Bible Study · Gospel Parallels 190
Matthew 7:9-11 and Luke 11:13b: persistent prayer, our basic needs, and why the greatest thing you can ask God for is more of the Holy Spirit
Happy Independence Day, my friend. Here in America we are celebrating 250 years of independence, and that makes this a beautiful day to worship God. Glory to God!
Today I want to talk about the greatest request you can present to our Lord. There are two sections of the Scripture on this. We read from the Easy-to-Read Version, Matthew 7:9-11:
“Do any of you have a son? If he asked for bread, would you give him a rock? Or if he asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? Of course not. You people are so bad, but you still know how to give good things to your children. So surely your Heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask Him.”
And Luke 11:13b:
“So surely your Heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to the people who ask Him.”
What a beautiful passage.
Keep praying
Last week we talked about persistent prayer (Gospel Parallels 189). You keep praying. You continue praying. Push, push, push.
It never ends. You ask the Lord for something, and whatever He says, yes, no, maybe later, you keep on praying, because something else is going to pop up in your life. And that is the point.
“God wants you to rely on Him.”
The Lord God wants you to depend on Him totally. That is why we come to Him all the time: “Please, Lord, help me with this. Please, Lord, help me with that.” That is our job.
Bread or fish
Now look at what the Lord Jesus said. “Guys, if one of your kids asks you for bread or fish, would you give him something evil?” Of course not.
Bread and fish mean food. He is talking about basic needs.
So let me ask you. What is the most important thing you need in your life? You start thinking. Food and water. A house. A better internet signal. And on and on. You keep adding necessities, and you never get to the true one, the number one priority in your life.
My friend, when will you see that you need more of the Holy Spirit in you? When?
What for?
Many people don’t realize how much they need from God. And some ask me, “But what for? What is the point of having more of the Holy Spirit?”
Some say, “Because of the anointing.” They have seen preachers who claim a special anointing, and when they talk, miracles happen. So they want more of the Holy Spirit so that people will admire them and say, “He is so anointed.”
Others want more of the Holy Spirit so they can feel good about themselves, because God is with them.
Those two options are pathetic. Wanting more of the Holy Spirit just to be admired, or just to feel better about yourself? Those are selfish reasons, and honestly, superficial.
“Do you realize that without the Lord, we are nothing? We are just dust.”
We were created from dust, and we will go back to dust.
Does God make you happy?
So here is my question for you, my friend. Does God make you happy?
You may be thinking, “What do you mean by that?” I mean exactly that. Does God make you happy?
Most people, believers included, never even think about it. They want to be happy by having things, or by having people. The spouse, the children, the parents, the house, this and that. They think that is what will make them happy.
You are missing the point entirely.
“The necessity that I have for God, for the Holy Spirit, is because He makes me happy.”
Right here, right now
The Lord God can make you happy right where you are. You don’t need to go anywhere else. You don’t need to come to my home or to my church. And you don’t need to travel back in time.
Some people say, “If only I could go back to those days, when the true worship was, when the singers were anointed and we felt the presence of God.”
My friend, that is basically telling the Lord God, “You are not able to make me happy here, right now.” Would you say that to Him? That is a pretty bad insult.
Reflect on it. He is able to make you happy, with a joy you cannot compare to anything else.
When you ask the Holy Spirit to give you more of His presence, it is because you want to enjoy more and more of Him. His friendship. His companionship. The conversations. Then being alone is not a problem. Not having enough money is not a problem. Not having the success other people have is not a problem. As I like to say:
“You don’t have an issue if you don’t have the success other people have, because your joy comes from the Lord.”
How much more the Father
The Lord Jesus said it. If your child asks you for food, you would not give him something bad. And you are bad people! Now imagine the Heavenly Father, who has love enough for everybody.
And in the version from Luke, the answer is this: He is able to give you the Holy Spirit.
“Right now, the Lord can give you more of His Holy Spirit if you want to.”
And once you get familiar with the Holy Spirit, you will want more of Him. More of His peace. More of His joy. More of His voice.
The Word and the Spirit
Here is something to remember. The more of the Word of God you receive, the more of the Holy Spirit you have. And the other way around: when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you have more and more of the Word of God.
Your thinking becomes more biblical. Your words become more biblical. Your behavior becomes more biblical. You truly act like a Christian when you are filled with the Holy Spirit.
“The more of the Holy Spirit, the less of the flesh.”
That is what you want in your life, my friend. And if you have never received the Lord Jesus in your heart, today is the day.
A little humor
What do whales have for dinner? Fish and chips. Got you! Why did the fish get bad grades? Because it was below sea level. And what do you feed a hungry rabbit? Megabytes.
