6 His Name In Prayer (1/2)
John 16:23
And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
This verse is not talking about casting out devil; rather it is giving us an unbeatable access to the father in His name through prayer. We have the right to use the name of Jesus to ask for our daily needs to be met. It does not say you should pray to Jesus but to the father because as the father loves him so he loves you. The redemption is complete and your sons.h.i.+p is original. So you have equal access to the father through his name. Jesus is seated today at the right hand of G.o.d as your High Priest upholding your confession of faith.
There are too many in the world today who are in doubt as to whether or not G.o.d will answer their prayer. The wisdom of G.o.d said
1 John 5:13-14
13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of G.o.d; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of G.o.d.
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
The Lord is after the fulfillment of your joy. He does not want you to live in sadness
Nehemiah 8:10b
...for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
The devil plans and schemes at your joy because he knows that when the joy of the Lord is not flowing (I am not talking of happiness which is the product of worldly comfort) then you will have no strength, you become weak and if you are weak you cannot resist the devil to the point of causing him to flee. If he does not flee, you become a failure. Then weapons fas.h.i.+oned against you will start to prosper. G.o.d does not want failures for his children. Therefore, he gave you the wonderful and exalted Name of Jesus in prayer. It is high time you start to apply his Name in your prayer walk.
Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
We can also use the name in our prayer as we seek the help of others who are stronger in the prayer of agreement. The use of His name in spiritual warfare and in prayer seems to be combined well in the book of Matthew chapter eighteenth.
Matthew 18:18-20
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
You don't bind divine health and strength but you are to bind sicknesses and diseases that attempt to steal your joy. The plans of the enemy is to steal your joy and weaken your life walk in Christ Jesus.
Let me ask you a question. Is Jesus here? Jesus is seated in heaven at the right hand of G.o.d waiting for the time that the lease of Adam will end so he will come for his church. There is a present day ministry of Jesus Christ now in his exalted position. But why then did verse 20 of the eighteenth chapter of Matthew says ”For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I in the midst of them”
It only implies that he is in the midst of them because his exalted Name is in the midst of them and what he did his Name can do now.
A young Christian brother zealous for G.o.d but ignorant of the devil's scheme was trapped by the enemy in 1985. His desire to read after many authors in the sincerity of purpose led him to buy a religious book on Mormonism. That was his undoing , for he lost his mind and became very violent. He could not sleep for many days. The mother brought him in that condition to my wedding in July of that year hoping I would be able to help him. The first time that spirit saw me, he spoke up in him. He said ”Brother John, within the last two weeks I now know the Bible more than you have known all these years”. That was a religious spirit and many times it is difficult to cast out this type especially when the will of the victim is involved. We started to make our demand in His name. Nothing seems to change (His Name does not fail only unbelief or sin keep it from working). I went to the mother of the brother and with a brother I led the prayer of agreement. Then I said ”we agree with this woman Mrs... as touching the healing of her son Bro... within twenty-four hours in accordance with the word of Jesus in Matthew 18:19-20.
Then I quoted the verse in my prayer and left. Each one of us at different times, there were people who came to us to ask about the condition of the brother. We all in unity confessed that it was well. This I knew later.
About twelve hours after the prayer, the afflicted brother came back to his senses and his mind become normal. The first thing he did when he sighted his mother was to bow in reverence and appreciation for her care and that he was well. Indeed! One will put a person to a flight and two a ten thousands.
Our text in John 14:13 is actually talking about prayer. Many often confuse their authority against the devil with their prayers to the heavenly Father. Many years ago, while I was doing my PhD work at the university of Ibadan, I came across a young post graduate lady who had been frustrated by the adversary. every time she slept, she would wake in the morning to find that some forces had turned her upside down. This continued for a long time. She would find her legs on the pillow. She was so embarra.s.sed that she was shy at first to discuss her problem. She had prayed, fasted and done everything she knew but without result. She was getting so discouraged thinking may be G.o.d must have forsaken and abandoned her. I then asked her a question which came to her as a shocker. I asked who turns her upside down? Was it G.o.d? She said No! It could not have been G.o.d but the devil. Then I said if it was the devil turning you, why then were you begging G.o.d to remove the mountain when G.o.d had given you the mandate to speak to your mountain? Then I helped her to exercise dominion over this mountain of manipulation. I spoke simple words, not to G.o.d because G.o.d was not the problem but to the devil behind the situations and circ.u.mstances. I said ”You devil and demon who keep turning this lady X upside down; hear the voice of the Lord, today I command you in the Name of Jesus to stop turning her! I just said it casually and at the end of her career she gave me a testimony. That was the end of that manipulation because I used the Name of Jesus to confront the mountain of her life.
