And then in chapter 16, and verse 23, and 24, we are reminded by the Lord Jesus Christ of another command that has been given to us. Chapter 16 and verse 23, and 24 and it says to us, and in that day, you shall ask me nothing. Verily, Verily, I say unto you, whatsoever you ask the Father in My name, He will do it. Hither to have you asked nothing in my name, ask the command and you shall receive that your joy may be full. Here's prayer. We are to pray. We are commanded to pray, ask and you shall receive. But as I have already said, you don't need to ask for that which has already been given to you in Christ. The disciples didn't need to ask for what the Lord Jesus thought was going to provide. They need to appreciate it. They need to appropriate they needed to employ it.

The same is true with the children of Israel. As they entered the land of Canaan. They didn't have a Lord, you know, what are you going to give me? No says the Lord, I have given it all to you. From the river of Egypt all the way to the mountain of Haman, from the from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates, it's all yours. Just put your foot down and say, this is mine. We have the same blessed responsibility. Ask in my name. We're to ask the Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and according to the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit, that's prayer. He says to us very plainly, ask the Father in my name, and so our prayers are addressed to the Father. There are a lot of people who addressed their prayer to Jesus. And the Roman Catholics address their prayer to Mary, but our prayers are offered to the Father in the name and because of the Lord Jesus Christ, and under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. That's prayer. Ask. We don't need to ask what we already have.

You know, Christmas is coming up, the little boy wants a fire engine. So, you do your best to get him that bright red fire engine. On Christmas morning he opens it up and looks up at you and said, Daddy, would you give me a fire engine? What do you going to say? It's right there. I think the Lord says the same thing when we asked him to be with us when we ask for his blessing. And guidance and strength and all the other blessings that He has given to us. We're still asking for them. What does the Lord say? Does he do he laugh at such unbelief and ignorance? Does he cry because these people know truth and yet don't practice it. Ask and you receive. The person we ask is the Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the power of the resurrection makes that possible.

We come boldly to the freshly slain way. We come boldly to the throne of gifts, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need, and for what purpose? That our joy might be made full. What a delight to know that the goal that God has in answering my prayer is to manifest the graces of Christ. Not to exalt myself and say, you know, I've raised the dead I've walked on water, but the Joy. In the prayer in Colossians chapter one it says that these strengths might be given and his power. And all these things might be given that our joy might be manifested. Apart from love, the greatest manifestation of the character of Christ is joy chapter 15 Verse 11, These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full. He says your joy no man takes from you. Paul explains it all the way through the book of Philippians 16 times about the joy of the Lord. Nehemiah reminds us that joy of the Lord is your strength.