by Mark Whited
Being confident of the AUTHORITY Jesus has given us is essential for us to pray with expectancy and power. There are a number of scenes where Jesus liberally gives his authority to others.
Whether it is the sending out of the Twelve in Matthew 10, or the initial giving of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. Even seemingly unworthy people, like the Lost Son in Luke 15, is immediately given authority to do family business when his father puts the family ring on his finger.
We need to be reminded of the true authority Jesus has given us as his sons and daughters. It is easy to be forgetful and let various lies or misunderstandings deter us from both living and praying in the authority of Jesus.
In his book, Extreme Prayer*, Greg Pruitt writes: “In the Bible, a person’s name represents his or her nature. Praying in Jesus’ name doesn’t mean asking for a Ferrari and tacking on the magic words ‘in Jesus’ name.’ It means presenting requests that resonate with Jesus’ character, praying “for his name’s sake” prayers that advance his plans for the earth – in other words, proclaiming Kingdom of God – oriented prayers.”
Pruitt goes on saying, “The Gospel of John records Jesus proclaiming five similar promises about praying in his name. Any promise that Jesus repeated five times just before he died must be vitally important.” (John 14:13, 14:14, 15:7, 15:16, 16:23-24)
Therefore, we can and must confidently use the authority Jesus has given us in moving his Kingdom forward via prayer and our obedience.
The attached video link is a brief and powerful testimony of a missionary in Uganda whose life was greatly impacted by Christians praying in Jesus’ name. (recently recorded on-site by Mike Schrage, current ICOM President)
[button color=”blue” size=”normal” alignment=”none” rel=”follow” openin=”newwindow” url=”https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByXQS4qqPoInd1VqNk5YWGlTbUE/view?usp=sharing”]Watch Now[/button]
*Excerpted from:
EXTREME PRAYER- The Impossible Prayers God Promises to Answer
By Greg Pruett – President of Pioneer Bible Translators
Published by Tyndale’ MOMENTUM
