The Name of Jesus Pt 2 - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) February 4, 2022

On Tuesday we learned about the need to submit our petitions to Jesus - the Head Intercessor - so He can present them before the Lord on our behalf. We learned that to do this, we need to state our prayers in His name and do so genuinely. We understood that He's committed God to answer our prayers when placed under the authority of the Son (John 16:23). A Son whose name is the most powerful name in all of creation (Philippians 2:9).

Today, we continue to examine the significance of Jesus Christ in our prayer approach. Did you know John 3:35 states, The Father love the Son and has placed everything in His hands? Are you familiar with Matthew 28:18 - Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me... What about Revelation 1:18? It states, I am the Living One; I was dead and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Jesus plays a crucial role in helping us receive our prayer request, be they for ourselves or others. Indeed He is called our Advocate in 1 John 2:1 as He acts as our defense lawyer before the Lord Almighty. And in the name of Jesus, we have and wield serious authority against satan. This is why He tells us in Luke 10:19 - I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. He also promises in Matthew 16:19 - I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Not only is Jesus powerful, but He has extended that power to those who believe in Him and serve Him. Those He claims as His own. John 14:12 - Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Jesus calls us to have faith not just in Him but also in His very name. It isn't easy especially because that sort of faith means you give up your right to make decisions outside of His direction. However, in the long run, it is best to lean on Him and not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). That faith is what puts His power to work in each of us.

And you're wondering whether you have enough faith. You do! Jesus taught that we only need a mustard seed amount of faith to do exploits (Luke 17:6). That doesn't mean we shouldn't ask Him to increase our faith. After all, His disciples did in Luke 17:5 and we see the works they did before and after Jesus left the earth. Peter's shadow healed people (Acts 5:15), Paul brought the dead back to life (Acts 20:9), Silas joined Paul in praise while in prison and God freed them but not before people were made to believe in the infinite power of the Lord through the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 16:25-34).

Just like last time, I pray that by the end of today's fellowship You will want a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, especially as you cannot walk with God without going through Jesus (John 14:6). Let us remember that in His kindness He has shared all He has as the Son of God with us. All it takes is a mustard seed of faith and a commitment to submit ourselves to Him. Do you think you can do that today? If so, click here for a prayer that will act as statement of submission to and faith in Jesus Christ. Then come on back at Noon EST to join us in giving God praise as well as interceding for others. We do this because we believe in honoring the Lord, who kindly sent us Jesus Christ, who in turn, blessed us with the Holy Spirit for our own good and God's glory!

See you at Noon EST.