Thank you for being with me. We have tons of videos, lessons, music and inspirational messages on our platforms. Explore them, and enjoy more and more of the Lord God in you. That is the true joy of life: the love of our lives, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Read along
Scriptures in this study
Jump to
Key moments
- 00:01Episode 190: Happy Independence Day
- 00:20250 years of independence
- 00:35Two sections of the Scripture
- 00:52The reading: Matthew 7:9-11 and Luke 11:13b
- 01:30Last week, and today
- 01:44Keep praying: a never-ending cycle
- 02:19God wants you to depend on Him
- 02:41Bread or fish: basic needs
- 02:59Your number one priority
- 03:23When will you see the need of more of the Holy Spirit?
- 03:48What for? The anointing
- 04:24To be admired, or to feel good about yourself?
- 05:08Without the Lord, we are just dust
- 05:21Does God make you happy?
- 05:37Happy with things and people?
- 06:05You are missing the point
- 06:18Right here, right now
- 06:48"You are unable to make me happy": a bad insult
- 07:17Enjoy more and more of Him
- 07:54How much more the Heavenly Father
- 08:13He gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask
- 08:46The Word of God and the Holy Spirit
- 09:21Today is the day
- 09:28A little humor: whales, fish and a hungry rabbit
- 10:08Explore our platforms
Questions this study answers
Questions & answers.
What is the greatest request you can present to God?
To ask Him for more of the Holy Spirit. In Luke 11:13b Jesus says the Heavenly Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. "Right now, the Lord can give you more of His Holy Spirit if you want to."
What do the bread and the fish mean in Matthew 7:9-11?
Food: Jesus is talking about our basic needs. "The point is, he is talking about basic needs, basic needs." No good parent gives a child something evil, and the Heavenly Father is far better than any of us.
Is it wrong to want the Holy Spirit to be admired or to feel good?
Yes. Wanting more of the Holy Spirit just to be called anointed, or just to feel better about yourself, misses the point. Those reasons "are very selfish and honestly, superficial reasons to want more from the Holy Spirit."
Can God really make you happy?
Yes, right where you are. You don't need things, people, a special church or the old days. "The Lord God can make you happy right here, right now."
How are the Bible and the Holy Spirit connected?
The more of the Word of God you receive, the more of the Holy Spirit you have, and the other way around: your thinking, words and behavior become more biblical. "The more of the Holy Spirit, the less of the flesh."
Full transcript Read
00:01Episode 190: Happy Independence Day
Happy Independence Day, my friend. Happy 4th of July. Glory to God for our independence here in America. Today, the episode number 190, on July 1st, 2026. The topic is "The Greatest Request." Welcome to our program of today.
00:20250 years of independence
This is a beautiful day to worship God because here in America, we are celebrating 250 years of independence. Glory to God. The topic of today is "The Greatest Request."
00:35Two sections of the Scripture
There are two sections in the scripture that we are going to read. And we read from the Easy-to-Read Version. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, please, Lord, guide us through this study. Thank you, Jeho, for the scriptures on the screen. Matthew 7, 9 through 11.
00:52The reading: Matthew 7:9-11 and Luke 11:13b
"Do any of you have a son? If he asked for bread, would you give him a rock? Or if he asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? Of course not. You people are so bad, but you still know how to give good things to your children. So surely your Heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask Him." Luke 11:13b: So surely your Heavenly Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to the people who ask Him.
01:30Last week, and today
Beautiful passage of the scripture. Last week we talked about the importance of the persistent prayer. Today you will learn about the greatest request you can present to our Lord.
01:44Keep praying: a never-ending cycle
So what is what we spoke last week? The importance of the persistent prayer. You keep praying. You continue praying. In other words, push, push, push. And it's a never-ending cycle. Why? Because you ask for something and whatever the Lord says, yes, no, maybe later or whatever, you keep on praying and something else is going to pop up in your life. It's a never-ending cycle. God wants you to rely on Him.
02:19God wants you to depend on Him
Do you understand that? The Lord God wants you to rely on Him, to totally depend on Him. That is why we come constantly asking, please, Lord, help me with this. Please, Lord, help me with that. That is our job. Now the Lord Jesus said here something related with food.
02:41Bread or fish: basic needs
He said, "Guys, if one of your kids asks you for bread or fish, meaning food, would you give him something evil? Of course not. The point is, he is talking about basic needs, basic needs.
02:59Your number one priority
What is the most important thing that you need in your life? And then you are thinking, well, food and water, and I need a house, and I need a better internet signal. And on and on, right? You go escalating all your necessities without thinking of the true one, number one priority in your life.
