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90 Days of Prayer – Day Fifty-Two
Praying With God Confidence
1 John 5:14-15
“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.”
1 John 5 begins with a note of victory. John writes about God’s love connection with the victory we have over the world through faith. In our passage above this note of victory continues with the confidence we have in approaching God in prayer. Knowing who we are and where we stand in Christ gives us a God confidence in life and in prayer. As sons and daughters of God, we have been given a supernatural confidence to approach Him whenever we want.
Grace to Approach God Freely
The word translated “confidence” here is “perrhesia” carrying the meaning of being outspoken, frank, and an unreservedness in speech. The apostle is conveying the idea of being free to speak openly with God. Grace enables us to approach God with confidence, due to the absence of any guilt or condemnation in Christ. We are therefore unafraid to freely pursue a deep and intimate relationship with God
Are you absolutely convinced that God is ready and willing to hear and answer your prayers right now? This is simple God confidence makes us settled and secure in our relationship with Him. This kind of confidence comes from living on the facts of Christ’s redemption. The facts of redemption and not our opinions give us right standing with God. Knowing where we stand with Him gives us an insatiable desire to be alone with Him as often as possible. Prayer is a condemnation free zone!
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19-22). These are facts we need to know and be absolutely convinced of!
As partners with God we have been commissioned to conduct the Kingdom business of world redemption together with Him. God’s relationship with us is the foundation for all blessings in this business of advancing the gospel, and our prayer life is the supply line that brings those Kingdom blessings to earth – for us and for others. Our confidence in prayer gives us a solid connection with God, that brings heaven and earth together.
Stand on the Facts of Redemption
In our passage John is stating that God confidence is a Kingdom fact that enables you and I to receive from heaven for ourselves and for others. “We know” appears twice in verse 15 of our passage, and means “to know fully, to understand, and to recognize as fact…” Knowing the facts of our redemption enables us to know when God is hearing us and will answer our request. This is having God confidence. This enables us to engage in the kind of praying that gets the job done.
Our confidence in the facts of our redemption enables us to always be asking according to God’s will. This of course means asking according to His written word. The bible is filled with promises and instructions concerning those things that God is not only willing, but that He also desires, and is ready to do for us once we ask.
It stands to reason that if we are are using a promise that applies to our situation, resting our prayer request upon it, we would have God confidence. This is so because we are actually asking God to do something He has already stated that He wants to do in that type of situation. Praying in this manner we will certainly be confident regardless of how we may feel, because we are starting out with God’s answer before we pray.
So train yourself to live by the facts of Christ’s redemption and not by your opinions or feelings. Think, speak, and practice the Word of God every day, grow daily in your relationship with Him. Speak freely with Him, Pray with God confidence, and Be Encouraged! -JSP