“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I cialis dosage information will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23, NASB)
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
There are several ways in which we use God’s name in our present age. Some use it while cursing, which is most often thought of as the violation of the third commandment listed above. However, there are other uses which can be just as much of a violation, perhaps even more so.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” (John 16:23)
“Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)
Repeatedly in Scripture there are references to using God’s name or praying in “the name of Jesus Christ”. When we pray in this manner we are promised that what we ask will be provided. Starting out as a new person in prayer this confused me. I knew that there were things that I had prayed for “in Christ’s name” that did not happen. What was I doing wrong?
Clarity began to form when I read Psalm 37:4. I had read it several times before, adding to my confusion. However this day, for the first time, my understanding of it was entirely different. Instead of interpreting it as “and He will give me whatever I want,” I understood it to mean “and He will place His desires, His will in my heart”. I began to realize that I prayed for those things that were in my heart. If God was placing those things in my heart, then of course He would answer my prayers.
In times past, when a person said that they came in the name of another person, such as the king, it meant that the person was acting in accordance with the will and authority of the king. It is the same way with using the name of God and Jesus Christ. When we pray in His name, we are saying that we are praying the will of God and asking God to bring His will to earth.
“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your Name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Luke 11:2, NKJV)
I was not using the name of Jesus Christ appropriately. online pharmacy I was praying that my will be done, not His. My motives were selfish and out of fear, not faith. Presently I am in the process of learning to understand His will so that I may use His name to bring it to earth. What a wonderful journey! To learn and understand His will is to delight myself in my Lord, to love, focus, and hunger for more of Him.
God listens to our heart as we pray, not our words. As we pray in the name of His precious Son, Jesus Christ, is our heart truly aligned with and in acceptance of His will? If not, what do you need to do so that it is?
Our Father wants us to move and act in His name, but; we must be clear about what that means. The Jewish tradition does not write or say the name of God because it is so sacred. Let us understand the weight and authority of praying in God’s name as He intends.
Jennifer Young, LPC is a Local & Telephone Christian Counselor. For more information visit www.Thy-Kingdm.com