Whatever We Ask...
© B. K. Chadwell, November, 2009
1Jn 5:14-15 (NIV) This is the confidence we have in approaching
God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know
that we have what we asked of him.
What is so hard for us to understand about that scripture?
As Christians of the universal body of Christ, should we not have petitioned God for what we desired of Him that was...
in accordance with His will by now?
Why then, have we corporately fallen back and not progressed from a position of one accord, in our very beginnings?
Why, now, are Christians corporately so lacking in unity and agreement with one another on even the milk doctrines of God's word and still lack a basic united understanding of God's will for the Church in the earth ?????
See the 2008 teaching titled
"The Church Divided "
On the teaching pages of this website;
www.thekingdomisathand.net
I might suggest a simple answer, with a simple solution;
Answer:
Sadly, as a whole, we Christians in the earth today have been allowing our "Adam" soul life to remain in the position of top dog on the pile. Just like all the citizens of "Babylon"; the "Adam" soul life of our flesh is the main driving force in too many of our lives. Like the Jews before us, those of us who are now of the "circumcision of the heart" and of the "household of faith" have been taken captive and have been assimilated into the "Babylonian culture".
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and whose
circumcision is that of the heart,.......
Solution:
"Come out of her my people, and be not partakers
of her plagues that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that
ye receive not of her plagues; Rev 18:4
See the 2009 teaching titled:
"Coming out of Babylon"
On the teaching pages of this website;
www.thekingdomisathand.net
The following are Excerpts from “The Latent Power of the Soul” by Watchman Nee; Christian Fellowship Publications Inc., NY copyright 1972 (Highlight, parenthetical comments and emphasis are mine):
“...Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth alone, but if it die, it beareth much fruit”. (Ref John 12 :) First die, then something happens. If a believer does not set aside his own soul life, the Spirit will never be able to work and so profit other people....
………A grain of wheat is good and its golden color looks very nice. But if it’s laid on a table, it remains one grain even until a hundred years later. It will never add one more grain. All our soul power are like that grain of wheat which has not fallen into the earth. It can never produce fruit.”
(End of quote)
"First die, then something happens"....Our new life and citizenship will then begin to appear. A "New Jerusalem" will begin to emerge and be manifest from the rubble with a new top dog to overcome and rule in place of the soulish desires of our flesh, ....that would be; the Spirit life of Christ in us.
Matthew 16:24-25 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
1 Corinthians 15:45 (NIV) So it is written: "The first man Adam
became a living being" ; the last Adam, a life giving spirit.
The first Adam was made a living soul, with a flesh and blood body. The last Adam, was born of flesh and blood and was made a life giving spirit. There are no eternal live giving abilities in our "Adam" soul and flesh. We can do nothing of eternal value except we are born again of His eternal life giving Spirit. Only then and through His work in us are we able to be partakers of His eternal life and manifest to the world His divine nature, through us.
2Peter 1:3 3-4 (Phillips NT) He has by his own action given us everything that is necessary for living the truly good life, in allowing us to know the one who has called us to him, through his own glorious goodness. It is through him that God's greatest and most precious promises have become available to us men, making it possible for you to escape the inevitable disintegration that lust produces in the world and to share in God's essential nature.
"Christ in you, the hope of glory"...Christ’s Spirit in us, the hope of Glorifying the father, again, as Jesus did.
Joh 12:26-28 If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be. If any man serve Me, him will My Father honor. "Now is My soul troubled, and what shall I say? `Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name." Then there came a voice from Heaven, saying, "I HAVE BOTH GLORIFIED IT, AND WILL GLORIFY IT AGAIN."
To "follow Me" and be "where I am", does not mean we wait until we die and go to heaven. Following Christ's example of choosing to die to self will as He did in the garden is the point. Being
”where I am" speaks of status. We are children of God and therefore heirs with Christ. In other words we are where He is, seated with Him as joint heirs of God.
Rom 8:17 and if children, then heirs -- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so it be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.
Eph 2:4-6 (Phillips NT) But even though we were dead in our sins God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, gave us life together with Christ - it is, remember, by grace and not by achievement that you are saved and has lifted us right out of the old life to take our place with him in Christ in the Heavens
Joh 15:7-8 If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye
shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein
is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be
My disciples.
"abide in Me".... But HOW ???????
Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest.
SPECIFICLY…LAY DOWN OUR WILLS AS JESUS DID IN THE GARDEN. Make the hard choices, as Jesus did, "sweat blood", as it were, if necessary but deliberately and specifically CHOOSE Spirit life over Soul life. Thus will we also "suffer with Him", or like Him, as he "sweat blood" and suffered that night in the garden while making His choice to do only His Fathers will.
Admit our soulish desires, ASK FOR HIS GRACE to change our inner desires and motivations so that when THE DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS are manifest, they will be rooted in HIS LIFE GIVING SPIRIT.
Thereby, from His life working in us, will come forth HIS MANIFEST WILL AND HIS RIGHTESOUSNESS, and not the manifestations birthed of our soul life.
All this is a co-operative, designed by God. We can not do it by our own soulish efforts and God will not do it without our permission. We are to choose the life of Christ. He will do the work, first to birth His life in us. Then, as we choose to humble ourselves to Him, He progressively works in us, to will and to do His good pleasure.
