in well-doing” (2 Thessalonians 3:13). The Lord is inviting you today to choose one concrete place not to quit: one person to keep loving, one battle against sin to keep fighting, one ministry to keep serving in, one quiet act of kindness to keep offering. Fix your eyes on Jesus, who “for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). He did not give up on you; by His grace, you do not have to give up where He has placed you.

Lord, thank You that You see every hidden act of obedience and that no labor in You is in vain. Strengthen my heart today to keep sowing good where You have placed me, and lead me to take one faithful step of obedience that honors You.

My Pondering

Why do we do what we do? Hopefully, the intent is to do good for a multiplicity of reasons. How about these for starters:

  1. Because God first loved us and did good unto us. A holy reciprocity.
  2. Because we were created in God’s image to do good works. It’s our intended purpose.
  3. Because givers gain when we practice the Golden Rule. When we help others, we help ourselves.
  4. Because we will reap heavenly rewards as God has promised.
  5. It’s probably the next best right thing. #NBRM

One challenge is that sometimes the we are sowing unto heaven, into a realm for the future and therefore our deeds are intangible and invisible. But God reminds not to quit and to trust Him for the results.

Paul is not calling us to frantic activity or self-driven striving. “Well-doing” is faithful obedience—doing the next right thing, with the right heart, for the right reason, even when unseen.

Most believers don’t quit because they are unwilling—they quit because they are weary. Discouragement whispers that faithfulness isn’t working. Let’s remain cognizant of our enemy speaking and spreading discouragement and hidden lies to us and about us.

“Due season” is not our calendar—it is God’s. The harvest is guaranteed, but the timing is governed by His wisdom, not our impatience. This is Godspeed, sometimes lightning fast and other times iceberg slow.

So today, don’t measure your faithfulness by results alone. Measure it by obedience, progress and clarity of purpose. Stay the course. Keep sowing. God is not late—and He never forgets faithful labor.

Let’s get ‘r done!

The 5C’s of exeCution

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1. Clarity of Purpose

Knowing why we act and what truly matters.

Clear purpose eliminates distraction and aligns effort with calling. 

Think SMARTER GOALS. 

Drive Direction!

2. Courage to Engage

The willingness to step forward despite risk, resistance, or uncertainty.

Execution always requires movement before certainty. 

Work HARDER. 

Extreme Ownership!

3. Capability through Skill & Talent

Developed competence—natural gifts sharpened by training, practice, and discipline.

Good intentions fail without real ability. 

Lead  BETTER

Wisdom!

4. Confidence in God & Experience

Trust rooted first in God, strengthened by lived experience and proven reps. Not arrogance—assurance grounded in faithfulness and learning. Godfidence!

5. Commitment to Mission 

Steadfast follow-through over time along with ability to adapt without drifting not losing focus of goals. Discipline

We finish, refine, repeat—and get better without losing heart nor loss of focus. 

Kaizen!

 “Execution Lens” (why this works)

  • Clarity sets direction (SMARTER)
  • Courage initiates action (HARDER)
  • Capability enables quality (BETTER)
  • Confidence sustains momentum (FLOW)
  • Commitment ensures results (Repeatability & Kaizen)

exeCution breaks down when any one C is missing.

“exeCution is not intensity alone—it is clarity acted on with courage, competence, confidence, and commitment over time.”

SMARTER Goals Acrostic

Kirk2 Comments

Have S.M.A.R.T.E.R. Goals

(Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Timely, Emotional, Real)

S – Specific – Goals need to be able to be recorded and concise, detailed yet simple. A couple few important goals are better than grasping for many at once.

Poor:

“I want to grow the business.”

Rich:

“I will increase recurring revenue by adding 10 new clients by the end of this quarter.”

Why rich works:
Clear target. Clear finish line. No guesswork.

M – Measurable – They need to be able to be tracked and measured by accomplishment and time.

Poor:

“I’ll know when it feels better.”

Rich:

“I will track progress weekly by counting signed agreements and activated accounts in the CRM.”

Why rich works:
Feelings don’t scale. Numbers do.

A – Actionable – Goals must be put into action and do-able. Not pie in the sky but sliced and edible.

Poor:

“I hope the market improves.”

