Jesus spoke in John chapter 14:
7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
Jesus makes an emphatic statement of how we are to petition and make our requests made known to FATHER. We are to make those requests In Jesus’ Name. Why? We are only acceptable through His sacrifice on the cross. Any prayer, declaration, proclamation, or prophetic word outside the expressed authority and proper use of His Name effectively relies on a lesser, temporary sacrifice and is under the Law. It is only by Jesus Christ Who became the perfect and acceptable sacrifice are we able to receive from FATHER through HIS unmerited favor. Jesus is our legal sacrifice and substitution allowing us to boldly approach FATHER’S Throne in a fully acceptable manner.
Any word or act which diminishes Jesus’ preeminence in our lives will impair our walk IN HIM. Jesus spoke in John chapter 16:
23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
24 Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
Jesus revealed the proper way to ask FATHER once He was sitting at FATHER’S Right Hand and there would be no complex ritual required to having our prayers answered. Our Intermediary is now sitting next to FATHER and all of our requests in His Name are answered according to the acceptance by FATHER of Jesus’ intervention on our behalf. What better Advocate to have other than Jesus Christ?
Our Heavenly FATHER is glorified in the Son as FATHER fulfills our petitions in Jesus’ Name. FATHER will not promote anything which does not glorify Jesus. FATHER will not answer prayers promoting greed or selfishness thus it is important that we know HIS Word when we pray. FATHER is not obligated to fulfill any request outside of HIS stated Will in Scripture. Jesus expressed in John chapter 15:
16 “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
17 These things I command you, that you love one another.”
Love should be the basis for all our requests and good fruit should be the result of those requests. Jesus is not glorified when we are hungry, sick, or in desperate need so let us pull down the strongholds keeping us from receiving from FATHER when petitioning in Jesus’ Name. If good fruit is not resulting when we pray, there is something amiss in our lives and we must change in some manner. I know it is true for me in certain areas where I have become slack. Surely I am not the only one who needs to change in order to produce greater fruit which glorifies The Son.
These writings are intended to encourage change among those who seek a deeper relationship with FATHER through HIS Son Jesus Christ. Jesus’ Name must not be diminished in our walk for it is by His Name we received salvation. It is by His Name I have been healed multiple times. It is by His Name I have been delivered from destruction. Let us exalt His Name in our hearts and our minds for He is our High Priest before FATHER. None of us can stand acceptable before FATHER without Our Advocate at HIS right hand so we should always be mindful of that reality when we make our request known to FATHER.
The Beloved Disciple appropriately summarized this writing when he wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 John chapter 5:
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
And I say AMEN!