Ask, Seek, and Knock

Asking, seeking and knocking are laws of doing and laws of right action, three legal pursuits for the ascending soul. Always ask when you are unsure or confused "and it shall be given." Seek first the kingdom of God always. Knock forever at Heaven's Gates, or on the outer doors when you are given the "green light" of legal permission

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." – Matthew 7:7-8.





Edna Lister on Asking, Seeking and Knocking

You must ask, seek, and knock. "Open in the name of Jesus the Christ" is our "Open sesame." – Edna Lister, Understanding, January 23, 1935.


Be steadfast in seeking the true Way of Christ and your reward shall be sure. – Edna Lister, December 24, 1937.


In all ways, seek the Lord. – Edna Lister, August 14, 1938.


Seek the Light and turn fully to God. – Edna Lister, August 24, 1938.


Seek balance in all ways; seek to increase the quality of your desire at all times. – Edna Lister, September 28, 1938.


If the sacrifice of seeking is too great a burden, then the gift of illumination is too precious to be given without earning. – Edna Lister, November 6, 1938.


Seek not the vanities of added things. Be faithful to God, and law itself shall be faithful to you in all ways. To seek the kingdom first, then to receive "added things" afterward, is the content of the law. – Edna Lister, November 6, 1938.


Seek the Light; stand always in the full Light. – Edna Lister, December 26, 1938.


Seek to be perfect as God is perfect. – Edna Lister, January 13, 1939.


"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." – Matthew 7:7-8. This is law. Ask not amiss but in full faith, and God then freely gives all you need for your use or creations. – Edna Lister, January 25, 1939.


Seek always to live in the Light so that you shall not be found wanting when weighed in the balance. – Edna Lister, January 29, 1939.


Seek in all ways to become the high white Light of the Christ in the fullness of all Power. – Edna Lister, September 22, 1939.


Don't look at your past path, hard or easy, but seek only the future. – Edna Lister, November 14, 1939.


Seek the Light rather than darkness. Seek the joys of Heavenly Realms rather than in the world, which fails you in the hour of trial. – Edna Lister, November 24, 1939.


Seek the Light, truth and love at all times. Seek the Mind of the Christ Light, which is always peace of mind. – Edna Lister, December 7, 1939.


To seek for self creates more of self to seek — nothing more. – Edna Lister, April 12, 1940.


The law is "seek ye first the kingdom of God," not seek first gain to self. Prayer first and always, then the working out of things. Whoever says differently, speaks of darkness, for to see the working out of things before the prayer goes against all law. – Edna Lister, November 6, 1940.


Unless you seek your own weaknesses, you cannot sacrifice them upon the altar. – Edna Lister, January 28, 1941.


Diligence in seeking will give you what you need. – Edna Lister, October 3, 1941.


You ask, seek and knock, and carry on until you conquer. – Edna Lister, The Key: Understanding, April 12, 1942.


When you ask, keep worldly thoughts from your mind, close out mundane conversations, all external noise [radio, TV or computer], and hold the problem before you. You will have your answer of Wisdom. – Edna Lister, May 6, 1943.


It pays great dividends to seek advice first, no matter how sure you feel or how right it seems. Seeking advice earns millions of credits and proves that you mean your surrender. Better to seek advice when you don't need it than to allow one need to escape you. – Edna Lister, January 1944.


Seek guidance from the Father of all lights above, who lightens the world. – Edna Lister, June 5, 1944.


Seek by pondering each law in the high place of glory and love, and you find all is made clear. This is the key. – Edna Lister, December 19, 1944.


Ask, seek, knock persistently, constantly. – Edna Lister, January 7, 1946.


Your heavenly sponsors will aid in lessons, but asking for help first is necessary. – Edna Lister, July 29, 1947.


Every ability you use here, you also use in heaven. Gather all the facts when you need aid to decide, consider all points, then ask. You cannot receive a higher answer than your question. – Edna Lister, July 29, 1947.


