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In this blog, I provide encouragement and biblical teaching on the subject of prayer.

As the Scripture says:

"Pray, then, in this way..." (Mt 6:9)

"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." (Mat 6:6)

Some of the topics covered include the Lord's Prayer, the intercession of the saints, the intercession of Christ, thanksgiving, proclamations, promises of God concerning prayer, and the importance of the attitude of the heart and mind in prayer, as well as the importance of the attitude of the body in prayer.  I hope this will be an edifying and encouraging experience for you that will help you to grow in your walk with the Lord.

The Disciples’ Prayer	Standing in the Gap	Covenant Prayer
Who intercedes for us?	Personal Proclamations of Faith	Crying Out to God Loudly
When God Does Not Seem to Answer	Taking Heaven by Force	Prayer that Pleases the Father's Heart
Giving Thanks in Everything	Prayer Promises	Lifting Hands in Prayer
Lifting Your Face in Prayer	Keeping a Prayer Journal	Blessing Others
Keys to Prayer	The Power of Two or Three	Scriptural Make Believe
The Blessing of Abraham	Being Blessable	The Authority of the Believer

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "Prayer Warrior" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's Note:  I also invite you to visit my collection of blogs at "Writing for the Master."  Now let me ask you a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Scriptural Make-Believe

My wife and I have five children, two of whom are now adults, and we know from experience how much little children love to make believe. Children make believe with cars, trucks, ambulances, dolls, cardboard houses, and other props. They use their imaginations and pretend that those things are real. There is a Scriptural type of make-believe, but before I prove it to you, let me begin by defining the expression.

Definition of Make Believe
When used as a noun, those things considered to be "make-believe" are things that are imagined or pretended to be true or real. It is the action of pretending or imagining that things are better than they really are. Make-believe is pretense, especially of an innocent or playful kind; feigning; sham: the make-believe of children playing. When used as a verb, to "make believe" is the action of a pretending that what is not real is real. It may also mean pretending or imagining that things are better than they really are. When used as an adjective, "make-believe" means imagined or pretended.

Etymology of Make Believe
I like to study the etymology of words and expressions, discovering how they originally developed.  So I did some research on where this expression came from . According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, make-believe as a noun meant "pretense, false or fanciful representation" in 1811. It was taken from the verbal phrase "make believe," which was used in children's talk by 1773 for "pretend;" see make (v.) + believe. As an adjective, "unreal, sham, pretended," by 1824. The noun form "make-belief" (1833) was "Substituted by some writers for MAKE-BELIEVE; the formation of the latter, being misunderstood, was imagined to be incorrect." Let's-pretend (n.) in the same sense is attested by 1904 (the verbal phrase is from 1848). To make believe (v.) in the sense "cause to believe" is from late 14th century.

That confirmed exactly what I thought. The expression originally came into being by adding the verb "make" to the verb "believe" meaning "cause to believe." This expression has always referred to pretending that what is imaginary or not real is actually real. By acting as if imaginary things are real, the person doing so, such as a child, causes himself or herself to believe it is real. In other words, it is to make oneself (and sometimes others who observe the one pretending) believe that something is true or real, when it is not.

Scriptural Examples of Making Believe
Now that we have established the definition and the origin of this expression, you may be wondering how there could possibly be a Scriptural form of this. Let me begin with a couple of easy examples that you're probably familiar with. Abraham made believe that his wife Sarah was his sister, while they were staying in Gerar in the Negev (Ge 20:2). It was only half true, because Sarah was his half-sister, but he was in fact married to her. So to pretend she was not his wife was a form of make-believe, and it fooled Abimelech. Another example is when Isaac made believe that Rebekah, his wife, was really his sister, because he was worried that the Philistines would otherwise kill him in order to marry Rebekah (Ge 26:1-35). This was a case of like father like son, in which Isaac walked in his father Abraham's footsteps.

Another example is where David made believe he was insane. "David...was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard." (1 Sam 21:12-13, NIV). It worked quite well at making Achish believe he was crazy. "Achish said to his servants, 'Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?'" (1 Sam 21:14-15, NIV).

