In Jesus’ Name

In Jesus’ name is a way many evangelical Christians end their prayers. And for good reason, the Bible tells us to ask for our prayer requests from God the Father, in Jesus’ name.

” Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”(John 16:23)

But, how many of us have prayed like this for years and the prayer request still eludes us? I know I have, and therefore I went on a hunt to figure out why. Could there be more to it than adding these words onto the end of our prayer? It seems too formulistic and the Bible is clearly not a formula.

After digging into Scripture and asking the Lord to reveal the answer, God instead nudged me to follow Him more closely. When I finally agreed that I had not surrendered all my choices to Him, I asked the Holy Spirit to empower me to let go and trust God in everything. I noticed not long after that, my prayer life seemed to be more effective.

I wondered why?

What I have discovered, is that the more surrendered we are to the Lord and the more our heart is turned towards Him in true praise, worship and humility (obedience) the more we remain “In Christ.”

Many Christians come in and out of the Kingdom and the world on a daily basis. We may serve the Lord in some way or another but then engage in gossip at work. We may diligently read the Bible and attend Bible studies but refuse to give up our secular novels and music.

What God is looking for, I have learned, is a heart that is ready to be steadfast for the Kingdom- leaving behind all the secular pursuits that God abhors. The cocktails in the bar after work, the concerts with artists who sing raunchy lyrics, casino trips, pornography and even YouTube/ instagram topics that use dark humor and scant clothing. We are also warned to stay away from the love of money because money is the god of this world. (1 Tim 6:10)

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”(Romans 12:1-2)

God’s promises offer guidelines for living that protect us and lead to blessings

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.”(Ps 37:3-4)

Jesus’ prayers were Powerful

Jesus’ prayers were powerful and our prayers can be powerful too, if we pray from a surrendered life. Accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is not enough to have powerful prayers. We must fully surrender to Biblical teachings. Many of the promised blessings have conditions attached to them and this is why they protect us. For instance

” And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”(Rom 8:28)

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.(Ps 84:11)

The condition for these promised blessings, is to live as He directs which is an upright obedient life. This surrendered life, I have learned, means we’re praying “in Jesus’ name” because we are “In Christ.”

Therefore the tagline “In Jesus’ name” is not a tagline at all- it is a lifestyle!

The Bible Gives Us Promises We Can Claim In Jesus’ Name

The Bible contains thousands of promises and depending on what we are going through, some will stand out more than others. For me, I desired justice in my life. I found a verse that I stood on and claimed for years and I would pray it out loud ending it “in Jesus’ name.” Below is the verse:

“But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!”(Isaiah 54:17)

It seemed with every recitation of that verse there was a check in my spirit. It was as if God was saying- are you my servant?

After years of standing on this Bible promise, the Lord made me realize that I wasn’t a servant.

“… Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”(1 Cor 15:58)

Literally, the day after I fully surrendered to Christ and asked Him what I could do for Him, He called me into the ministry of writing for Him- something I have never done nor was it ever in my mind to do. He later called me to another ministry that I would not have chosen for myself but I have found to be quite fulfilling.

Therefore it is crucial that we stay in the Word and constantly examine our lives to see if there is any reason why we are inhibiting our own prayers from being answered.

Answered Prayer In Jesus’ Name

Jesus taught the disciples that they have not asked for anything in His name and He encouraged them to do so.

“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask so that your joy will be made full.”(John 16:24)

The Lord is teaching us this as well. When we ask to have a specific Bible promise come to fruition in our life and we meet the conditions of that promise-namely changing behaviors and attitudes to that which is pleasing to Him, then, the Bible is clear- we will receive our answer in God’s timing. We may need to endure a severe testing of our faith before we receive a blessing however.

God’s plans, His timing and our response to His teachings are the determining factors for receiving a prayer request, not because we put the tagline “in Jesus’ name” on the end of the prayer.

What We Can Receive In Jesus’ Name

We can receive all the wonderful promised blessings Jesus won for us at the cross. He won redemption, healing, peace, joy, provision and a spot in heaven one day. These blessings are waiting for us in the heavenlies. We need to pull them into the earth realm through our prayers, because we have that right as righteous citizens in Christ. All of God’s promised blessings are made available through Jesus’ substitutionary death for our sins. We are free and clear to receive everything Jesus won for us. But we play a part. We need to participate in the abundant life by pulling these blessings out of heaven by requests asked from a surrendered position.

“And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.”(1 John 5:14-15)

God’s will is that we choose to surrender every aspect of life to Him, because He knows that this will keep us on His protected and blessed path.

In Jesus’ name means “for Jesus’ namesake”

One of the most popular Psalms is Psalm 23 and this Psalm tells us how Jesus positions us to receive His blessings.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name sake.”

This Psalm explains that the Lord leads us by providing for us, quieting our anxiety with His Word and giving us wisdom to trust Him. He is the good Shepherd. And this provision depicts His trustworthy reputation. His actions reflect His character of making good on His promises. All we need to do is delight in knowing Him and resting in His guidance.“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”(Ps 37:4)

Living “In Jesus’ Name” or In Christ Cannot Include Compromise

Living in Jesus’ name cannot include compromise. I have learned over the past 22 years of studying the Word, that God’s way and our way cannot be melded together. How can Satan’s ideas and God’s ideas blend? The World is run by Satan, but God’s Kingdom is penetrating the world through Christ followers. His Kingdom started when Jesus walked the earth. He showed us how following Him leads to a powerful influx of His good plans for all people, and this influx happens through our prayers “in Jesus’ name.”

What can the world give us that is better than a powerful prayer life?

Prayers that change lives, health conditions, restore marriages and so many other things. As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing in this world that is better than being in right standing with the Lord Jesus Christ. I desire to stay in this position as a fully surrendered Christian so that I can pray powerful prayers for my circle of influence.

Won’t you join me in daily surrender to our Lord and Savior so that we remain “In Jesus’ name” or “In Christ”. Then as we endure test and trials and remain “In Christ” our faith can move mountains and become powerful change agents in this evil world run by Satan.

My daily prayer is “Lord, keep me in your perfect will today. Lead me with your strong arm of protection.”

Food for Thought,

Lisa