"And I will do--I Myself will grant--whatever you may ask in My
name [presenting all I AM] so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in
[through] the Son." (John 14:13, The Amplified Bible)
In
Jesus' Name. It's more than a phrase we tack onto the end of our prayers. All
that God is and does is represented in the Name of Jesus.
The
Amplified Bible says when you ask in His Name, you present your requests to the
Father on the basis of all that Jesus is. So you can
boldly
expect to have those requests granted--not because you're worthy, but because
He is!
What's
more, the Name of Jesus carries authority over all other names. In Philippians
2:5-11, the Apostle Paul tells us, "God also hath highly
exalted
him [Jesus], and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth."
In
spite of all the Word of God has to say about the power of the Name of Jesus,
most believers don't seem to put much stock in it. They'll
pray
in the Name of Jesus, then turn right around and say, "I sure hope God
answers that prayer." They don't realize that if they only had the faith
to believe it, Jesus' Name alone carries enough clout to guarantee their
prayers will be answered.
They
even let religious slang rob them of the power of using that Name. I've heard
many a well-meaning believer end his prayer with the phrase, "For Jesus'
sake." But Jesus didn't say to pray for His sake. He said to pray in His
Name.
I
used to make that mistake myself. One night I was praying because I was
suffering from a stomach ache. "Oh, for Jesus' sake," I prayed,
"heal my stomach." After I'd said that a few times, the Lord spoke up
on the inside of me. "Wait a minute," He said, "whose stomach is
hurting here, Mine or yours?"
"Mine!"
I answered. Then He very plainly said, "In that case, pray for your
stomach's sake, in My Name!" Jesus' Name. Dig into the Word and find out
just how much power and authority it really carries. Then use that power
every time you pray. Stop hoping God will answer and start expecting Him to
cause every circumstance in your life to bow its knee in honor of that glorious
Name!
Kenneth
Copeland
SCRIPTURE READING: John 16:13-24
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