Another example is where the Gibeonites deceived the Israelites by making believe they came from far away, when actually they were near neighbors of the Israelites. They did this by wearing worn-out clothes and sandals, carrying moldy bread and dry, cracked wine skins (Jos 9). In this manner, they successfully fooled the Israelites, who sampled their provisions, but did not inquire of the Lord. Therefore, the Israelites made a peace treaty with them, rather than annihilate them as they did to their other nearby enemies.

Then there were the spies sent to Jesus by the chief priests and teachers of the law to keep a close watch on Him. The spies pretended to be honest, hoping to catch Him in something  he said, so they might hand Him over to the power and authority of the governor (Lk 20:20). That was the time they questioned Him about paying taxes to Caesar, but He saw through their duplicity and outwitted them. He knew they were only making believe they were righteous and trying to trap Him. When they saw they were unable to do so, they became silent.

One last example from Scripture is when Jesus was walking with the two men on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection and talking with them, but they did not recognize Him. Do you remember what He did? Jesus made believe He was going further, even though He intended to go inside with them and surprise them by revealing His identity to them. "And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther." (Luk 24:28). The Greek word for "acted as though" is "prospoieomai" meaning "pretend (as if about to do a thing): - make as though."

In all of these examples of people making believe, they were acting as if something was so that was not. This does not mean that Jesus lied or deceived the two men on the road to Emmaus. He just acted as if He were going further until they invited Him inside to break bread together. He knew what He was about to do to reveal Himself to them. But what I want to talk about next is a different kind of make-believe. I want to use this expression in a way that does not fit it's proper definition. So you could say I am creating a new usage of the expression with a new definition.

Sanctified Imagination
We possess the mind of Christ (1 Co 2:16), so when we imagine the Word of God coming to pass or being performed, we are thinking His thoughts. God has given every one of us an imagination, and just as we can use it to imagine things that are displeasing to Him, we can use that same faculty of imagination to picture real things coming to pass.

We do it all the time without realizing it. For example, when we read a news article about a coffee shop worker at a highway rest stop using CPR to resuscitate a truck driver who has collapsed outside in front of his rig, we are using our imagination to picture something that really happened. Or if we read a passage of Scripture about a true, historical event such as the Israelites crossing the Red Sea (Ex 14), David killing Goliath (1 Sam 17), Jesus healing blind man’s eyes (Joh 9), or Jesus appearing to His disciples inside the locked room after His resurrection (Joh 20:19-20), we use our sanctified imagination to picture these things. Therefore, this same faculty that was once used for sinful purposes, and which has the ability to imagine things that are not real, has the power to visualize that which is true and real according to God’s Word.

It’s no different for you to imagine your reunion with a loved one who is actually coming to visit you after a long period of separation. In the same way you would imagine meeting them at the airport and embracing them, you can imagine the Lord coming back in a cloud of glory with all His holy angels (Mt 16:27; 24:30-31; 25:31; Mk 13:26; 1 Thes 4:16-17; Rev 19:11-16). You can imagine Him healing you or someone else in answer to your acting in faith upon His promises in His Word. You can imagine heaven according to the description of it in Revelation 21 and 22. Others may call it imagining things or making believe, but we call it acting in faith upon God’s Word. It’s called walking by faith. Step out and believe that what God has said is true. Take Him at His word and the impossible becomes possible.

Walk by Faith and Not by Sight
Consider that the righteous shall live by faith (Rom 1:17; He 10:38). We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). That means "we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Co 4:18). That's what the ancients were commended for, and I'd like to call that "making believe." I don't mean they were pretending that things were real that were not real. They were acting as if the things that were not yet seen were seen, and that's what faith causes us to do.

According to the apostle, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for." (Heb 11:1-2, NIV). When you have faith, you are confident in what you hope for. You are sure about what you do not yet see in the natural. You do so, because you believe that what God said in His Word is true. So you act as if His Word is true, even though to others it may seem like you are making believe, since they don't share the same faith in God as you. As the apostle Paul said of them, "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit." (1 Co 2:14). To them it seems foolish when you act as if the Word is true, because to them it's as if you are believing something false, but wisdom is proved right by all her children. True faith in God and in His Word always produces good fruit.

