Seeking Jesus First - Sept. 4, 2023

Game Changing Faith

Jesus gave His disciples an amazing promise in John 15. He is talking about them abiding in Him as a branch abides in a vine. The vine is the source for the branch. Jesus makes a game changing statement about receiving from God anything that they ask.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:7–9, NKJV)

Let’s break it down and receive revelation knowledge and understanding, from The Spirit, of what Jesus is saying.

• “If you abide in Me,” - “Therefore, everyone who acknowledges Me before men and confesses Me [out of a state of oneness with Me], I will also acknowledge him before My Father Who is in heaven and confess [that I am abiding in] him.” (Matthew 10:32, AMP) Abiding in Christ Jesus is the state of being one with Him. Paul said, “When we are joined to The LORD, we are one spirit with Him.”  When we believe in our heart and  confess with our mouth the LORDship of Jesus, we are saved. When we acknowledge Him in our hearts and decree Him with our mouth, we are made one with Him in spirit. This makes us new creatures. Abiding in Him is continuing in the faith of Christ Jesus and living our lives in relationship with Him through the Holy Spirit which He has given to us.
• “and My words abide in you,” - “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17, NKJV) We must have God’s words abiding in us. There is an Old Testament Scripture that really shows what this means. You just have to bring it into the New Covenant understanding. “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8, NKJV) Change “LAW” to “loving word of God”. This loving word of God shall not depart out of your mouth. Here is a New Testament version. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23, NKJV) We keep His words abiding in our hearts by believing and speaking them… oh yeah… and obeying them.
• “you will ask what you desire,” - “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:3, NKJV) “What you desire” does not mean “the desire of the flesh.” It is the desire that is aligned with abiding in Christ Jesus and having His words abiding in you. Faith begins where the will of God is known. He is at work in us both to will and to do His good pleasure in us. And He has good plans for us to prosper and heal us and give us hope even as our souls prosper in relationship with Him. This is why the first two parts of this first are conditional to the last two parts of this verse.
• “and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.”

This is “Game Changing Faith”. We are told exactly how to get anything that we desire according to the will of God. God speaks according to the good pleasure of His will. God’s Word is His Will. When God speaks, He delegates authority because His Word cannot be broken. This is why Jesus told us that we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

A right or privilege is a delegated authority. A right is something God, through His Word, has given believers authority to do. Believers do not have to ask God for a right that He has already granted. A right is a delegated authority.

When we see a recorded promise in The Word of God, we can have it if we will abide in Christ and keep His word abiding in us. The testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophesy. One way to understand that statement is, anything that Jesus has said can be a prophesy to you. Another way to understand it is, anything that God has done in the life of another believer, He is willing to do in your life.

When the Word declares a promise to one, it is available to all. All of the promises of God are in Christ Jesus, Yes and Amen to the glory of the Father through us. It glorifies God when we are fruitful in His Word which includes His promises. And the New Covenant through the blood of Christ Jesus is a better covenant founded upon better promises.

Are you abiding in Christ Jesus?

Are His words abiding in you?

Start asking.

Start receiving.

Don’t look back… except to thank God for all that He has done so far.