This is a daily process! Yes,.....PROCESS! The instant
gratification culture must bow to God's laws or remain in "Babylon".
"It takes time from planting to harvest". It is one of God's laws in the natural that has a parallel in the Spirit. Farming is a faith effort. Faith is necessary in any process, for faith is the substance of the things hoped for which are not presently apparent.
What we commit to Him to change in our hearts will often take time. We are righteous in the interim by faith. Faith in His ability and His promises to do what we can not do. If we are faithful and look for Him by faith to manifest His life through us and do not waiver, He will bring it to pass. His righteousness will manifest or become apparent in and through us, the how when and where we may not yet fully understand.
Heb 11:34b (through faith) ..... Out of weakness they were made
strong, waxed valiant in battle, and turned to flight the armies of
the aliens.
PRAY MUCH AND OFTEN IN THE SPIRIT:
Zephaniah 3:8-9 "Therefore wait ye upon Me," saith the LORD,
"until the day that I rise up to the prey; for My determination is
to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour
upon them Mine indignation, even all My fierce anger; for all the
earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy. For then
will I return to the people a pure language, that they may all
call upon the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one accord.
Psa 149:6-9 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and
a two-edged sword in their hand to execute vengeance upon the
heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings
with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute
upon them the judgment written: this honor have all His saints.
Praise ye the LORD!
It is obvious from Paul's writings that he knew praying in the Spirit (tongues) was the Spirit of God praying through him, bypassing the weaknesses of his carnal mind and soulish controled flesh? Paul had received the Spirit of God who would at anytime, anyplace, as Paul would humble himself and permit, pray through him. Paul knew such prayer in this pure language of God would be in the Spirit and always would be in accordance with the will of God.
See the teaching titled: "I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all " in the 2009 teaching archives of this website; www.thekingdomisathand.net
Psa 12:4 ....With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our
own: who is lord over us?
Given a choice, would we pray in our known tongue and hope in our flesh that we were praying exactly in the will of God, or, if we had any doubts about God's will, would we surrender to the Spirit of God and allow Him to pray through us?
Rom 11:33-34 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His
ways past finding out! "For who hath known the mind of the Lord?
Or who hath been His counselor?"
Rom 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
1Jn 5:14-15 (NIV) This is the confidence we have in approaching
God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that
we have what we asked of him.
Be a servant!
Let us die to our own soulish traditions, efforts and desires. Let us take on the form of a servant of God in Christ. Let us participate in His death by way of the daily cross and then, daily, the manifestation of Christ's divine nature will appear in us. Then, through our manifest works, others will see the manifestation of Christ in us and then, they will glorify God.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven
1Pe 2:11-12 (NIV) Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and
strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war
against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that,
though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good
deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Col 1:27 To them God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Col 3:3-4 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also
appear with Him in glory.
If Christ is apparent to others in your life, then your soul life has been to the cross and you have participated in His death and His resurrection life, to one degree or another. Like a single seed that is planted in the ground, it is a process from planting to harvest; first the planting, then the appearing or manifestation of the blade, then the full corn in the ear....and so "the sowing of the seed" is a parable of this manifestation or appearing of Christ in the Sons of God and their new Kingdom life.
Mar 4:26-29 And He said, "So is the Kingdom of God as if a man
should cast seed into the ground, and should sleep, and rise night
and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he knoweth not
how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself: first the
blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when
the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle,
because the harvest is come."
And finally, and so important to remember is; that we are saved by faith through GRACE. GRACE being; the divine influence on our hearts to change the motivation of our hearts and thus, in time, to manifest His divine nature and His righteousness in and through us.
Only the Spirit can change your want to. By the work of the Holy Spirit, you can want to be changed, but you must choose to give up your soulish life or desires of the flesh to be changed by the Spirit of God. You can not change the motivations of your heart, it is His work.
We must suffer and agonize our way to a decision, if necessary, and give up our soul life to Him daily to death, as it were, on the cross. This death of soulish self interest is necessary in order to enter in through the gates of this new "place" (positional) where the King will have dominion and thereby participate with Him in His rule in your heart. Then will we experience His resurrection life and be partakers of and manifest His divine nature to the world. Thereby glorifying the Father, once more, as Jesus did.
Rom 8:14-19 (NIV) because those who are led by the Spirit of
God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes
you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.
And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies
with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children,
then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,
if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also
share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not
worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God
to be revealed...
1Jn 5:14-15 (NIV) This is the confidence we have in approaching
God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that
we have what we asked of him.
Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I
do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Joh 14:15 "If ye love Me, keep My commandments.
Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and
you in Me, and I in you.
Joh 14:21 He that hath My commandments and keepeth them,
he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved by
My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him."
Joh 15:4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, no more can ye, unless
ye abide in Me.
Joh 15:5 "I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in
Me and I in Him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without
Me ye can do nothing.
Joh 15:6 If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch
and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the
fire, and they are burned.
Joh 15:7 If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall
ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Joh 15:8 Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much
fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.
Joh 15:9 "As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you.
Continue ye in My love.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My
love, even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide
in His love.
#
