Jesus said, 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). Many people misunderstand this promise, so they don’t know why it is not fulfilled in their life. They struggle with those words, but Jesus has never said anything that did not or will not come to pass.

How many times in your Christian walk have you asked the Lord for something, and your request wasn’t fulfilled? The reason is that many Christians ask in the wrong spirit. They ask for selfish purposes and motives and not according to the will of God. They ask without considering if the Heavenly Father will be glorified by what He does for them.

For many Christians, prayer can become a selfish proposition; and God never intended it to be that way. They’ll say, “God, do this for me. God, do that for me. God, I need this. God, I want that.” Some people become so consumed with their needs and prayer requests that they take no thought of giving glory to God when He does meet their need. Neither do they consider being a witness and a testimony for God and His miraculous intervention in their life.

It grieves God when His children act like that just as it grieves a parent to continually serve and provide for an ungrateful child. When God moves through your prayer, never become lifted up or take any of the glory. Always give God all the glory for whatever He does.

Jesus has a definite motive and purpose in answering your requests and prayers, so you must understand what His purpose is. Then you can come to the place of asking and receiving from the Lord at all times.

First, you must know the condition of the promise and meet the condition so the promise may be fulfilled in your life. The motive and purpose of Jesus answering your prayers can be summarized in this statement from John 14:13: That the Father may be glorified in the Son. This is the condition of the promise Jesus gave, and this statement must become clear and paramount to you. Jesus will do what you ask when you ask in His name unto the glory of God.

Jesus Always Glorified His Father

Jesus lived His life on Earth to glorify His Heavenly Father. As the Son of man, He came into this world wrapped in a body of weak human flesh. The Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted in all points as we are yet without sin. As the Son of man, Jesus lived the victorious life over sin because He completely understood how worthless and unreliable the flesh was; and He learned to depend completely on His Heavenly Father.

Here is an example: Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise (John 5:19). Jesus did not come representing Himself; He came to represent His Heavenly Father. He said, I am come in my Father's name (John 5:43). Jesus came to teach the doctrine of His Heavenly Father saying, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me (John 7:16).

Jesus came to do the will of His Heavenly Father and to perform His works. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me (John 6:38). Jesus said, And he that sent me is with me...for I do always those things that please him (John 8:29). I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work (John 9:4). Jesus always sought to glorify His Heavenly Father.

See God in the Son

John the Baptist said, He [the Lord] must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). As the Son of man, Jesus too sought to decrease in order that His Heavenly Father might have complete liberty to increase in Him and be glorified through His life. When people looked at Him, He wanted them to see His Father. Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me (John 12:44,45).

When Philip said to Jesus, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us (John 14:8), Jesus responded by describing His relationship and unity with His Heavenly Father. He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake (John 14:9-11).

Jesus decreased so much to self that He was willing to lay down His life to glorify His Father. Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again (John 12:24,27,28).

God Was Pleased with His Son

Jesus was on the verge of giving His life to fulfill the divine plan of redemption for the human race; yet in all love and humility, He once again asks that the Father be glorified by what He is about to do. Then immediately, the Heavenly Father replied in an audible voice for everyone there to hear that He would honor His Son’s request. God bore witness unto His Son that His life on Earth had brought glory to His name and His death to come would also bring glory to His name.

How would the Father be glorified by the death of His Son? Jesus answered that question when He said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:30-32). When Jesus died, the plan of redemption was fulfilled.

There are other times in the Gospels when the Heavenly Father bore witness unto His Son in an audible voice to confirm that Jesus’ life was indeed glorifying Him. When John was baptizing Jesus in Jordan, He heard a voice from Heaven say, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17).

Later, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus suddenly took on a glorified state and stood in the midst of Elijah and Moses; and they were talking to Him. Peter, James and John witnessed the whole thing. Then a cloud descended from Heaven and overshadowed them; and the Father’s voice spoke and declared again, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him (Matthew 17:5).

Deny Self

Jesus paid the price with His divine blood to buy back everything that was lost in the fall when Adam and Eve sinned. By Jesus’ death, Satan, the prince of this world, was cast out. His stranglehold on the human race was released, and the curse on this civilization was broken. By Jesus being lifted up on the Cross, multitudes for two thousand plus years to come could be drawn into the Kingdom of God. It was all accomplished to the glory of God the Father.

Before Jesus died, He spoke of His disciples who were to come and of their mission. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father (John 14:12). The Father receives glory when believers use Jesus’ name and get miraculous results.

As the Son of man, Jesus is our example. We are to obey Him and follow in His footsteps. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, [live their life like Jesus] let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 16:24,25). If you protect self in this life here on Earth, you will lose out in the end.

That is one scripture many Christians deceive themselves about. When you, for Jesus’ sake, lose your will, your selfish ambitions, your lusts and affections and stop protecting and pleasing self in order to please the Heavenly Father, you will come into the abundant life that Jesus brought. Paul said, And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:24,25). When you live like that, there is no room for self; and you can truly live the Jesus life.

