I heard Jesus say, quite clearly, "I am all paid up. Everything I have is yours. When you pray in My Name, to the Father it is as though I am praying. I am all paid up, and so are you."
I understood that, while I had been praying in the Name of Jesus, I hadn't really seen that I was praying based on His righteousness, on His completed work, which is everything! He totally fulfilled the law and gave me His righteousness...when I pray in His name, I'm praying based on His righteousness.
I had seen that, because I am one Spirit with Him, His name was my name, too, and that His Name belonged to me. But it is so much more than that!
I also knew that the Name of Jesus is like a power of attorney...we can do anything with that Name that He can.
When praying for a specific thing or over a specific matter, I am tapping into His riches in glory, which is everything. Because I am in covenant with Him, everything He has, which is everything, is mine, and everything I have is His. [1 Corinthians 3:21,22]
He has already been punished for all of my sin—past, present and future. [Romans 6:10; Hebrews 7:27, 9:12; 1 Peter 3:18] And He has redeemed me from the curse of the Law—all of the curse which results from not keeping all the Law. [Galatians 3:13]
So any idea of prayer being answered or not answered based on my performance is in error.
Abide In Him
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit."YOU ARE ALREADY CLEAN because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me."I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he BEARS MUCH FRUIT, for apart from Me you can do nothing."If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned."If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ASK WHATEVER YOU WISH AND IT WILL BE DONE FOR YOU. My Father is GLORIFIED by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples."Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." [John 15:1-12]
I've written lots about the third and fourth chapter of Hebrews, but let's look at it again.
'For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? SO WE SEE THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO ENTER BECAUSE OF UNBELIEF.''Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; BUT THE WORD THEY HEARD DID NOT PROFIT THEM, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT UNITED BY FAITH IN THOSE WHO HEARD.'For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter my rest," although HIS WORKS WERE FINISHED FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.'So there remain a Sabbath rest for the people of God.'For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.''Therefore, since we have a great High Priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One Who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.'Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.' [Hebrews 3:16-19; 4:1-3, 9-11, 14-16]
Jesus knew that He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and although when He was speaking to the disciples before His crucifixion they were not technically born again, He looked ahead from that point of complete payment for the penalty of sin and called them clean. Colossians 2:12-15 tells us that He did it for us, too, in advance...He canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, nailing it to His cross! He disarmed wicked rulers and authorities for us, and the Word says we were raised up together with Him!
This work is done, complete, finished, for all time, by the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world! We have entered into a covenant of blood with the Father in the precious blood of Jesus—we have been MADE the righteousness of God in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says it this way: 'He [God] made Him Who knew no sin [Jesus] to BE sin ON OUR BEHALF, so that we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM!
And it was all God's doing in the first place! 1 Corinthians 1:30,31 says 'But BY HIS DOING you are IN CHRIST JESUS, Who BECAME TO US wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord."'
We who have accepted His sacrifice for our sin have been placed IN HIM. We are already clean, already the branches of His vine. This is a completed work.
But the Greek word for abide is meno—to remain, sojourn, tarry; to continue to be present; to be held, kept, continually in reference to time; to remain as one, NOT TO BECOME ANOTHER OR DIFFERENT! [Greek lexicon, Biblestudytools.com]
So when Paul write to be diligent to enter that rest, he is talking about entering into that stated of abiding in Him. We're already one Spirit with the Lord, but we must be diligent to remain in Him—not from a salvation point of view—but from the point of view of the rest of His finished work.
Like everything in the Spirit, by faith.
Faith is in two places—in the heart and in the mouth. '...that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.' [Romans 10:9,10]
Righteousness is the spiritual state of right-standing with God; salvation, or soteria—deliverance, preservation, safety; deliverance from the molestation of enemies. Salvation is not only spiritual, but natural, as well.
We believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, and then we confess it with our mouths, which results in salvation. We see it as true and believe it; then we confess it to bring it to pass.
So it is with abiding, or using the Name of Jesus, or claiming any of His promises.
Let's look at a couple of examples...
The first, commonly referred to as The Prayer of Jabez, from a book by that name written by Bruce Wilkenson, is straightforward. God found Jabez to be honorable [v.9] and so granted him everything he requested.
'Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!" And God granted him what he requested.' [1 Chronicles 4:10]
Let's face it...Jabez prayed a pretty big prayer, asking for what some might call a lot! What was God's response? To chide him, remind him to be humble, that it's okay to want some but not a lot?
NO, the Word just says 'And God granted him what he requested.'
Sounds like John 15—if we abide in Him, we are told to ask WHATEVER we wish and it will be granted to us!
I love the language, too...it was really more of a demand than a request! I hear him asking in a loud voice when I ready it, sort of "BLESS ME!'
It reminds me of Isaiah 65:16...
"Because he who is blessed in the earth will be blessed by the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth will swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from My sight!" [NASB]"So that he who BLESSES HIMSELF in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My eyes." [NKJV]
One of my favorites...
'The Lord gives the command; the women who PROCLAIM the good tidings are a great host: "Kings of armies flee, they flee, and she who remains at home will divide the spoil!" [Psalm 68:11,12]
What you say is what you get...
'For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.'You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.7 A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you.'You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. For YOU HAVE MADE the LORD, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone.'"Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation."' [Psalm 91]
'Let the weak SAY, "I am a mighty man."'
You know the story. But read it now with new eyes...
'When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And thePhilistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine also said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field."'THEN DAVID SAID to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day THE LORD WILL deliver you up into my hands, and I WILL strike you down and remove your head from you. And I WILL give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands."Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground. Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David's hand. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.'When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.' [1 Samuel 17:42-51]
Okay, I've given you several examples of bringing the Word of God to pass in the natural world by believing it in the heart and saying it with the mouth. Of course, the most important example in your life is your own salvation! You believed it, said it, and were saved!
'And Jesus answered saying to them, "HAVE FAITH IN GOD. Truly I say to you, whoever SAYS to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but BELIEVES THAT WHAT HE SAYS IS GOING TO HAPPEN, IT WILL BE GRANTED HIM."Therefore, I SAY to you, ALL THINGS FOR WHICH YOU PRAY AND ASK, BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED THEM, and they WILLBE GRANTED YOU."Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.In the same way, abide in Him—be diligent to enter that rest!
"I am one Spirit with the Lord, born of God, made the righteousness of God in Christ. He is the vine, I am one of the branches. I keep His commandment, to love one another, and His words abide in me.Because I abide in Him, I ask whatever I wish and it is done for me."Therefore I abide in Him! I diligently enter His rest—I rest from my works as God did from His!
