God Thinking XXXV - Prayer Environment 7

"We are looking at 5 components that must be present for you to provide an environment conducive to answered prayer.

1.    You must keep God’s commandments     I John 3:22
2.    You must ask in faith                                 James 1:6
3.    You must believe God will answer            Matthew 21:22
4.    You must ask in Jesus name                    John 14:147.
5.    You must ask according to God’s will       I John 5:14

4. You must ask in Jesus' name

“And whatever ye ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If ye ask anything in my name, I will do it” John 14:13-14. 

 
The faithless and the naysayers say, “that word is for the disciples, not for you and me.”  The cults and the extra-biblical followers say, “Jesus is not God.”  The world religions say, “There were many Christs’, and Jesus is one also.”  But the Word of God says, “Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life - No man comes unto the Father but by Jesus - There is none other name by which we must be saved, except Jesus only.  If you believe that Jesus is Lord, you will believe what Jesus says, and He says:

"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 whatever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you” John 15:16.

 
“And whatever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him” Collosians 3:17. 

Clearly you are to ask in Jesus name, therein recognizing God’s Son as the Christ, the only begotten of the Father, glorifying God.   

You can only please God through a relationship with Jesus, for if you do not pray understanding the deity of Jesus Christ you are disobeying God.  “He that believeth on Him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” John 3:18.   

If you do not recognize that your entire relationship with God is entrusted to your relationship with Jesus, you will never know God.  You will never see Him or be with Him.  You will remain in your lost nature, unable to taste of the glorious life of joy that God has for you, here on earth and after you die.  “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” John 14:6.  “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus” I Timothy 2:5.   

As God has spoken, you must believe.  You cannot expect to fully understand all things, but you must start with those that God gave you as simple directives, and move forward from there.  The truth about who Jesus is, is the most important truth you will ever know.  Without this one truth, you cannot know God.  Your prayers will go unheard.  Your prayers will go unanswered.  

As you pray, you must seek God through Jesus Christ.  This will glorify the Father - your petitions will be heard - your prayers will be answered.  

 

You must ask in Jesus name.     

Note: I've noticed over the years that there is more and more protest against any absolutes, even by the church.  More people than ever before are clamoring for weak preaching, candy-coated truths and water-down consequences.  The same Bible that purports living a life as directed by Christ is the same Bible that predicts the times that we are in and the behavior of the people of the day.  The church (the body of Christ) have turned a blind eye to their calling and the importance of a life consecrated to the Lord.  As the years go by, as we drawer nearer and nearer to the close of this dispensation, you will see those who claim to be Christians living just like the rest of the world; dominated by this world's system and more loyal to their TV shows, the lifestyle they cannot afford and their video games than their own kids/parents and even more so to the Lord.

  Excerpt from God Thinking XXXV - Prayer Environment by Keith C. Powell Copyright 2013