To stay dead to self and alive in the Spirit of God requires prayer and fasting. Jesus said, Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21). “This kind” means the kind of power that produces results, the kind of power that helps and blesses people who are in need of our help from the God in us, the kind of power that glorifies God the Father by your works.

Jesus lived a life of prayer and fasting; and again, He is our example. Many times, He prayed to His Heavenly Father all night long because He had living reality, and that same living reality can be yours when you live and walk in the Spirit.

Abide in Jesus

Child of God, just as Jesus sought for self to decrease in His life on Earth so the Heavenly Father would increase in Him, you must seek to decrease so Jesus may increase in you. Then your life will bear fruit unto the glory of God.

Jesus said, I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:5). To have the same unity that Jesus had with His Father, you must abide in Jesus and His Words must abide in you. As a follower of Christ, you can do nothing without Jesus.

Jesus went on to say, If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you (John 15:7). When you are one with Jesus, you will ask only according to the will of the Heavenly Father. Then it will be granted unto you for the glory of God just as it was granted unto Jesus for the glory of God.

When the Word truly abides in you, you become a doer of truth. Be ye doers of the word, [truth] and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves (James 1:22). Unfortunately, many Christians have deceived themselves about that.

Jesus said, Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples (John 15:8). You are Christ’s disciple when your life glorifies the Heavenly Father, and your life bears fruit for His Kingdom. So are you a true Jesus disciple? Is your life producing fruit for His Kingdom? Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves (II Corinthians 13:5).

Your petitions will be granted to profit the Kingdom of God and to glorify the Father. This life on Earth is not all about you. When you abide in Jesus and His truth abides in you, self decreases and truth increases in your life. Our good works are to be the same works the Son of man performed, and they are to be done in Jesus’ name.

Let the Lord Increase

So many people pick and choose the parts of truth they want to live, and they don’t embrace and live it all. Why? Because self has not completely decreased. The more of self that remains within you, the less truth can increase in you; but the more you die to self, the more truth can increase in you.

The Word and self cannot abide together because they’re enemies. Self must be put down completely for the truth, the Word, to increase properly. Then when the Word abides in you as it did in Jesus, you can ask of the Father; and it shall be done because it will be the same as Jesus asking from Earth.

You must not ask for selfish motives and purposes or for your glory and satisfaction. You ask in the name of Jesus so that your petition being granted will bear fruit for the Kingdom of God and glorify God through His Son. It is so important for you to remember that when God answers your prayers, supplies your needs, fulfills His promises for you, or gives you a miracle or a healing, He does it first and foremost that He may be glorified in you by what He has done for you. God wants you to be a testimony and a witness unto what He has done for you. Again, God works for you so you can go forth and bear more fruit unto His Kingdom.

Listen to Jesus speaking unto you today: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you (John 15:16). That is your divine mission, Child of God.

Always remember that you did not choose the Lord; the Lord chose you and ordained you to be His disciple. He ordained you to be a shining light to the world. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Your life is to shine forth as a witness and testimony to people who are in the night of sin, ignorance and deceit. Your life is to glorify the Father as Jesus’ life on Earth glorified the Father.

The Lord Wants to Answer

There is no doubt that God loves to move for His children. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him (II Chronicles 16:9). A perfect heart is a Jesus heart. It’s a heart that has decreased completely to self and let Jesus increase to its fullest capacity within that heart.

Your Heavenly Father delights in answering your prayers and supplying your needs. Consider what Jesus said: Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him (Matthew 7:9-11)?

When making a request known unto the Lord for yourself or on behalf of others, ask in the name of Jesus. Do not ask for selfish reasons or gain. Ask that the divine will of your Father be done. Ask that by your petition being granted, the Father will be glorified in the Son. Ask that you may be a testimony, and your life may become more profitable and bear more fruit unto God’s Kingdom. As a child of God and joint-heir with Christ, you are to be like Jesus. That means that in all you do and ask for in life, even unto death, it is to be unto the glory of God, your Father. The only way a person can come to that place in Jesus is by self decreasing within and Jesus increasing.

Be a True Child of God

I say again that Jesus lived His life to glorify His Heavenly Father. As the Son of man, Jesus put no confidence in His flesh. His complete trust and dependence was in His Heavenly Father. He came to Earth to represent His Father, to teach His Father’s doctrine, to do the will of His Father and to perform the works of His Father. He was the Son of God, but He did not come into the world to please Himself. He came to please His Heavenly Father, and you must do that too.

Paul said, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together (Romans 8:16,17). This passage of scripture indicates that through the power of divine blood and the power of the Holy Ghost, you are made a child of God and an equal heir with the Only Begotten Son of God. By that power, you are to live your life on Earth as Jesus did.

