He continued on to say "AND"...

*Part 3 on Prayer for "Simply Prayer" 30-day Challenge:  Pray for Missions in Asia.

Jesus did not stop with verse 24 in Mark 11.  He continued on to say "AND"...

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.  And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  Mark 11:24-25 

Why?  Because prayer and your faith will not work in unforgiveness.  Unforgiveness allows the devil to enter in and play with your mind, even causing guilt and condemnation that draws you away from your Heavenly Father.  

Unforgiving is defined as "Not willing to gorgive or excuse people's faults or wrongdoings."  This means forgiveness is a choice. We make a conscious choice to forgive others.  

"But, you don't know what they did, I can't forgive that."  According to the definition and according to God's Word, you can forgive them.  It is as much of a choice as it is to choose to love someone.  

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.  Col 3:13

Why is this so important in prayer?

His Word is clear.  To be in willing obedience to God, we must make the decision to forgive, otherwise we are not forgiven of our sins.  

"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land."  Isaiah 1:19

According to Isaiah choosing not to forgive (being unwilling and disobedient) prevents us from receiving "the good of the land."  This prevents us from receiving the desires of our hearts that we pray.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.  And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  Mark 11:24-25  

"Therefore....."

*Part 2 on Prayer for "Simply Prayer" 30-day Challenge:  Pray for Missions in Asia.

"When you see a 'therefore' in the bible, stop and see what it is there for."  Kenneth Hagin

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.  Mark 11:23-24  

When you pray believe that you have what you prayed for.  Notice this says, right at the moment that you are praying, BELIEVE that you received what you have prayed for.  

"But I don't see it, I don't have it.  I need to keep praying for it." you may think.  We walk by faith, not by sight.  God's Word says to BELIEVE you have received WHEN you are praying for it, at that moment.  

When you pray, and when you believe that you have received as you pray, faith begins to work.  If you believe you have the answer you do not ask for it again.  Rather, thank Him for giving you the answer to your prayer.

How to Pray in the New Covenant

July 15th -August 13th, 2013 is the 30-Day Challenge:  Prayer for MIssions in Asia .  To aid those who find it difficult to spend time in prayer or have not really checked out what God's Word has to say about prayer, the next month of posts to Discovered Treasures Bible Study and .Who Am I?  DailyDevo will focus mainly around prayer, how to talk to God.  

Where to we learn how to talk to God?  The same place we learn about His character, His likes, His dislikes, what pleases and displeases Him.  In His Word.

There is one thing I want to point out in the Word before we go further into the Word on prayer.  

The bible is divided into two covenants, the Old Covenant (before Christ died on the cross and rose again for us), and the New Covenant (after Christ died on the cross and rose again.)  This is very important, because many people go to scriptures like the Lord's prayer to learn to pray.  There is nothing wrong with praying what is in the Lord's prayer, however, if you will note, it was a prayer example prayed before Christ had died.  

When people prayed before Christ died, they did not have the Holy Spirit within them.  This did not come until Christ died and rose again.  It was not until Jesus died that the curtain (veil) that separated the Holy of Holies from man (Mk 15:38, Mt 27:51, Lk 23:45). It was not until then that we could become temples of the Holy Spirit. You will see this in Acts 1 while the disciples were in the upper room and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.  

Prayer before this event, was not guided prayer by the Holy Spirit directly to the Father.  Rather there were rules of the Law to follow, sacrifices to be made, and a representative (the priest) just to talk to God and get right with Him.  

In Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray.  And He did.  But this is not the New Covenant Church praying, it is the Old Covenant Church.  Jesus had not yet died and rose again.  The Holy Spirit was not given to them to renew their spirit and dwell within them, they had no authority over satan yet.  Why?  Because man hand not yet been bought and paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ at that time.  

You will notice that they did not yet pray IN THE NAME OF JESUS in that prayer.  Why?  He had not yet paid the price for sin of mankind.  We did not yet have authority in the name.  

 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.  (24)  Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.  John 16:23-24

At the end of His ministry, just before he died on the cross, Jesus changed the way they were to pray.