Three Tenses in One Verse
Jesus said, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (Mt 21:22, NIV). He said, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mk 11:24, NIV). There are three tenses in this verse. First there is the present tense in which you now ask for something from God in prayer and you now believe. The asking and believing are present tense. The past tense comes into play in that you believe that have already received it. "Have received" is past tense. The future tense is that "it will be yours." Ask God in prayer (present), believe now (present) that you have already received it (past), and it will be yours (future).

When you believe that you have received what you ask for in prayer, that doesn't mean you can see it yet in the natural. When God created His creation, He created it from that which was invisible. Scripture says, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Heb 1:3, NIV). All that we see -- the trees, the grass, the animals, the sky, the stars, the sun, the moon, and all the people -- was made out of something invisible. God called it forth by His Word, "Let there be light," and there was light (Gen 1:3). He spoke forth the things He created and they came into existence. He is the God who "calls into being things that were not." (Rom 4:17b, NIV). When God calls into being things that were not, those things to Him are very real even before they come into being. In other words, they are no less real before He calls them into existence. They are no less real simply because we cannot see them in the natural. He was not pretending, since pretending is based on that which is not real.

Therefore, when we ask for something in prayer and believe that we have received it, we begin speaking and acting like we have already received it, even though it will only become ours in the natural realm in the future. "It is written: 'I believed; therefore I have spoken.' Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak..." (2 Cor 4:13, NIV). This is not pretending either, since it is based on that which is true and real, not on that which is imaginary, false, or unreal. This is the Scriptural form of making believe. We are making believe that we have already received what we have asked for in prayer. This is the key to receiving from God what we ask Him for.

Reality is Found in Christ
Let me be clear that this is making believe that the things that are true and real, according to the Word of God, are in fact true and real. For reality is found in Christ (Col 2:17b, NIV). Paul wrote, "But just as it is written, 'things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him.' For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God." (1Co 2:9-10). This means the Spirit of God reveals to us the things God has given to us, so that we may lay hold of them by faith. The Spirit of God enables us to know in our hearts and see with the eyes of faith what God has given to us, which we cannot yet see with our natural eyes. "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God." (1Co 2:12).

All God's Promises Are Yes for Us in Christ
The Scriptures are full of promises for the righteous. They are like hidden treasures buried between the pages of our Bibles. They are ours for the asking, but we must claim them in order for them to become ours. When I was at a conference one time, they had a raffle in which each guest had a numbered ticket which they entered into a sweepstakes contest. If their number was drawn, their name would be announced to come and claim their door prize. But they were only awarded the prize, if they showed up at the desk to claim it. If they failed to claim their prize, it would technically be theirs for the taking, but it would not actually become theirs for any practical purposes, and they would leave the conference without it. In the same way, we must claim from God by faith in prayer the promises in order for them to become ours. This applies to salvation, healing, deliverance, and whatever else God has promised us. "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God." (2 Cor 1:20, NIV).

One way to explain this is with the following illustration. It's like walking down a corridor, in which the doors are labeled with whatever is inside the room on the other side of the door. One door says, "'Peace," another is labeled "Healing," and still another "Provision," etc. In Christ, you have the keys to unlock every door, and all we have to do is open them by saying the "Amen" (literally "So be it"), in order to go inside and claim what is in the room for ourselves. But even though we have the keys to all those doors, we still must do our part to say the "Amen," in order to open the door and receive.