03:23When will you see the need of more of the Holy Spirit?
My friend, when will you see the need of more of the Holy Spirit in you? When? Tell me why is that? That people don't realize how much we need from God. Why is that? It is a situation that sometimes is aggravating, and people say, but what for?
03:48What for? The anointing
What is the point of having more of the Holy Spirit? Some people say, well, because of the anointing. Anointing. What do you mean by that? Well, because some preachers, they say that they have special anointing. So when they talk miracles happen, and they feel that they are like a true ambassador for the people from the Lord God. So some people say, I want more of the Holy Spirit. So people will admire me and they will say, he is so anointed.
04:24To be admired, or to feel good about yourself?
Imagine someone wanting that. Imagine someone who says, I want to receive more of the Holy Spirit. So whenever I speak, I see the reaction of people, and then is when I feel so good about myself, because I know God is with me. Well, those two options that I'm presenting to you today are pathetic. Somebody wanting more of the Holy Spirit just to be admired, or just to feel better about himself, are very selfish and honestly, superficial reasons to want more from the Holy Spirit.
05:08Without the Lord, we are just dust
Do you realize that without the Lord, we are nothing? We are just dust. We were created from dust and we will come back to dust.
05:21Does God make you happy?
My question, my friend, to you is: does God make you happy? What do you mean by that? Exactly. Does God make you happy? What do you mean by that?
05:37Happy with things and people?
You don't even think about it, because majority of people, believers, including, they want to be happy by having things or having people. They think that if they have people with them, if they have the spouse, the children, the parents, the house, the this and that, this and that, they think that will make me happy. Okay.
06:05You are missing the point
You are missing the point entirely. The necessity that I have for God, for the Holy Spirit, is because He makes me happy.
06:18Right here, right now
The Lord God can make you happy right here, right now. You don't need to go anywhere else. You don't need to come to my home or my church to be happy. You don't need to go anywhere and you don't need to travel in time. Some people say, if I go back toward those days, you know, when the true worship was, where, you know, I remember those days going to those churches and the presence of God, because the singers were anointed and on and on.
06:48"You are unable to make me happy": a bad insult
My friend, that is basically telling the Lord God, you are not able to make me happy here, right now. Would you say that to the Lord God? Would you say that to the Lord God? You are unable to make me happy. It's a pretty bad insult. That is why I want you to reflect about the question, does God make you happy?
07:17Enjoy more and more of Him
He is able to make you happy and the joy that you cannot compare to anything else, nothing else. My friend, when you ask for the Holy Spirit to give you more of His presence, it's because you are going to enjoy more and more of Him, of His friendship, the companionship, the conversations. And then you don't have an issue by being by yourself. You don't have an issue if you don't have enough money. You don't have an issue if you don't have the success other people have, because your joy comes from the Lord.
07:54How much more the Heavenly Father
The Lord Jesus said, if you have a child asking for food, would you give them something bad? No, of course not. And that is you that are bad people. Imagine the Heavenly Father, who has love enough for everybody.
08:13He gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask
If He is not going to give you things, He said, but in the version from Luke, the answer He gave was He is able to give you the Holy Spirit. Right now, the Lord can give you more of His Holy Spirit if you want to. And when you get familiar with the Holy Spirit, you know what you want? More of Him. You should say, I want more of His peace. I want more of His joy. I want more of His voice. You know something?
08:46The Word of God and the Holy Spirit
When you read the Bible, when you are reading the Word of God, the more of the Word of God you receive, the more of the Holy Spirit you have. And vice versa. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you have more and more of the Word of God. Your thinking is more and more biblical. Your words are more and more biblical. And your behavior is more biblical. You truly act like a Christian person when you are filled with the Holy Spirit. The more of the Holy Spirit, the less of the flesh. And that is what you want, my friend, in your life.
09:21Today is the day
If you have never received the Lord Jesus in your heart, today is the day, my friend.
09:28A little humor: whales, fish and a hungry rabbit
Hey, I have a little humor here for you. All right, so the question is, what do whales have for dinner? Well, they eat fish and chips. Got you. Okay, okay, okay. Another one. Why did the fish get bad grades? Because it was below sea level. All right, all right, all right. One more, one more. What do you feed a hungry rabbit? Megabytes. There you go.
10:08Explore our platforms
Thank you for being with us here. Remember, we have tons of videos, tons of lessons, music, inspirational messages, all that here. If you just explore our platforms, look for our channels and every and each one of these platforms around me. And you will enjoy keeping more and more of the Lord God in you. You will experience the true joy of life. The love of our lives, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Transcribed from the video and lightly corrected. Spoken words are kept as Dr. Gian said them.