John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
The invitation to ask here given in this passage does not refer to the temporal, material things of this life. Christ was here referring to petitions which ought to be made to God for His Holy Spirit to be imparted to us on a daily basis. We arrive at this conclusion based on what Jesus Himself said on another occasion. Let's read:
Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
In Revelation chapter three, Jesus is represented as standing at the door of our hearts knocking and seeking entrance. When anyone knocks at the front door of a home, entrance must of necessity be granted from the inside, and similarly with Christ who seeks entrance into our lives, we must each open the door in order for Him to come in. The way in which we invite Jesus in is by "Asking", not once nor twice, but every day of our lives, for we are not given strength for tomorrow today, we are given sufficient grace just for today. This truth is clearly stated in the scriptures. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 33:25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
Many Christians make the mistake of going it alone, fighting life's battles in our own strength, and losing miserably to the superior forces of the enemy, whereas if we Had just simply asked God for grace in time of need, His omnipotent power would have been engaged in our behalf, to send the devil and his agents back into Neverland with shamefacedness. It is of critical importance for us to understand that we are not able to keep ourselves from falling into the many snares that are laid for our feet. A Christian might have been genuinely saved from a previous life of sin, but without the aid of the Holy Ghost, that person will retrogress right back into all the old habits and vices with which they were once shackled, and their last state becomes worst than the first, this according to the scriptures. Let's read:
Luke 11:24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
This disturbing truth should put every sincere believer on full alert, lest we allow the precious truths and principles we've learned through Christ, to leak out of our vessels, thus making us vulnerable to the subtle assaults of the evil one. Let's remember that it was when David was off guard that satan entered in and made havoc of an otherwise sterling character, and it was when the Hebrews were relaxing and not watching unto prayer, that the Moabitish women succeeded in seducing them into the grossest idolatry.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture that should sound a warning bell to every Christian, for we are never to think of ourselves as being invulnerable to temptation. Let's read:
1st Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
May God grant us the desire to ask Him for His Holy Spirit so that our hearts can be renewed and fortified on a daily basis. "Good night" and God Bless!