Numbers 22:7
“And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.”
We are often reminded of the importance of prayer and the need of boldly going to God’s throne to ask Him to give us a desire or a need. Certainly, every Christian could improve their prayer life; however, there are some times when you don't need to ask God if He would give you something or if you should do something.
Balaam came across one of these times in his life when he didn't need to ask God what to do. Balak sent his servants to ask Balaam to curse Israel. The request alone should have caused Balaam to send those servants away; instead, he said to them, “Lodge here this night…” He had no business even entertaining their request because what they wanted was directly opposed to God’s Word. This story teaches us three times when we don't need to ask God what to do or if we can have something.
First, you don't need to ask God when what you want is associated with the wrong. The servants of Balak brought “rewards of divination” to pay Balaam to come. These rewards were used to “appease the spirits” in their false worship. These rewards should have told Balaam he didn't need to ask God. When you know what you want is associated with wrong, you don't need to ask God if you can have it. You don't need to ask God if you should yoke up with someone when you know their associations are wrong. You already have the answer by the associations. When you ask God to give you something that you know is associated with the wrong, you are asking God to do wrong. You are wasting your time because God has already given you the answer.
Second, you don't need to ask God when He has already given you the answer. God told Balaam the first time not to go, but he entertained the thought of asking God again because these servants came back as if God changed His mind. When God has already made it clear that you should not do something, you don't need to go back and see if He changed His mind. God’s Word never changes, and for you to go back when He has already told you what to do is to insinuate that His Word isn't resolute. If God has already spoken to you about what you should do, that is enough!
Third, you don't need to ask God when you know what you are asking is directly opposed to His Word. The Scriptures answer most of your questions about what you should do if you will study them. If God’s Word has made it clear that you should not do something or that you should not associate with a certain type of person, you don't need to waste your time asking God.
Let me apply these three principles to parenting. If every parent used these three principles with their children, they would help their children to learn how God responds, and they would teach their children how to answer questions as to what to do when they are not around. My parents used these three principles in our home, and they would remind us of these rules if we asked to do something that would break one of these rules. If you make these principles clear in your home, your children will be able to respond properly when you are not there with them to guide them.