This wonderful Name belongs to both of us in redemption but the divine insight to what the Name could do and how it could do what it could do was not available to her. That lady represents today the situations of many believers as I meet various people in my healing crusades.
In my Name, they will lay hand on the sick.
Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 .They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Looking at those two verses of Mark, I want to give you a summary of the believer's a.s.signment as spoken from the lips of the exalted Jesus. In my Name; they will:
• Preach the good news. For it is the only way for eternal salvation. It is the power of G.o.d on earth. G.o.d has tied his power to his word.
• Cast out the devils. The adversaries in their attempt to oppose our peace as they perpetrate their work of stealing, killing and destroying should be checked out.
• Speak with new tongues. An experience which comes after the baptism of the Holy Ghost which therefore implies that his Name is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit for power
• Take up serpents; and being immuned to harm through drinks. The devil is not only disarmed but believers have immunity in His Name as they pursue his divine plan of winning the world for Jesus
• Lay hand on the sick and they shall recover. ”shall” is an emphatic or strong verb implying that there is no alternative to recovery or room for failure. Lack of recovery will therefore not be due to G.o.d because he has given the church an unqualified use of his Name.
The desire of G.o.d on earth is to bring us peace, liberty and joy in the Holy Ghost. Let's see how Simon Peter used his position of advantage immediately after the resurrection and ascension of Christ Jesus. In Acts chapter 3, he went to the temple in company of John the beloved. The same temple he had gone several times but now with the consciousness of the risen Jesus he went to the temple for prayer. Let's see Peter's and John's encounter with a man who was crippled for many years.
Acts. 3:4-8
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising G.o.d.
Verse 1 ”now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour”. The Bible says he was laid daily. Verse 3 ”who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. Peter caught the revelation that brought changes. The sick was expecting to receive. G.o.d always wants you to raise your level of expectation so that your expectation will bring fulfilment in life.
Peter said- verse 6 'Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee: In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And lifted him up, and his feet and ankle bones received strength
(Verse 7)
Number one:
Peter commanded him to rise in the name of Jesus.
He was not praying, he was making a demand in the name of Jesus in line with this scripture
John 14:13
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
It was as if Jesus was doing what Peter was doing in His name. No wonder, he took the next step.
Number two:
Peter put action into his words by helping him up. He took the right hand lifting him up. A thousand words will not leave so lasting an impression as one deed. The good intention of Peter was hereby followed by an appropriate action. His action proved his belief.
John 12:17
If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them
G.o.d honoured the faith of Peter and the ankles received strength. G.o.d is not a respecter of persons. Note the steps of Peter
1. Peter was bold enough to use the Name of Jesus against a problem. He commanded the cripple to arise. The anointing of the Holy Spirit was upon him
2. The unction of the Spirit was possibly not on John, his companion. In wisdom he co-operated with Peter. Faith works under an atmosphere of spiritual authority and discipline. Peter was his leader in the group of the Apostles. The reason for seeming powerlessness in deliverance meeting is due to violation of spiritual authority and compet.i.tiveness.
3. Peter put action into his words by helping to a.s.sist the man. He said it and acted on what he said.
4. The crippled man co-operated with him. He could have said there is no point in doing anything. it cannot work. I have been here for forty years. It is my destiny; after all fingers are not equal. But he co-operated
5. And this man leaped and praised G.o.d testifying to the goodness of G.o.d. If you follow these steps in any encounter in life. it is a principle that will work for you all of the time.
Among other gifts, the gifts of special faith, healing and word of knowledge are constantly in manifestation in my teaching ministry.
The laying on of hands together with an healing ministry go with the office of a Prophet. When these gifts are manifested, I wonder why the whole atmosphere start to change indeed.
Psalm 46:4