WHAT WILL YOU ASK?
1 Kings 3:11, “Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice.”

King Solomon had open cheque from the Almighty God to ask whatsoever He wanted, this is like the only occasion in the Old Testament Bible where God would tell a man to ask whatever he wanted and God was ready to do it for him, that was the case of King Solomon. In 1 Kings 3:5, “At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” What a golden opportunity, just anything and it is done immediately without any delay. Since God can do all things.

There are 3 major things an average Christian would have asked God in such a situation and God might have expected Solomon to ask one of them. But Solomon did not behave like an average Christian, he did not ask God for any of those popular requests and this really impressed God and He was so happy with Solomon. “Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice.” 1 Kings 3:11

King Solomon did not ask for long life for himself, which is the desire of all men, he did not ask for riches for himself and he did not ask for the life of his enemies rather he asked for the understanding of God’s will and way; this pleased God so well.
What about you? What are your priority in your prayer and preaching? What are the priority of your heart desires? If God were to ask you this morning as He told Solomon, to ask anything you want, what would be your request? Will you not ask for riches and prosperity as many Christians are doing today? Or will you not ask that your enemy should fall than and die like so many Christians today?

When we seek to understand the Word of God and center our concern and prayers on how to grow in the Lord and in His kingdom, God will add blessings into our lives and He Himself fight our enemies. 1 Kings 3:12, 13. “Behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.”

Solomon became the richest person in the history of the world and he never asked for it. Think about it, that the most prosperous person, the richest person never prayed the prayer of prosperity in his life, yet God prospered him. And also he never prayed against his enemies, and God gave him peace all around. So now, you can see that God’s prosperity and riches does not come by hearing messages of prosperity here and there, by reading 7 keys for prosperity, for financial breakthrough before God will prosper you. Solomon never prayed a prayer of prosperity or riches and yet God prospered him more than any other person. You know what God said in verse 13, He said, “And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.”

King Solomon never asked for the life of his enemies, he did not pray that his enemies should fall down and die, yet he had a peaceful life. And so you can see that praying, fasting and firing that your enemies should fall down and die by fire or by thunder, that is not what will give you peace and long life.

So if Solomon did not ask for riches, and for his enemies to die, why can't you do the same thing? if you read it that God was pleased with the request of Solomon for asking for spiritual understanding, why can't you do the same thing to please Him with your request and let Him do the same supernatural addition in your life. Jesus Christ promised us that if we seek first His kingdom - that is, how to be saved into God's kingdom and get others saved, and His righteousness - that is how to live in righteousness after we are saved and help others do the same, then He will add ALL others. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33

A preacher whose preaching and prayers center on riches, blessings, prosperity and breakthrough is a carnal and misled pastor; on the other hand, a pastor whose messages and prayers center on witches and wizards, deliverance, the “fall down and die” of enemies instead of focusing and praying on how to grow in holiness and prepare for the rapture, such pastor is ignorant and misguided.

There are two major misled churches in this end time which the devil is using to mislead so many Christians, the number one is prosperity church, that is the church whose priority and purpose centers on earthly and temporal prosperity and breakthrough of this life. This type of church or Christian preach and pray more for financial prosperity than purity of life. And the second misled church is problematic church, that is the church whose priority and mission is deliverance from witches and wizards, from problems of life. These type of churches and Christians pray more for the enemies in their family to die than for the sinners in their family to be saved.

The prosperity church is a deceived and derailed church; the problematic church of “enemies die” is a disillusioned church. What about you? What is the center of your prayer? What is the first and foremost in your prayer list and time? Do you care for riches of this world more than righteousness? Do you seek for righteous living in your prayer and priority? Do you care more about the problems of life than purity of life in your prayer time and focus? Are you more concerned for the enemies in your family to die than for the old sinful and adamic nature in your life to die?

In this very end time, there are increasing number of foolish virgins among Christian ministers and members who care for the minor than major, who center their affection on the temporal than eternal, and whose priority, purpose, prayer and preaching center on how to get a well-being in this life than to receive a well-done in heaven. The people whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. Philippians 3:19.

But if you chose to be among the few wise, then center your priority, purpose of life, prayer and preaching mostly on salvation of your soul into the kingdom of God and serving God in righteousness. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:2; Philippians 3:20

What is your priority life? What shall it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your soul. You cannot make heaven number second in your life, in your daily pursuit and make that heaven at the end. You need to seek first the kingdom of heaven before you can be able to make it at last. And you need to know that seeking first the kingdom of God, pursuing righteousness and holiness does not mean you will be poor in life, no! it only means you will have the blessings of God in your life without sorrow, without satanic or sinful sorrow.

Seek first the kingdom of God in your personal life, let the salvation of your soul be your paramount desire or what shall it profit if you get the whole money in this world, if you get the whole position in this world, if you get the power, the possession and the population in your ministry and at the end you lose your soul to the devil. Seek and spend your life for what has eternal value. The houses, cars, positions, money and other things of this life that you are pursuing have no eternal value, they will not follow you to eternal. Without holiness, no one will seek the Lord, that is eternal value.

Dear minister of God, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and holiness, seek for the salvation of souls, center your preaching on righteousness so you will receive eternal reward for turning people to righteousness. Do you know that there is no eternal reward for ministry turning people to financial prosperity in their sins? No eternal rewards for deliverance from family curses without deliverance from sin?

The Bible says in Daniel 12:3,
“Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, seek to turn people into the kingdom of God and His righteousness and you will shine like the stars from here to eternity forever and ever. Amen.

Gideon Akande (Evangelist)
RTEM: rtemoutreach.org