Tags
ask and receive, being born again, experience, faith, new creation, prayer, the new self, the old self, true faith
Abiding IN Christ like these crocuses in the vase, everything we ask for will be received – Photo by Susanne Schuberth
Today as I heard someone praying about their personal issues, I suddenly heard the question in my mind, “Will God hear these prayers?” At first I thought, “Well, I am not God. How could I know which prayers He might hear and which not?” 🙄 But then as I considered this topic more closely, it occurred to me that there are certain conditions that must be met before God is inclined to listen to our heart’s pleas, even continually. Having found some Scriptures that display the connection between true faith and God’s immediate response by hearing all our prayers, I decided to highlight some parts I found enlightening there (emphasis in italics mine).
And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Mt 21:22 EV)
For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk 11:10-13 ESV)
In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (Joh 16:23-24 ESV)
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (Js 4:3 ESV)
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. (1 Jn 3:21-22 ESV)
On the one hand we read that everyone who asks receives. However, as we might know, there were certainly several of our prayers God did not hear (or at least not immediately). And thank God, I might add, He did not listen to ALL of my prayers in the past! It was only later that I saw that God led me a completely different path of life where hearing my former prayers would have turned out more of a hindrance than a blessing. Yet I did not know it back then, stumbling in the darkness of my own thoughts and spiritually blind as I would be. So, on the other hand, it might also be that we ask and do NOT receive because we ask wrongly. What could that mean?
Even yesterday as I was moaning before God about how I hated my old Adam nature and how I longed to be freed from this always doubting, fearful, God-distrusting, worrying, and loveless old self, I suddenly realized that God always hears the prayer of the New Creation, the new nature that is fully divine. The Scriptures I shared above put it this way: God hears all our prayers if we have (true) faith…..if we ask God for His good gifts only (the Holy Spirit’s spiritual blessings)….if we ask in Jesus’ name (i.e., not merely the words, “I ask in Jesus’ name…” but by simultaneously being IN Him and by abiding IN His love)…. if we keep his commandments and do what pleases Him.
Wow!! That is quite a lot, isn’t it? 🙄 Too much to be accomplished by a simple human being on its own – ever. We truly need to be empowered by God to do His will, finally. I believe if we have been enabled to love Him, others and ourselves with this same God-given love, we will always do what pleases Him, even without thinking about it because that is our new nature – IN Christ. May God help us to get there. Amen.
Entering the Promised Land 
Susanne, truly you have brought up something very important here. Praying IN the name of God is to pray in His very nature and God is love! If we are abiding in His unselfish love, it only makes sense that we will ask only for those things, those good gifts for all which come down from the Father of Lights and HE will do it! ❤
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Yes, very good, Michael! You have just expressed what I had thought too, that is, we cannot ask for anything which would be against God’s will when our will and His have become one. ❤
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Yup!!! 🙂 God’s love makes everything sooooo simple, doesn’t it?
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Whenever we may FEEL His love and He helps us to abide in Him – YES! 🙂
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Susanne,
First I would like to say what a lovely picture that you took of the crocuses. It almost looks like a water color painting.
This business of asking and receiving in the name of Jesus seems to be hinged on one thing, being fully IN Christ and having the faith OF Jesus Christ. To ask anything IN His name and in order to receive it is a principle that has been abused for sure among today’s “name it and claim it” “faith” preachers. The word translated “name” in these passages does not mean only a person’s moniker. So many ask in prayer which they end “in Jesus name we pray. Amen.” But are they actually praying IN His name? The word translated “name” in the Greek is “onoma” and means authority and character. You see if anything we ask is to be granted us we must ask in the authority and character of Jesus Christ, not just using his name as a magic incantation. Are we walking in submission to the authority and character of God’s own Son? This was the mistake that the sons of Sceva made…
“Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon themselves to call over them who had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” (Acts 19:13-16, KJ2000)
Paul was able to say, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” He walked in the authority and character of Jesus and he received what he prayed for, these usurpers did not. To have this kind of authority to get what we ask for we must embraced the cross of Christ which deals with that old independent Adam in us and let the nature of Christ be worked in us by our Father who rebukes and chastens those who are His sons and daughters. Few who want the power of Christ in their lives are willing to pay the price and as a result we see all around us a weak and emaciated church.