Rich:

“I will personally make 5 outbound calls per weekday and schedule at least 2 qualified appointments per week.”

Why rich works:
Focuses on controllable actions, not external conditions.

R – Relevant – They should be tied to your overall mission and purpose. They should be virtuous, moral and supportive not vindictive nor tumultuous.

Poor:

“This would be nice to have.”

Rich:

“This goal directly supports our mission to provide ____________ while strengthening predictable cash flow for the team.”

Why rich works:
Aligned with purpose, not distraction.

T – Timely – Goals need a definitive timeline and focused upon regularly and consistently.

Poor:

“Eventually.”

Rich:

“I will complete this goal by June 30, with progress reviews every Friday.”

Why rich works:
Deadlines create decisions. Decisions create movement.

(SMART is good but SMARER is better)

E – Emotional – To get the most traction, they should br empowering with emotions, passion and feeling.

Poor:

“I should probably do this.”

Rich:

“Achieving this goal will reduce stress, create stability for my family and team, and reinforce that our work truly matters.”

Why rich works:
Emotion fuels endurance.

R – Real – Our goals in the realm of reality. Yes ardently desired, wonderfully creative, employing imaginering with incredible possibility thinking that may seem lofty. Concurrently they also need to be embedded in fact, principle and reality.

Poor:

“I’ll triple revenue in 30 days.”

Rich:

“Based on current capacity, pricing, and lead flow, a 15% increase over the next 90 days is ambitious but achievable.”

Why rich works:
Respects reality without shrinking vision.

Alternative Suffix – E.R.

E – Evaluate — review progress periodically

R- Revise — adjust the goal or plan based on feedback and conditions 

SUPER POWER TIP:

If you are want to super power and hit turbo, then imagine your goal so much that your brain thinks its already achieved. Portions of it cant distinguish the difference. Its a mental hack. Picture in your possession a post-dated check just being a matter of time until its cashed.

Here is a resource you can customize and adapt for your use. Download the spreadsheet and once it is yours, save as a PDF and keep it front of you.

Get your goal sheet here.

personal-balanced-scorecard-eoy-2016Download

I like to reflect upon and build my goals around the Circle of Life. I may have too many but I suppose that is better than too few. They are like books in that way.

You can download a copy here:

circles-of-lifeDownload

KirkLeave a comment


Now yield and submit yourself to Him [agree with God and be conformed to His will] and be at peace; In this way [you will prosper and great] good will come to you.

Job 22:21 AMP


“Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you

Job 22:21 ESV

My Pondering

What a stellar verse….so much application here.

Gifts

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1st Peter 4:10
Living for God’s Glory
…9Show hospitality to one another without complaining. 10As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. 11If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.…
Berean Standard Bible

Romans 12:6-8
We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If one’s gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith; / if it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; / if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11
There are different gifts, but the same Spirit. / There are different ministries, but the same Lord. / There are different ways of working, but the same God works all things in all people. …

Ephesians 4:11-12
And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, / to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ,

1 Corinthians 12:27-31
Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it. / And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues. / Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? …

1 Corinthians 12:12-14
The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ. / For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink. / For the body does not consist of one part, but of many.

1 Corinthians 12:18-20
But in fact, God has arranged the members of the body, every one of them, according to His design. / If they were all one part, where would the body be? / As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

1 Corinthians 12:7
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2
So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. / Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

2 Timothy 1:6-7
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. / For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

Matthew 25:14-30
For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. / To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey. / The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. …

1 Corinthians 12:28
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues.

1 Corinthians 12:25-26
so that there should be no division in the body, but that its members should have mutual concern for one another. / If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

1 Corinthians 12:21-22
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you.” Nor can the head say to the feet, “I do not need you.” / On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,

1 Corinthians 12:15-17
If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. / And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. / If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?

1 Corinthians 12:11
All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who apportions them to each one as He determines

Insight
Some people, well aware of their abilities, believe that they have the right to use their abilities as they please. Others feel that they have no special talents at all. Peter addresses both groups in these verses.

Challenge
Everyone has some gifts; find yours and use them. All our abilities should be used in serving others; none are for our own exclusive enjoyment. Peter mentions speaking and serving.


© 2010 by Tyndale House Publishers