Praying Effectively: Part 3

September 17, 2020
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| Prayer, Praying Effectively

Praying in the Name of Jesus Christ

In John 10:10(NKJV), Jesus Christ said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” It stands to reason that when Jesus Christ came to this earth to make a more than abundant life available, before he came, it was not available. No matter how much effort they might have applied, it was impossible for a person living prior to the arrival of Christ to have access to a more than abundant life. After Adam’s sin and before Christ came, no one could tap into the vast resources of God’s Kingdom, and most were not even aware of them. Because of Christ, today you and I can. We have access to God, and we have received an inheritance that will take us an eternity to enjoy.

It is important for us to know that Jesus Christ didn’t just undo the incredible catastrophe that Adam’s and Eve’s disobedience caused humanity. He didn’t take us all the way back to the place where we would have been had Adam not sinned and then just left us there. No. He restored us in a phenomenal way. He accomplished infinitely more with his sacrifice and resurrection, and he did it all for us, his brothers and sisters. 2Corinthians 5:17 tells us that Christ made it possible for us to become new creations, never before introduced among all of God’s other creations. This verse proclaims that the old is gone, and the new is here!

As new creations in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are interdimensional beings. Our bodies reside on earth, but earth is not our home. We’re just passing through. Heaven is our home. It is the home of our Creator, and it is the place where love and faith through Jesus Christ govern everything. So, while our bodies reside here on earth, our minds and hearts must be governed by the ethos of our home, which is God’s Kingdom. Jesus Christ teaches us in Matthew 6:10 that we must continually pray that God’s Will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

2Corinthians 5:20 tells us that we are Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. In the context of modern times, we think of an ambassador as a distinguished representative of his or her country. This person has been chosen to temporarily reside in a country or place that isn’t their home. The next logical question is, “What does this ambassador do as a representative of their homeland?” The answer to this question is that they carry forth the tasks assigned to them by their country’s ruling authority and government.

Our Heavenly Father created the earth and adapted it for habitation and then placed man in it. The Father’s plan was that humanity would live in wonderful fellowship and harmony with Him. Adam broke the rules in God’s plan, and after him, folks continued to break the rules and are even doing so today, thousands of years later. After Adam’s and Eve’s mess up, a lot of bad things happened, and we were in deep trouble. Because of God’s mercy, He didn’t let us destroy ourselves. He sent His Son to rescue us from the bondage of darkness and death. The prophecy of the first coming of Christ is recorded in the Old Testaments. Isaiah 9:6(NIV) records, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, our government is ruled by him. God has placed everything under his power and authority. John 13:3(NLT) says, “Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.” After his resurrection, Jesus did return to God, but he left us here, as his ambassadors and representatives of the Kingdom of God.

Everything, from the smallest to the greatest detail, that God wanted to accomplish in humanity was accomplished for us, in, by, and through Jesus Christ. He left no stone unturned and completed what God sent him to earth to complete. Hebrews 12:2 declares that he is the author and finisher of our faith, and because he knew that all of us would exist as God’s new creations and that we would be his brothers and sisters, he endured the cross. His suffering was incomparable to anything that you and I can imagine, but now he is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus tells us in John 14:6(NLT), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Through him, we have the perfect example to follow. Through him we have the authority to help, heal, and restore through prayer. We represent the Kingdom, and Jesus has shown us through his life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection how to be his ambassadors. Our assignment and commission from him is clear. In John 20:21(NLT), he said “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” We are to share the good news about our Prince of Peace, our Wonderful Counselor, and Everlasting Father. Through him, there is salvation, and we have been given the extraordinary privilege to help someone receive eternal life, through our precious Lord and Savior. As we pursue the agenda of ambassadorship, Jesus declared in John 14:13(NLT), “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.”

The earth is rocky terrain and a mighty dark place. There are many things that seek to hinder our walk. Because we are believers and followers of Christ, our path is not always an easy one, but Jesus Christ has given us everything we need to carry out his mission. We have the most powerful weapon in the earth, and it is to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. When we are committed to our call to introduce the Kingdom of God into the earth, heaven’s resources are at our fingertips. We can lovingly help people find their way back to God so they can be reconciled to Him. As ambassadors, Jesus Christ has given us all the authority that comes with his name, and he will back us up every time, as we pray in his precious name and move according to the power of his Spirit. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Praying Effectively: Part 3- Praying in the Name of Jesus Christ” written for Springfield Fellowship, Inc. Copyright© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

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Praying Effectively: Part 4- Praise and Thanksgiving