More Scriptural Examples of Making Believe
When we make believe, as disciples of Christ in God's kingdom, we may appear crazy to those who observe us. Since they don't believe as we do, they may see our faith as foolishness, presumption, or pretending. This is what happened to the ancients when they walked by faith. Noah seemed foolish to his neighbors, as he built an ark over a period of a hundred and twenty years and declared that there would be a flood, even though there had never been rain before. He appeared to be making believe, but he was saved and they all perished. Lot seemed foolish to his sons in law and appeared to them to be joking. They thought he was making believe, but he was saved and they were destroyed. David seemed foolish to his brothers when he stepped up and volunteered to fight Goliath. Perhaps he seemed to his brothers and to Saul like a boy who was making believe he was a soldier, when in fact they were the real soldiers. But he was the one who fought and killed the giant, and not them.

Perhaps the Lord Jesus appeared to the Pharisees and teachers of the law to be making believe when he spoke about them tearing down this temple and that He would rebuild it in three days. They thought it was a preposterous statement, but He was referring to the temple of His body, which was raised on the third day after they crucified Him. They ridiculed Him for saying He was the King of the Jews, not because they took Him seriously, but because they thought He was making believe. When Peter was called into the room of Dorcas, who had died, and the women who knew her all begged him to raise her from the dead, he had to make believe she would be raised when he prayed and called her forth. The only assurance he had that it would happen was his faith in the name of Jesus Christ. The same was true when he healed the lame man at the Gate Beautiful.

Practice Exercises
OK. Are you ready to do some practice exercises?  Remember that there is a link between the physical and spiritual realms. What you do in the natural realm will transfer to the spiritual realm and vice versa. Try doing the following exercises with faith in God and conviction in your heart:

• Lie on your face on the floor, cry out to God in repentance for your sin with sincere contrition and ask for forgiveness in Jesus’ name. Then believe that you have received it according to 1 John 1:9.
• Ask for and receive the Holy Spirit deliberately as they did on the day of Pentecost, according to Luke 11:11-13, Acts 1:1 and 8, and Acts 2:1-4 (see Baptized with the Spirit).
• Kneel before the throne of God in prayer (Ps 95:6).
• Bow at his feet in worship and prayer (see Bowing Low in Worship).
• Smile lovingly and adoringly at the Lord with your eyes closed as your worshiping Him.
• Tell the Lord you love Him, and expect Him to say, "I love you, too."
• Kiss the feet of Jesus (Ps 2:12).
• Give Jesus a loving hug.
• Talk to Jesus like He is right there in the room with you.
• Pull up a chair in front of you for Jesus to sit in, while you talk with Him.
• Pull up an empty chair at the dinner table and dine with Jesus.
• Pray before reading the Bible and ask God to speak to you. Then read it and expect Him to do so according to Hebrews 4:12.
• Actually put on the invisible armor of God, according to Ephesians 6:11-17.
• Act like Mark 16:17-18 is true, since we know it is.
• Lay hands on the sick in Jesus’ name and expect them to get well. 
• Command the demons in the name of Jesus to depart from you or someone else, and believe that they have obeyed you.
• Take the sword of the Spirit and cut down those demons.
• Once you have prayed and asked for something for yourself or someone else, actually believe that you have received it already, and act like you would if you knew you had received it. This involves immediate joy, thanksgiving to God, peace, and assurance.
• When you are reading Scripture, each day, search for promises and claim them aloud in prayer for yourself and/or others. When you do, write “PC” (for “Promise Claimed”) in pencil in you Bible next to that verse.
• Read about Your Identity in Christ, according to God's Word, and thank the Lord that each of those realities are true of you (see here).
• Bind love and faithfulness around your neck as a necklace, and write them upon the tablet of your heart according to Proverbs 3:3. (see also The Wardrobe of the Saints).
• Look up to heaven, open wide your mouth and ask the Lord to fill it, according to Psalm 81:10.

Closing Words
I hope I have clearly conveyed that when we walk by faith, it is very much like making believe. In a practical sense, it involves the same basic process as making believe, in that we are acting as if something already exists or already belongs to us when in fact it is still invisible. The difference between traditional make believe and Scriptural make believe is that the former is based on that which is imaginary or not real, while the latter is based on that which is true and real. This is one reason why we must become as little children in order to enter the kingdom of God. Little children like to use their imagination and make believe. It comes easy to them and they don't need to be taught to do it. So let's become like little children and practice making believe the things that are real, according to God's Word, are actually real, and the things that are true, according to God's Word, are really true.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV, as noted, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Other Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Image of child firefighter may be subject to copyright of The Hanen Centre, used according to Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only without intended infringement.

