If You Abide in Me

This is the fourth devotion in the Rescued By Faith Devotional Series and we’re focusing on John 15:7 where Jesus says: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

What does that mean exactly? Today we’re going to be exploring the meaning of Jesus’ words and also offering a practical reflection moment, as well as a model prayer.

Focus verse

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7

Devotion

This is an amazing promise! When we abide in Jesus, we can ask whatever we desire, and it will be done for us!

You see, when we abide in Jesus, we begin thinking like Him and thus asking like Him. And when we ask like Jesus, we ask according to the will of God.

For instance, in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed: “if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me ” and then He prayed “yet not as I will, but as You will.” In other words, Jesus prayed in complete submission to the Father’s will – despite His turmoil regarding His impending suffering.

And so, when we abide in Jesus, we will also pray in complete surrender to our Heavenly Father.

Not only that, but when we abide in Christ, we will have greater faith to ask for that which we know is God’s will. We’ll be able to ask for wisdom and know that God will give it to us. We’ll be able to ask for faith and be sure of God’s answer.

So maybe the most pertinent thing we need to be asking is “how do we abide in Christ?”.

In practical terms abiding in Christ is making sure we are positioning ourselves before God so that He can work in us (Philippians 2:13). We do this by spending time in God’s word, praying continuously, and obeying His commands in faith by His Spirit.

Questions for reflection

• Do you feel you spend a good amount of time daily in God’s word and in prayer? (If you don’t, think about what you need to remove from your schedule in order to make more space for these spiritual practices.)
• How can you redeem little pockets of time to turn to God in prayer and reflect on His word?
• What commands do you need to practise in order to experience God’s hand in your life? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you and empower you!

Prayer

Lord, I want to abide in You. I want to know You better. I want to die to myself and live for You. I pray Lord, that You would empower me by Your Spirit. Lord, I also know I need to position myself to receive from You. Show me Lord, how I can do this as a daily habit. Thank You that You promised to be with me through Your Spirit. Amen!