John 17

God made everything. So, the authority He had over everything He bestowed upon Christ Jesus. ALL AUTHORITY! (How much does the devil have? …. NONE)

When we pray, we should keep this in mind. Christ has all authority and He gave us access to His power through our prayers when we pray with faith in His name.

This confidence should soak our prayers and inspire us to ask more boldly.

And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us: [1 John 5:14]

John 16

Christ Jesus instructed us to pray and ask in His Name. What does that mean?

When Patty married me, she took my name. Her name is Patricia DEMOS. We are one. All I have is hers. She is authorized to speak for me. Together we made a family. We are usually seen together. It’s wonderful!

When we were baptized into Christ Jesus, we took His Name. [Romans 6:3; Rev. 21:2, 9] He has given to us because of our relationship all that He has. We are co-inheritors of what God has given to Him. It’s to be used to further HIS PURPOSES and not our own. Heaven’s faith currency has Christ’s picture on it, not ours.

It’s the Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. [Luke 12:32]

John 15 (This is a pivotal passage of scripture we should read often)

Christ would teach using concepts the people understood to illustrate spiritual principles they didn’t yet understand. He said, “I am the Vine and you are the branches.” Most of us understand plant growth. When we trim or prune our bushes, the scraps soon wither and die. We put them out to be collected by the refuse truck. The limbs we leave on the plant continue to grow and remain healthy.

Our spiritual life is like that. Christ wants us to stay connected to Him through our prayer, reading of His Word, and Christian fellowship through a local church or gathering of like-minded believers. (Missing church is NOT HEALTHY) Above all, reading His Word daily is probably the most essential element to being a healthy branch.

Jesus promised, “If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.”

John 13, 14

Just before His crucifixion, Christ was focused upon getting His Disciples ready for Him to leave them. He told them that they would do greater works than He had. He told them the key: “Ask in My name.” We know that we should keep asking, too.

We are guilty of having little faith. We don’t ask enough. We have Christ’s promise, “I will give it to you.” Jesus doesn’t lie.

We should ask Jesus about EVERYTHING. Maintain a constant communication with Him and ask Him for guidance through every day. Ask Him for provision for every need. Ask Him for healing for every affliction, both yours and that of others. His power is unlimited. He won’t run out. He never tires of giving you what you need.

It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. [Luke 12:32]

John 12

John 10, 11

Jesus told His Disciples that Lazarus was not dead … although his body was in the tomb for 4 days … but that he was merely sleeping. This must be the way God sees a dead person – they are merely sleeping. We bury dead people. God may want to wake them up. Christ Jesus woke Lazarus up with His Voice.

While on staff at a church in Columbus, Ohio, I became acquainted with David Hogan of Freedom Ministries. His ministry was primarily to Mexico and Central America. David’s passion was authentic Christianity with NO HYPOCRISY. If you hear him preach, this is what you will discern. Most notably, David frequently speaks of the dead being raised by his ministry and his associates. Realize that he traveled by foot to indigenous natives living in remote areas where hospitals and formal medical attention was scarce. When someone died prematurely, they would bring the dead to David for prayer rather than to the undertaker. He has many hair-raising testimonies of how God’s power raised many dead people.

Christ raised Lazarus from the dead. We have Christ’s power through faith in His Name.

John 9

When Jesus was asked why a man had been blind from birth, He answered , “That the works of God might be displayed.” In other words, this man’s physical condition was a healing opportunity waiting to be performed by Jesus.

We come in contact with healing opportunities EVERY DAY. Each need we become aware of is a chance for God’s power to be displayed. When we casually acknowledge the need and do nothing about it, we are vacating a chance for a miracle. All we need to do is ask, “May I pray for you?”

Yesterday, i hired two day laborers to help us lay a flagstone pathway in our backyard. The “broker” was a man named Louie. He was needy, living out of a car with a blue tarp covering a door. It was pitiful. I took advantage and asked, “May I pray for you.” Being a good Catholic, he assumed a reverent pose and began crossing his heart. Among his needs, he wants a small camper to live in. I prayed in Jesus’ name and I’m waiting on God to answer.

If you know of a free camper for Louie, please let me know. A miracle is on the way.

John 6, 7

Jesus said, “I always do what pleases Him ( the Heavenly Father ).”

Now that should be the goal of every Christian … to live in such a way that every thought and deed pleases God. When we realize that we were created for God’s pleasure, we are starting to make headway. [Rev. 4:11]

The only way to successfully live this life is to be surrendered to God’s Holy Spirit and be obedient by the power of His grace working in our lives. [Phil. 2:13] We can’t do it by sheer willpower. (We may think we can, but we soon fall short and feel like giving up. Jesus KNEW we couldn’t do it alone)

John 6

Did you ever wonder how Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes when He fed large crowds of listeners? I have. If we were the Disciples watching Him break up the bread and fishes, when did the miracle happen? Was it in His hand? Was it in the basket? Did it happen as they were distributed? It’s a mystery.

Yet, He did it and people kept coming out to hear Him. I am convinced that miraculous signs and wonders should be a part of every Christian’s daily life. We don’t have because we don’t ask. We should be taking every opportunity possible to pray with faith in Christ’s Name. We should verbalize our requests out loud and EXPECT God to move. We MUST believe that HE IS and that He is a rewarder of them that seek Him.

When people see the Church that they read about in the book of Acts, saints will be added to the Church daily.

John 5

Jesus said, “I and My Father are ONE. If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen My Father.”

He also said, “Any kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.” God is not divided. From the beginning, the God of the Jews has always been known as “One God.” The great Shema Yisrael from Deut. 6:4 is the prayer and declaration all Jews hold universally. It says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.”

When we pray to Jesus, we are praying to the Father. We don’t divide our prayer. In Christ Jesus dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily. When you have Christ, you have ALL of God. No man can come to the Father except by Jesus. Jesus puts a face on God.