Heaven's mysteries are open to all who "ask, seek and knock." – Edna Lister, July 1, 1948.


All have the equal right to advance, and heaven is open to all who seek and knock. – Edna Lister, July 1, 1948.


Ask, believing, praise and act as if you had it. – Edna Lister, July 28, 1948.


You never ask amiss if you Seek first the kingdom of God. – Matthew 6:33. – Edna Lister, And It Came to Pass, April 30, 1950.


The process of ascension is to "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." – Matthew 6:33. – Edna Lister, I Remember, October 8, 1950.


You must seek the Light and ascend instantly when you slip. – Edna Lister, To Seek the Light, June 10, 1951.


Don't be satisfied with any point of Light gained. Divine dissatisfaction can take you back to the Source. – Edna Lister, June 18, 1951.


The true seeker will take the truth, even if it slays him. – Edna Lister, Prove Me Now, October 28, 1951.


If you ask, you receive, so why clutch at the old good and stop, after receiving the new, good which is better for you? – Edna Lister, Steadfastly Searching for God, July 6, 1952.


God proves Himself to each as we seek Him. – Edna Lister, The Mantle of Messiahship, October 12, 1952.


"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." – 1 John 5:14-15. The Son promised, "Ask anything in my name, and I shall do it," but what you ask must be according to God's will, which is pure law. What law? Loving God enough, fulfills the law. – Edna Lister, I Arise, June 20, 1954.


"He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." – John 14:12. You must believe the promises the Master gave before this verse.

"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 any thing in my name, I will do it." – John 14:13-14. He will grant any request, give any gift, if you ask in his name, which is how you do the greater works. – Edna Lister, Jesus, the Son of God, November 21, 1954.


The Master promises, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 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 any thing in my name, I will do it." – John 14:12-14.

Do you honestly believe in this promise? All things are possible, but do you go just this far then think you have done it? What do you truly want? The creature fears, doubts and expects lacks. The creator expects all Power, Light and Love "as me." It all depends on the size of your plan. – Edna Lister, Manna From Heaven, August 21, 1955.


Seek advice, not the wearying baby-babble of one who thinks not, but asks and asks. The mature soul checks his mind, emotions, experiences, even the physical cells before inquiring. – Edna Lister, March 23, 1963.


Seek advice (ask) after exercising your brain cells. – Edna Lister, April 4, 1963.


Seek advice of experts, because you can easily lose the path. – Edna Lister, April 4, 1963.


For each great acceptance, you receive a revelation. Hold and seek advice, for mundane earthy notions always flow in to trick you. – Edna Lister, June 14, 1967.


You can find ten million wrong answers in the world of illusion, but only one right answer in God's reality. – Edna Lister, Undated Papers, 1933-1971.

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New Testament on Asking, Seeking and Knocking

Ask and ye shall receive. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto thee. – Matthew 7:7-8.


If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. – Matthew 18:19.


All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. – Matthew 21:22.


What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. – Mark 11:24.


Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. – John 14:13.


If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. – John 15:7.


Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. – John 15:16.


And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. – John 16:23-24.


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. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. – James 1:5-6.


And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. – 1 John 3:22.


And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. – 1 John 5:14.

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Edna Miriam Lister
1884 – 1971
The original Christian Pioneering Mystic,
Platonist philosopher, American Idealist, Founder, Society of the Universal Living Christ, minister, teacher, author, wife, and mother.

Edna Lister


Etymology of ask: Old English ascian ask.

Etymology of seek: Old English secan visit, inquire, pursue.

Etymology of knock: Old English cnocian (West Saxon cnucian), likely of imitative origin.


Asking, seeking and knocking are laws of doing.


References

The Compact Edition of The Oxford English Dictionary: 2 volumes. E.S.C. Weiner, editor. Oxford University Press, 1971.

The Holy Bible. King James Version (KJV).