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I am happy you added this Spirit-led comment, Michael. What you illustrated and that Scripture from Acts fit perfectly. It helps to see the problem of misunderstanding “being IN Christ” and asking “in Jesus’ name”. Indeed, it is not about receiving anything from Him unless we have died to our old self nature before. Those who receive power while still in their uncrucified flesh run great danger of being under Satan’s control, whether they know it or not. Problem is, if you tell them about that, they cannot hear it because the devil has blinded their eyes. Very sad! 😦
PS
Yes, somehow I liked that pic too although I have “more perfect” ones in my folder as well. I found these little crocuses two days ago in the woods, in a place where nobody would have expected to find flowers. God sometimes does such things in order to confirm that I am on the way He chose for me (physically, not spiritually speaking here). 😉
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Susanne, you wrote, “Those who receive power while still in their uncrucified flesh run great danger of being under Satan’s control, whether they know it or not. Problem is, if you tell them about that, they cannot hear it because the devil has blinded their eyes. Very sad! 😦 “
We both know a bit about our past and know how true this is from experience. I thank God that He was able to show us the danger we were in when the gifts of the Spirit were being manifest in us and the flesh was still unabated in us. The decisions we made years ago to go the way of the cross and the wilderness of the Lord that followed to kill all that was of Egypt in us, that has made all the difference. It is sad that so many have chosen illicit power, the ways of religious man that Satan uses to puff them up and exalt their flesh (find their life) and discredit the gospel of Christ.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matt 16:24-26, ESV2011)
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That was very well said, Michael! So true these things you said about our past, my brother. We all need the cross, daily…
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Susanne, thank you for this blog. It is very helpful to me. Also, thank you to those who made comments, especially Michael. I hear “God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship him in spirit and truth”. I believe that that is also how we pray. We are to pray from our spirit in truth. The truth is Who Jesus is. Hopefully He is that in us.
Love,
Pat Orr
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You are so welcome, dear Pat. 🙂
As for worshiping God in spirit in truth, I believe that this is a gift from God who through the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us and who also prays, if necessary, “with groanings too deep for words.” (Rom 8:26 ESV)
You have nothing to worry that you might be on the wrong path – ever, dear sister! ❤
Love,
Susanne
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Thanks, Pat. It is good to hear from you again.
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God promises to supply us all we ask, but only if we ask in accord with His will. In human terms, that may sound arbitrary. But we are not dealing in human terms.
God is by nature entirely good and holy. He is not in the business of making illusory promises, i.e. those too vague to be trustworthy. And God’s will for us is always the absolute best.
Above all things, God’s will for us is that we be conformed to the image and likeness of His Son. That remains foremost in God’s mind throughout our lives. It is not a goal we can accomplish by our own efforts. Unfortunately, it requires that some of our prayers — even laudable requests — be declined (or deferred).
A major part of the refining process, by which we are conformed to the image of Christ, involves trusting God in the face of tragedy — when our deepest longings go unfulfilled, and our most urgent prayers go unanswered. God’s denials are never arbitrary, and never intended to harm His children. In the end, they bring us closer to Him.
At least, that’s how I understand it.
With love,
A. ❤
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You understand it perfectly, Anna. Very well said! ⭐
As for being conformed into Christ’s image as God’s first goal, you brought up a point to which I referred in my latest blog post I published less than one hour ago.
I love that part of your response, Anna. You said,
“A major part of the refining process, by which we are conformed to the image of Christ, involves trusting God in the face of tragedy — when our deepest longings go unfulfilled, and our most urgent prayers go unanswered. God’s denials are never arbitrary, and never intended to harm His children. In the end, they bring us closer to Him.”
Yes and amen. As for this life on earth, many wishes remain unfilled. But we can look forward to our next life in heaven where EVERY wish will be fulfilled, more than we might imagine right now.
Love ❤
Susanne
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Susanne Schuberth (Germany) said: “On the one hand we read that everyone who asks receives. However, as we might know, there were certainly many of our prayers God did not hear (or at least not immediately). And thank God, I might add, He did not listen to all of my prayers in the past! 😉 It was only later that I saw that God led me a completely different path of life where hearing my former prayers would have turned out more of a hindrance than a blessing.”
I am glad a lot of my old prayers were not answered. Some of those were selfish and very fleshly.
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