“If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7)
You cannot think large enough or ask large enough unless the Word of God abides in you. The Word of God will enlarge your vision and renew your mind and you will begin to think the way your Father God thinks.
The first step in receiving anything from God is to decide what you need. When you go to the supermarket, if you are a wise shopper, you will make a list of the things you need and buy only those things you need. I have noticed that most people plan very well when it comes to shopping for something or setting goals. When it comes to spiritual matters, however, they just, sort of, ya know, hope: maybe God will throw something at them, someday when He walks by. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, it doesn’t work that way, He lives in you and will be with you all the days of your life.
If you went to the supermarket and told the grocer that you need something to eat, you might be surprised at what he would put into your basket; probably some things you don’t need or want. Now I know God can not be compared to a clerk in a store and God knows what you need before you ask, yet God said to ask. Asking is important, it is in fact one of the first signs of a relationship which we will call “Abiding in Christ”. As we abide or take up residence in Jesus our Lord, confidence begins to grow to new heights and His will becomes more apparent in our lives.
John the Apostle said, “And this is the confidence that we have in Him that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us: and if we know that He hears us, what ever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” (1 John 5:14, 15) Now, what is His will? Of course, it is the Word of God, the Bible. So if we ask according to the Bible, or His Word, He hears us. Let me make this suggestion. If you will read the Bible, think about the Bible and talk about the Bible, you will know how to pray according to the will of God.
Now the next verse gets better. It says that if we know that He hears us, we know that we have the requests that we desired of Him. Ask according to His will, know that He hears you, and begin from that moment on to thank Him for the answer to your petition. Mark 11:23-24 teaches us something about receiving from God. “He said when you pray believe you receive and you will have the petitions you desired of Him.” I always tell people after we pray, that answered prayer is contingent upon our receiving, so it is time to act like the Word is true and take hold by faith what you have asked for.
Pastor Danny
