 "_If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you_,

ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto

you."--JOHN xv. 7.
 "The supplication of _a righteous man_ availeth
much in its working."--JAMES v. 16.
 "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have
boldness toward God; and whatsoever we ask,
we receive of Him, _because_ we keep His
commandments, and do the things that are
pleasing in His sight."--1 JOHN iii. 21, 22.
 Our power in prayer depends upon our life.
 Where our life is right we shall know how to
pray so as to please God, and prayer will
secure the answer.
 Let us learn from our Lord Jesus, in the
parable of the vine, what the healthy,
vigorous life is that may ask and receive what
it will.
  7 If you remain in me and my words
remain in you, ask whatever you wish,
and it will be done for you.
 John 15:16
 You did not choose me, but I chose you
and appointed you so that you might go
and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so
that whatever you ask in my name the
Father will give you.
 It is the branch-life that gives power for
prayer.
 We are branches of Christ, the Living
Vine.
 We must simply live like branches, and
abide in Christ, then we shall ask what
we will, and it shall be done unto us.
 It is the branch-life that gives power for prayer.
 We are branches of Christ, the Living Vine.
 We must simply live like branches, and abide in Christ,
then we shall ask what we will, and it shall be done unto
us.
 The branch is simply a growth of the
vine, produced by it and appointed to
bear fruit.
 It has only one reason of existence, that
through it the vine may bear and ripen
its precious fruit.
 Its only work is to serve the vine, that
through it the vine may do its work.
 The believer is to live only that Christ may
bear fruit through him.
 A true Christian as a branch is to be just as
absorbed in and devoted to the work of
bearing fruit to the glory of God as Christ the
Vine was on earth, and is now in heaven
 He that is willing to be wholly branch, and
nothing but branch, who is ready to place
himself absolutely at the disposal of Jesus
the Vine of God, to bear His fruit through
him, and to live every moment only for Him,
will receive a Divine liberty to claim Christ's
_whatsoever_ in all its fullness, and a Divine
wisdom and humility to use it aright.
 It is the life abiding wholly in Christ that can
pray the effectual prayer in the name of
Christ.
 We spoke of Abraham as intercessor. What
gave Him such boldness?
 Implicit obedience, to the very sacrifice of his
son, was the law of his life. He did what God
asked: he dared trust God to do what he
asked.
 How often it is written of him, "According to
all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did
he." No wonder that he was very bold: his
heart was right with God: he knew God would
hear him.
 No less true is this of Elijah, the man who
stood up to plead for the Lord God of Israel.
 The man who is ready to risk all
for God can count upon God to
do all for him.
 Our God longs exceedingly to prove Himself
the Faithful God and Mighty Helper of His
people.
 He only waits for hearts wholly turned from
the world to Himself, and open to receive His
gifts. The man who loses all will find all; he
dare ask and take it.
 Even in the lower stages of the Christian life,
every new onward step in the striving after
the perfect branch-life, and every surrender
to live for others in intercession, will be met
from above by a corresponding liberty to
draw nigh with greater boldness, and expect
larger answers.
 1“I (Jesus) am the true vine, and my
Father is the gardener.
 1“I (Jesus)  Jesus is the only and
am the true source of life.
true  We have the Father, as
vine, and
the Husbandman,
my Father
is the watching over our abiding
gardener. in the Vine, over our
growth and fruit-bearing.
 1“I (Jesus)  God, who is the Father of
am the Christ, and who united us
true with Him,--God Himself
vine, and
will see to it that the
my Father
is the branch is what it should
gardener. be, will enable us to bring
forth just the fruit we
were appointed to bear.
 2 He cuts off every  More fruit is what
branch in me that the Father seeks;
bears no more fruit is what
fruit, while every the Father will
branch that does Himself provide. It
bear fruit he is for this that He,
prunes[a] so that it as the Vinedresser,
will be even more cleanses the
fruitful. branches.
 2 He cuts off every  The branch is to
branch in me that trust in and yield
bears no itself to this Divine
fruit, while every cleansing.
 Count upon a Divine
branch that does
cleansing, to cut
bear fruit he down and take away
prunes[a] so that it all that self-
will be even more confidence and self-
fruitful. effort
 Our own effort will only produce in
us exhaustion and will produce
absolutely nothing.
 God wants to change the way we
think. God wants to change the way
we do ministry.
 “God healed me of the disease of
striving.” – Heidi Baker
 When we are filled with the glory, that’s when
we produce fruit.
 We must stay connected with the vine, with
the source.
 2 He cuts off every
branch in me that
bears no
fruit, while every
branch that does
bear fruit he
prunes[a] so that it
will be even more
fruitful.
 2 He cuts off every  It is only as our own will,
and strength and effort
branch in me that and pleasure, even
bears no where these appear
perfectly natural and
fruit, while every sinless, are cut down, so
branch that does that the whole energies
of our being are free
bear fruit he and open to receive the
prunes[a] so that it sap of the Heavenly
Vine, the Holy Spirit,
will be even more that we shall bear much
fruitful. fruit.
 3 You are  Through His word the
already clean Father had cleansed them,
because of cut away all confidence in
the word I themselves or the world,
have spoken and prepared them for the
to you. inflowing and filling of the
Spirit of the Heavenly
Vine.
 4 Remain in me,
as I also remain in  Stay
you. No branch connected
can bear fruit by
itself; it must
remain in the vine.
to the vine.
Neither can you
bear fruit unless
you remain in me.
 5 “I am the vine;
you are the
branches. If you
remain in me and
I in you, you will
bear much
fruit; apart from
me you can do
nothing.
 6 If you do not remain in me, you are
like a branch that is thrown away
and withers; such branches are
picked up, thrown into the fire and
burned.
 7 If you remain in me and my
words remain in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it will
be done for you.
  8 This is to my Father’s
glory, that you bear much
fruit, showing yourselves to
be my disciples.”