Author's Note:  If you have not yet been baptized in the Holy Spirit, please read Baptized with the Spirit.  If you have not yet been baptized with the fire of God, then please read Holy Fire Baptism. If you enjoyed this message, you may also like other articles about prayer, like Prayer Promises, which you can find on the Home page of this blog, as well as other articles of mine like The Wardrobe of the Saints, Link Between Two Realms, and Bowing Low in Worship. I also invite you to visit my collection of blogs at "Writing for the Master."  Now let me ask you a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Personal Proclamations of Faith

The Word of God says, "I believed, therefore I spoke."  So I choose to proclaim what I believe.  If you are a Spirit-filled believer, I would like to share with you some proclamations that you can speak over your life each day.  Say them out loud with confidence and your faith will grow.

Accusations, slander and forgiveness
No weapon that is formed against us shall prosper, and every tongue that rises against us in judgment we refute.  This is our heritage as servants of the LORD, And our vindication is from You, LORD of hosts. (from Isa 54:17)

If there are those speaking harm against us or praying against us, we forgive them.  And having forgiven them, we bless them in the name of the Lord.

I understand that if I forgive others, My heavenly Father will also forgive me, and if I do not forgive others, then my Father will not forgive me (Mat 6:14-15).  So I choose to “pre-forgive” whomever might hurt or offend me today.

Safety
The bolts of our gates will be iron and bronze, and our strength will equal our days.  There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help us and on the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out our enemies before us, saying, ‘Destroy them!’ (from Dt 33:25-27)

Deliverance from attack
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (2Ti 4:18)

The Man at God’s right hand, Jesus Christ, who loved me and died for me now lives in me.  (Gal 2:2)

The devil and his demons are eternally defeated, since Christ has triumphed over them through the cross (Col 2:15).  I have overcome them, because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.   (1 Jn 4:4)

Jesus has given me authority over all the power of the enemy and nothing will injure me. (Lk 10:19)

In all my difficulties, I have complete victory through him who loved me.  (Rom 8:37)

Financial provision
God is able to make all grace abound toward us, so that we always having all sufficiency in everything, may have an abundance for every good deed;  (from 2Co 9:8)

Whether the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to us. (1Co 3:21-22).  In Christ, we possess all things. (2Co 6:10) The Father has chosen gladly to give us the kingdom. (Lk 12:32)

Illness
I will not die, but I will live and tell what the LORD has done (from Ps 118:17)

The Lord will fulfill His purposes for me. (Ps 138:8)

and Jesus Himself bore my sins in His body on the cross, so that I might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds I was healed. (from 1Pe 2:24)

"He heals all of my diseases." Ps 103:1-5

“He sends His Word and heals me.” (Ps 107:20)

The Lord declares that He has restored me to health And he has healed me of my wounds (Jer 30:17)

Healing and miracles
And Jesus gave me power and authority over all the demons, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. And He sent me out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. (Mat 10:1; Luk 9:1-2)

I have received of the fullness of Christ (Jn 1:19).  I have the authority to do the same works that Jesus did, by doing them in His name (Jn 14:12)

"These signs accompany me by faith: in Jesus’ name I cast out demons, I speak with new tongues; I pick up serpents, and if I drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt me; I lay hands on the sick, and they recover." (Mar 16:17-18)

With God nothing is impossible (Luk 1:37)

Through faith in Christ, all things are possible to me (Mk 9:23)

Because I have faith in God, I say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and I do not doubt in my heart, but believe that what I say is going to happen. It will be granted me. All things for which I pray and ask, believing that I have received them, they will be granted me. (Mar 11:22-24)

Putting it All Together
These are just few examples.  Let me encourage you to read the Bible every day.  And as you read, make note of Scriptures that you want to proclaim over yourself.  Then as I have done here, you can modify the language to personalize it for yourself.