When you suffer for the sake of Christ in self-sacrifice and in doing the whole will of the Father, you will be glorified with Jesus in the end. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour (John 12:25,26). The Heavenly Father will honor you in granting your requests and by helping you to bear fruit in your life for His Kingdom. He will honor you by you being glorified in Heaven with Jesus one day.

How dependent on self are you really? How often do you seek to bear fruit for the honor and glory of God through your own energies and efforts rather than depending on God? You may be deceiving yourself and thinking you are bearing fruit when you are not because all the fruit your life produces for God’s Kingdom is through Jesus.

Yield to the Holy Spirit

To be able to glorify the Father as Jesus did, you must first be saved and receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Jesus said, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me (Acts 1:8). That power is power from On High that makes you a Jesus witness as you daily yield to Him.

It’s not enough just to receive the Holy Spirit. You have to yield to Him daily and let your light shine before men. If you receive Him and quench Him, your light will be quenched too.

How can you be a witness of a man who lived two thousand years ago? How can you be a witness of someone you have never met? You can’t unless you have the Holy Ghost living within to teach you all about Jesus and to help you understand Him. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26). But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me (John 15:26).

The Holy Ghost glorifies Jesus. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you (John 16:14). That means He will reveal Jesus unto you.

Eat the Word

To do the works of Jesus and bear fruit for God’s Kingdom, the Word must abide in you. Jesus said, As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me [eat the Word], even he shall live by me (John 6:57). You must dine on the Word daily and be a doer of the Word. Jesus continued, This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever (John 6:58).

Jesus came to Earth as the Word made flesh. He is our bread of life. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

The Word must abide in you so that it may increase in you. Do you spend time in the Word daily? I’m sure most of you reading this message make time in your busy schedules to feed your body daily, but that doesn’t profit the soul. The body will go back to the Earth one day, but the soul will live forever.

Your soul is much more important than your body, so are you feeding your soul? Are you eating the Word, the Bread of Life, to keep life churning in your soul? Jesus said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

Whatever you put into your physical body becomes a part of you. If you eat junk food, you will be unhealthy. If you eat good food, you will have strength in your body; and so it is spiritually. When you eat the Word, it becomes a part of you; and you’ll have life for your soul. When you live by the Word of God, you become a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119:11). True followers of Jesus do not pick and choose what part of truth they will practice; they put into practice the whole Word of God. People who only act on parts of truth are deceiving themselves about their walk with God and their relationship with Jesus because self has not decreased completely within them. Self resists being a doer of the whole Word of God, so you can only be like Jesus when self has decreased completely and the Word abides within.

God Will Provide

God loves people, and He desires to move for them and bless them in every part of their life. In fact, the Word says, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

God has provided promises in the Bible that cover every need you will ever have, but you must live your life unto His glory and give Him praise and glory for all His benefits unto you. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits (Psalm 103:2).

You must be a shining light to those who sit in the darkness of sin and ignorance just as Jesus was. The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up (Matthew 4:16). You must be a living testimony of God’s greatness to those who are blinded to the reality of God. They must not only hear about the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost; they must see the works of divinity in your life.

Become a Jesus Disciple

Friend reading this sermon today, is there anything in you unlike Jesus? Do you live to protect and cater to yourself? If so, you have no part in the Kingdom. Jesus said, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me (Luke 9:23).

If there is any sin or disobedience in your life, or if you are doing or saying anything that would be contrary to God’s Word, you are not a Jesus follower. He has not increased in your life. Jesus, His Spirit and sin do not mix, so let the power of the divine blood deliver you and set you free. Let it make you a new creature in Christ that you may follow in His footsteps and live your life like Him.

Pray this prayer with me right now: Oh, God, I confess all my sin and wrongdoing before you. Forgive me, Lord, and I will serve you the rest of my life. I believe there is power in the blood of Jesus to wash away all my sin. Come into my heart, Jesus. Come into my heart. Amen. Friend, if you meant that prayer, Jesus is yours.

Reach Out for a Miracle

Friend, if you’re in great pain and in need of a miracle or healing today, agree with me in prayer. Raise your hand as a point of contact. It is a form of laying on of hands.

Lord, in the name of Jesus, I bring these people before you. Lay a healing hand upon each one. In the name of Jesus, heal, heal! Let your healing virtue flow to each one right now. Make them well and raise them up to be witnesses and testimonies for your honor and glory in this final hour. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Now, watch for every improvement and give God all the honor, the praise and the glory for what He is doing for you. Let Him make you a testimony in this final hour for His honor and glory.

Friend, to live by and walk in the Spirit and to live the Jesus life requires you to receive the Holy Ghost. There is no other way. If you do not have the Holy Ghost, get off to yourself right now as I call the anointing down upon you to receive the Holy Ghost baptism. Lord, in the name of Jesus, I bring the people before you. God anoint them to receive the Holy Ghost.

Friend, praise the Lord and glorify Him with your whole heart. Don’t stop until the Holy Ghost comes in and takes over your tongue and speaks through you in another language.

God bless you today.