IF

Just before Jesus was arrested and crucified, He gave His disciples some of the most powerful promises about intercessory prayer ever given. John 15:7 says, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Found in that verse is a big “IF” to the promise of answered prayer. 

 In John 15, the Lord Jesus is stressing the value of relationship. Abide in Him and His words abide in you. What does it mean to abide? It has to do with connection. Jesus tells us in verse 5 that He is the vine, and we are the branches. Just as a vine is connected to a branch, we must be connected to the Lord. If you do not truly know the Lord, you cannot claim the promise in the last part of verse 7. “ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” 

Relationship with Jesus implies that you get power, comfort, wisdom; everything you need from Him.  If you are not “in Him” you are ineligible for the answer to your prayer. 

When Jesus says that His words must abide in us, He means they must become a part of our daily life. We must take them seriously, obey them, and live by them. How often do you read them? Stand by them? Meditate on them? When He speaks of a sinful practice, how do you respond?

 Let’s get in position to claim the prayer promises of Jesus.  Let’s pour out our heart with a pure heart and then get ready for God to move.

The Pastor’s Pocket

Pastor Bruce Freeman

 


 

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