Author's note: If you have not yet been baptized in the Holy Spirit, please read Baptized with the Spirit.  If you have not yet been baptized with the fire of God, then please read Holy Fire Baptism. If you enjoyed this post, you  may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Prayer Promises

I'd like to share from God's Word what He says about prayer. There are so many wonderful promises in His Word about this. We need to be reminded, because we often have great needs in our lives or in the lives of our loved ones, and where else can we turn but to the Lord. He alone is the answer. Take a look with me and let it encourage you today.

1. Jesus said to ask Him and He would do it

• "Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:13-14)
• In the Old Testament, God's people angered Him by praying to others besides than the One True God. They prayed to Baal (Num 25:3-5), Asheroth (Judges 3:7), the Queen of Heaven (Jer 7:9,18; Jer 44:17-25), and the heavenly host (2 King 17:16 and 23:5). They participated in sacrifices to dead people (Ps 106:28). In fact, their gods were as many as their cities (Jer 11:13).
• Since Jesus has come and established the New Covenant, God's people who call themselves after Jesus name still do the same things to anger the Lord. They pray to others besides the Lord. They make images for themselves to help them pray to these entities, including the so-called Queen of Heaven. They even offer up sacrifices to her and the other dead who are in heaven. They have a saint to call upon for any kind of problem in life. This is spiritual adultery. It's evidence that they do not trust the Lord enough to take Him at His Word. It grieves the Lord deeply when His people do not trust Him like this.
• This is what led to the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). They did not believe the Lord would hear them, if they called upon Him. So they called upon the name of Baal. Elijah challenged them all to call upon Baal and see if he would answer by fire. He said, "Whoever answers by fire, He is God." In the end, Baal did not answer, though they called upon Him all day and sacrificed to him. But when Elijah called upon the Lord God, He answered by fire, consuming the offering, even though it was soaked with water.
• If we really believe what Jesus said, we will pray to God alone and no one else. We will trust that He will do it, just as He promised. His promise is clear: Ask Me anything in My Name, and I will do it.

2. Ask whatever you wish, believe and receive it

• "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."(John 15:7).
• He said you must abide in Him. That means you need to live in Jesus. You must have a personal relationship with Him. You've got to know Him personally in your heart, not just know about Him. You may know about some historical figure like Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther, but you don't know them personally. But most of us know our parents personally. I know my wife personally. You need to know Jesus personally. Jesus also said His words must abide in you. That means we will take to heart what the Jesus has said, as it is written in the Bible - His Word. But the promise is clear to you if you have a living relationship with Jesus and His Word is alive in you: Ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.
• "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Mat 21:22). This is another powerful promise. Jesus refers here to all things you ask in prayer. But He was talking about believing prayer, not just uttering empty words. If you believe Him when you pray, then you will receive.
• "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you." (Mar 11:24). First, Jesus said this about all things for which we pray, not some things. Second, he said we must believe we have received, which means we believe we have already received. But we have to believe this before we have seen the answer in the natural realm. We should speak, feel, act and think as if we have already received our answer. If we do this, He promised that it would be granted.
• "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight." (1Jo 3:22). John said that receiving whatever we ask of the Lord is directly connected with our obedience to Him and doing what's pleasing to Him. Maybe the reason Christians pray to others beside the Lord is that they do not live lives of obedience or do the things that are pleasing in His sight. They don't feel they can go directly to the Lord with their prayers, because they don't feel worthy.
• "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, 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 have the requests which we have asked from Him." (1Jo 5:14-15) We cannot simply ask for silly things to feed our carnal appetites. John clarified that if we want our prayers answered, we must pray according to the Lord's will. We know His will by what is written in His Word and by His Spirit - the two are in agreement. If we pray this way, we have the requests we have asked of Him.

