A promise more awesome than the natural mind can conceive.
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John 16:24 – Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
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Again today I urge you to re-read our Text for Today; re-read it several times. This verse seems to conclude the brief section of proverbs by which Jesus spoke to His disciples, and is followed by an explanation of His reasoning for having done so. But at this moment, let us keenly focus on the proverb at hand. “Hitherto”….up to this point in time. That is simply grasped. “You have asked nothing in My Name”….when the disciples needed a provision from the Lord, they took the request to Jesus. After all, they knew Jesus to be Messiah, the son of the living God. He was their Lord, their complete access to the power, riches, and abilities of God.
We have already clearly seen that Jesus instructed His disciples that from the point of birth of the church, they should no longer ask ANYTHING of Him, but that their requests would now be made directly to Father God IN THE NAME OF JESUS. Based on that singular command, Jesus says, “Ask, and you shall receive”….that is as direct an expression as one can make….”ask”…”you SHALL receive.” The word “shall” is the strongest form of declarative speech that can be made. To say this and perform less is to lie, and we know that it is impossible for God to lie. The question is simply….WILL YOU BELIEVE?
And then our Lord gives clear explanation as to why He made such a statement, and this, dear reader, is the clear and direct will of the Almighty. He said, “You shall receive, that your joy may be full.” Stating it in this manner in no way takes it out of context. Jesus said what He meant, and meant what He said. And since He is the same “yesterday, today, and forever,” those words from the lips of Messiah should instill such courage and faith in the believer today that nothing is impossible to them. Regardless of the battle faced, the task that lies ahead, or the vision placed in one’s heart, the believer should press forward with the Word of God being the constantly filling entity in the mouth and heart of every believer. Based on these words, I declare in the Name of Jesus that God wholly desires our joy to be full, and for that to happen, we must live in a continual state of answered prayer. There is no joy in lack, in defeat, in sickness, or in darkness. The fullness of joy exists wholly in assured victory and answered prayer.
Manna for Today – John 16:16-24; John 14:12-14; John 15:7; Mark 11:22-24; Mark 16:15-20; 2 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 13:8; James 1:1-9
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My Second Miler by Dr. Beechard Moorefield 