JOY THAT PRECEDES THE FACTS !

JOY THAT PRECEDES THE FACT: many times you have to have the joy before you will receive what you are praying for. If you are worrying and trying to figure matters out alone, you hinder God from helping you. It is said, if God be for us who can be against us ? You can be against God, by not cooperating with Him ! You are carrying the burden Instead of Letting Him carry it. In fact, if you are worrying, it will do little good to pray, because you are not praying in faith. But out of fear or anxiety. "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). Prayer is more than that. ". . . Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full." We should be full of joy even before we receive what we asked for because we have His Word that He heard our prayer. (1 John 5:14-15). "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that come if we asked any thing according to his will, he heareth us; and if we know that he hear us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." (Ephesians 5:20). "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice here that Paul tells us to give thanks for all things "unto God and the Father" in the Name of Jesus. Paul tells us to pray to the Father and not to Jesus. The Name of Jesus is the access to the heart of the Father, just as the Word is access to the heart of the Father in all our real praise and thanksgiving. Someone said the way we pray doesn't make much difference. But if it doesn't, why did God inspire Paul to write the epistles ? To save these verses are not important would make as much sense as it would to say John 3:16 is an important. If we believe John 3:16 is important, we also must believe that all scriptures are important and are for our instruction in walking with God. When you want to get an answer to your prayer, follow the teaching of the Word and pray to the Father in the Name of the Word (Jesus). When many people pray, they conclude their prayer, "for Jesus sake." However, we are not told in the Word to pray for Jesus sake. We are told to pray in the Name of Jesus. What is the difference ? Jesus and the Word is the same, and the Word is called God (John 1:1) when Peter and John minister To the Lame Man at the Gate Beautiful as recorded in the third chapter of Acts, the people who witnessed the miracles were amazed. They thought it was through some special power of these men that the lame man was healed. But Peter said, ". . . Why look you so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk ?" (Acts 3:12). It isn't by our own power or holiness that we get an answer to prayer. We don't get our prayers answered because we are good; they're answered because of the Word (Jesus). He has a standing in heaven. He is the only approach to the Father or the access to the Father's heart. We can't get there any other way. We come to the Father in His Name. Jesus gave us the right and the authority to use His Name which is His Word. The key to seeing answers to your prayers is through the mighty Word of Jesus. "And in that day you shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you" (John 16:23)