 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.  John 14:13-14

By praying "In the name of Jesus" we are going to the Father with authority given to us by Jesus.  Through faith and by grace we are saved (Eph 2:8), we receive a new spirit man making us an adopted child of God, and we can boldly go before the throne of God in prayer "in the name of Jesus Christ."

Who Am I? I Am Choosing His Perspective.

When we see a photo image, we are looking at a 2-dimensional representation of a real 3-dimensional scene. And, that is what photography is all about – capturing a 3D scene onto a 2D image. I used to wonder how do photographers demonstrate “depth” or sense of “scale” in a (good) photograph. They use the concept of Perspective.

photo credit:  http://www.mymodernmet.com/
profiles/blogs/10-cool-force-perspective

In photography, powerful compositions can be created by applying the concepts of perspective, effectively converting a 3D scene into a 2D image.
The same is true with how we choose to walk each and everyday through situations and circumstances, beyond our shortcomings and our mistakes,  going around the obstacles and hindrances in our daily path or moving the obstacles and hindrances out of our daily path.  As believers we have the opportunity to choose the perspective in which we walk each and everyday.

First, the day Jesus died on the cross, he paid the price for you and your sins.  When he rose again in heaven and we were sealed with the Holy Spirit, he gave us all the authority we need in His name to choose:  "...I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life..." (Deuteronomy 30: 15, 19)

http://christiandevotions.us/2010/04/
making-right-choices-phoebe-leggett.html

There are really only two perspectives.  Do you choose to walk in that which Jesus has provided you, a child of God (Abundant life - John 10:10)?  Or, do you choose the life the enemy has laid out on this earth deceiving those who do not know who they are in Christ Jesus (the thief came to kill, steal, and destroy - John 10:10)?  

One can see when a photographer has an understanding the depth is created through perspective in an photo.  The same is true with the Word of God.  Through the perspective (the daily choices one chooses to make in their Christian walk) those around can see the resulting depth (spiritual maturity) develop.  

Simply put, the more a person knows His Word, the more a person can Walk in the LIGHT of that Word.  And this is reflected in every decision, great or small, a person makes everyday.  

Your perspective as a believer, will directly reflect to those around you, what is truly on the inside of you.  

Am I saying we do not make mistakes, or that these decisions are cookie cutter decisions for everyone?  No.  However, the Christ within you can only provide you LIFE and BLESSING if you choose to walk in it (Deuteronomy 28).  
Not walking in WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST JESUS is making the choice to walk in death and curse (Deuteronomy 28).

Who Am I? I Am Rejoicing in the Blood Everyday!

"If believers only know about the power of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, they would no longer have a guilty conscience."  Kenneth E. Hagin

Old Covenant Law in the Old Testament brought to light sin.  Old Covenant Law showed the people their sin, and they without God's Grace they cannot obtain it on their own. 

This is why they had Old Covenant sacrifices, and even these were not effective in keeping people from experiencing guilt from being aware of sin in their lives.  (Hebrews 10:3-22)

Believers in Christ Jesus, by His blood sacrificed for us, are brought into right relationship with God, and do not have to feel guilt and shame once we have confessed our sin.

But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near.  Ephesians 2:13 AMP

If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].   1John 1:9 AMP

Because of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we can boldly come before God in the name of Jesus Christ, knowing that not of ourselves, but in Christ we are righteous. 

Life changes, and freedom grows as the Light of what we walk in within Christ Jesus grows, and we begin to understand and believe in not only Jesus, but also His blood, His precious blood and what it does for us daily.  

"It's ALL by the blood!"  Kenneth E. Hagin

Come to God boldly by the blood of Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 10:19)  He made the sacrifice, bought and paid for us, sealed us with the Holy Spirit, and gave us authority in His name.  

We have boldness to come before the throne of God, to walk with our head held high every day, because we KNOW about the blood of Jesus.  

 I, even I, am He Who blots out and cancels your transgressions, for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.  Isa 43:25 AMP

If God does not remember our sins, our failures, and our shortcomings; why should we beat ourselves up in guilt and shame over them?

Rejoice and Thank God for "The Blood of Jesus!"

"And they overcame him (the devil) BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death." Revelation 12:11

This is life in the precious blood of the Lamb, Christ Jesus!  This is the life believers are to live EVERYDAY!