3. Ask the Father in Jesus name and He will give it

• "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you." (John 15:16). Jesus taught two important truths here. First we must ask the Father, and not pray to any other! We never see Him teaching us to pray to any other, always the Father. Secondly, He said to ask the Father in His name, the name of Jesus. To ask in His name is to ask the Father according to the authority given to His son Jesus. When we do this, Jesus promised the Father would give it to us. It's that simple.
• "In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full." (John 16:23-24). Again, Jesus taught us to ask the Father in Jesus name. If we do, He will give it to us. Do you believe this? It's God's will that we ask Him and receive, because He wants our joy to be full.
• "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father." (John 16:26-27). Jesus wants us to know that we do not need to ask Him to go to the Father on our behalf. He says the Father Himself loves us who love Jesus, so we should go directly to Him. Those who pray to others say that these help carry their prayers to the throne of God. The fact that Jesus taught us that we do not even need Him to request the Father on our behalf should be enough to settle the matter -- we do not need anyone to carry our prayers to the throne of God. The apostle Paul wrote: "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1Ti 2:5). If we love Jesus and believe that He comes from the Father, we have direct access to the throne. That's direct access without the need for other mediators!
• "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (Mat 6:9). When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, this is how He taught them. He taught them to pray the same way He prayed, which was directly to the Father in heaven. Jesus did not say, "Pray, then, in this way, 'Our mother in heaven.' " If that were necessary, He surely would have told us so. He also did not say, "When you pray, say, 'Saint Joseph, pray for us.'" We simply need to pray to our heavenly Father in Jesus' name.
• "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." (Mat 6:6). Jesus taught us to pray to our Father who sees what is done in secret. And He promised our Father would reward us, so we don't need any other. Do you believe this?
• "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Mat 7:7-8; Luke 11:9). There is a cause and effect relationship between your asking the Father and it being given to you. There is no extra step inserted between asking and receiving here. He did not say, "Make your petitions to others in heaven, asking them to pray for you, so they may carry your prayers to the throne of God, and then it will be given to you." Jesus simply said, "Ask and it will be given to you." He also promised that everyone who asks receives. It's not just for the supposed "elite," "higher-ranking" saints, but for everyone. That includes you, if you have a personal relationship with Jesus.
• "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" (Mat 7:11). Jesus spoke to earthly fathers who were mere sinful humans. Yet even earthly, human fathers who are evil know how to give good gifts to their children. If a son asks his father for some bread, the father does not give him a stone. Likewise, our heavenly Father knows how to give good gifts to His children who ask Him directly.

4. Father knows what you need before you ask

• "So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." (Mat 6:8). We don't need to repeat the same words over and over to God, thinking we will be heard because of our many words. When we approach the Father, we need to realize He already knows what we need before we even ask Him. But He still wants us to ask Him, and then trust Him with the results, because asking this way is an expression of our trust in Him. After all, that's what faith is!

5. When two of you agree about anything, it will be done for them

• "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven." (Mat 18:19). It's important to pray together at times with a partner. As the two of you agree together on the matter you are praying about right here on earth, the Father in heaven shall do it. You don't need to find a prayer partner in heaven to agree with you. Jesus said the Father in heaven would do what the two of you are praying in agreement for right here on earth. That's one aspect of this teaching. But there is another aspect of agreement that many fail to understand. Praying in agreement is not just finding someone who will agree with you, who will pray with you about a matter. That is only one side of it. Many times I've been in prayer with others, praying about a variety of matters. And just as the Holy Spirit put it in my heart to pray about a certain matter or to pray in a certain manner about something, another person has begun to pray exactly that way. As they did, I was in complete agreement, because I knew it was the Holy Spirit who led them to pray that way, and now we were in agreement with Him, as well as each other.

6. Draw near to God's throne with confidence, so that you may receive

• "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:14-16). A high priest is one who represents the people before God. Jesus is our High Priest, who is not serving in an earthly temple, but right in heaven. He has experienced all the same temptations we have; yet He never sinned. So we can be confident that our High Priest represents us perfectly before God. He knows all our weaknesses, yet He Himself has always been perfectly obedient to the Father. Therefore, we should confidently, even boldly draw near to the throne of God. We come not by our own merits, but by the merits of His shed blood. And when we are near the throne, we can be sure we will receive mercy. We can know for certain that we will find grace to help us, no matter what we need. This should give us peace to know that God's throne is a throne of grace.

