A guaranteed confidence booster

There are countless benefits to having faith in Christ. Like, grace extended to your sins, a new life on earth and a new body in heaven, peace in your family and relationships, hope, protection, purpose… I could go on and on and on.

But Jesus mentions one specific benefit in John 15 that is totally mind-blowing. It's found in verse 7, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Wait, what?!

Jesus says that in him, we can have full access to God, with his blessing to freely bring our petitions and requests. True fellowship with the maker of all things. Listen to what Hebrews 10 says:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith… for he who promised is faithful.

Let us draw near to God in confidence. In other words, if you have confidence in nothing else in life, you can still have confidence that God will welcome you and hear you. In Christ, we have full access to God and we can come before him to ask anything. How cool is that?

Jesus shows us a few examples of what we might ask for in his prayer in Matthew 6. We call it the Lord's Prayer. Jesus asks for food, for forgiveness, for deliverance from evil, and he curiously asks, "Lead us not into temptation."

The Greek word for temptation means tests or trials. We can ask God, "God, please don't let me be tested today." "God, help me so that I don't fall to temptation today." "God, strengthen me against the lies of the Enemy, today." God wants us to ask him those kinds of things.

In verse 11, Jesus concludes, “These things I’ve spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be full." In short, having this access to God in Christ will ultimately bring us joy. Not only can we just ask anything, but whatever we ask will be done, as God delights in bringing us joy. Do you want joy in your life? True joy? Abide in Christ.