Aren’t you thankful that God will not allow us to be tempted past that which we are able to stand?  Scripture says that with every temptation He makes a way of escape that we might endure it.  Amidst that warfare and in the midst of that broken heart, the faithfulness of God rings true.  The grace of God becomes a reality so that He will cause us to stand.  As that grace rises sufficiently in us, we pray as Jesus did, “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42).  Some of us might be facing those realities right now in our lives.  Some of us might say at this very moment, “I just cannot take anymore.”  Hear the words of the apostle Paul this morning.  “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Amen?  That great mercy and that great grace of God are available to you.  He said to pray in this manner in Luke: “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth” (Luke 11:2).  True prayer is always, first and foremost, a longing, seeking, and readiness to be an instrument to bring into effect the will of God.  Do you want God’s will or do you want your way?

We cannot spend time in His holy presence and not want to bless and honor Him.  Scripture is clear as we look, time and time again, at these great promises.  He answers prayer in keeping covenants.  He answers prayer in keeping His covenant.  Beloved, our prayers become more effectual when we know, through our study and meditation of His Word, what it is that He has promised to us.  That is specific prayer and supplication.  With thanksgiving, the Scripture says, we come.  We make our requests known unto God, in the will of God and the purpose of God.

Turn to 1 John, and we will look over at those great promises that the Holy Spirit made.  If you get hold of them, these verses will change your life.  They will change your prayer life.  We see some great promises.  “And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask…” (1 John 5:15).  Mark that down.  “Whatsoever we ask...”  Let us remind ourselves this morning that Kenneth Hagen did not write those verses.  God did.  Mark said, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24).  Does you believe that?  Whatever you desire, whatever your heart is longing for when you pray, believe.  “What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe...”  Believe when you pray; amen?  Believe when you pray.  If we believe when we pray, we shall have them, praise God.  The key to all of this is discovering the prayer life of Jesus.

It might seem as though this is something that is carte blanche.  We will see it in some other passages in a moment.  The reality of what is being spoken about here is the Holy Spirit.  It is through our indwelling and abiding with Christ that we come to an understanding of the heart and desires of our heavenly Father.  What the Holy Spirit is saying through the apostle is that when we get in line with the desires or the will of God, we agree and become one.  What we desire is what God desires.  Our desires come from God.  Our desires are God’s desires.  If He is Lord, we have no business desiring anything else.