7. Call upon the Lord, pray to Him and seek His face

• "Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jer 29:12-13). God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, telling us to call upon Him. He said to come to Him and pray to Him. The prophet spoke these words hundreds of years before Christ, even while God's people were in exile, being punished for their spiritual adultery. God told His people to come to Him and pray to Him. And He promised that if they would do so, He would listen to them. The same is true today. God wants us to call upon Him, to come and pray to Him and He will listen. But He doesn't throw Himself on us like a cheap prostitute would. He wants us to search for Him. But we don't search for God with the remote control in our hand, reclining on the sofa. We need to search for Him with all our heart. He promises that when we search for Him with all our heart, we will find Him.
• For "whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Rom 10:13). It can't get much clearer than this. The promise is for whoever will call on the Lord's name. It's not for those who call on any other name. The apostle Paul taught us from the prophet Joel's words to call on the Lord's name, not the name of Peter or Joseph or Mary, no matter how godly their lives were. And if you will call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, you will be saved.
• "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Act 4:12). There is no other name but the name of Jesus that we must call on to be saved -- no matter what our situation, and no matter what our need.
• "Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually." (1Ch 16:11). It's the Lord whom we must seek, no other. It doesn't say here to seek Baal or Asheroth, or to seek the Queen of Heaven. The Lord wants us to seek His face in an ongoing, continuous manner throughout our lives.
• "And My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2Ch 7:14). So why don't people who are called by His name seek His face? Why don't they call upon the Lord? Maybe it's because they would rather not humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways. Maybe they know in their conscience that they are not living right and they feel that someone else is more worthy to take their requests before the throne. That's the way I was before I knew the Lord. I was living a wicked life, and when I was in need, I would pray, "If anyone in heaven can hear this prayer, get this message to God." Yet that's not necessary for those who know the Lord. He made a promise to all His people who are called by His name. There were a few preconditions though. He said we need to humble ourselves, pray and seek His face. He said we need to turn from our wicked ways. If we will do this, He promised to hear from heaven. He promised to forgive our sin and heal our land. Do you believe this? If so, then make it a way of life.
• "The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing." (Psa 34:10). We do need to seek the Lord while He may be found. We seek after so many other worthless things, but there are so few who seek the Lord. Those who seek the Lord will not have unmet needs in their lives for any good thing.

I have a personal relationship with my wife, for which I am very grateful to God. And when I need to ask her for something, I don't go through a mediator. I ask her directly. On the other hand, when marital relationships are broken, husbands and wives speak to each other through mediators - they are called attorneys. When we have a personal relationship with someone in good standing, we don't need to go through mediators to communicate with them.

Jesus, our one and only mediator, has taught us that we don't need Him to ask the Father on our behalf. It's clear that we are to pray to the Father in Jesus' name, seek His face, and call upon His name. We are not to pray to any other. And as we pray, we need to believe that we have received what we have asked for. Then whatever we have prayed for will be granted. The Lord's throne is a throne of grace. And everyone who calls upon the Lord's name will be saved.

Maybe you have been like I once was, calling upon another name in your time of need. If you will acknowledge according to God's Word that this is sin and turn from your wicked ways, then go before the Lord humbly and pray and seek His face. He will hear from heaven and forgive your sins. There is still time to do this while you have breath in your lungs.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

I hope this has helped you, whether you are a mature believer or a new one, to grow in your faith in God's promises regarding prayer. If you enjoyed this post, you might want to look at my other one in this blog that tackles the question, "Who is interceding for us?". You may also access a collection of my most popular blogs at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
Maybe you have never come to know Jesus personally. You might be like I once was, having gone to church all my life and knowing about Jesus, but not knowing Him personally. He loves you and wants a personal relationship with you. If you want to know Jesus personally, you can.


Please find out how in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.