Our topic for this Episode is-Still on The Prayer of a NC Believer.
Last Episode, we started looking at the difference between prayers that were said
while the OC was in operation and how we should pray under the NC. And this is
the concluding part of that topic.
In Isaiah 53: 3-5, Isaiah prophesied that the purpose of Jesus’ coming was to
deliver us from our sin, our sorrows and our sicknesses. That scripture says-He
took our pain and bore our suffering; He was pierced for our transgressions;
crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him; and
by His stripes we are healed.
Did Jesus fulfill that prophesy? Yes He did. At the point of His crucifixion on the
cross he declared- It is finished. By the statement it is finished, Jesus meant He
had completed the task that God the Father sent Him to the world to perform.
Jesus completed the work of salvation-He took the full punishment for our sins;
All our sicknesses, diseases and sorrows were crucified with Him at the Cross of
Calvary. According to Mathew 5:17, He fulfilled the requirements and all those
conditions laid down in the Law of Moses for receiving the promises of God. He
fulfilled all those conditions laid down in Deuteronomy 28 and other regulations of
the OT for receiving the blessings of God. This is the revelation behind that song
we all love to sing-In Christ alone-My home is found, He is my light my strength,
my song. Stanza 3 says- Till on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was
satisfied; for every sin on Him was laid. Here in the death of Christ I live.
We can now enjoy all the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 without facing the curses
when we miss it because Christ has taken the punishment for our transgressions.
He satisfied the wrath of God.
Under the OC, answer to prayers depended on achievements and complete
obedience. God blessed people only when they met the conditions for His
blessings and therefore deserved to be blessed
. But under the NC, all we have to do is to believe and receive what Jesus is
offering. All that is expected from us is to place our faith in Christ’s accomplished
works at the Cross of Calvary. Not on our goodness or human effort.
Paul declares in Ephesians 1:3-Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ….All, not some! This all encompassing statement means that every
blessing we could possibly need has been provided for in Christ. Everything you
need was provided by Jesus Christ at the Cross of Calvary and all through the
NT, he declares His provisions of healing, protection, peace, abundance,
deliverance and so on.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is
the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Our salvation as well as all these blessings that have been provided for us has
been provided by God by His Grace. Not because we deserve it or because of
our hard work. It is entirely by His Grace. So God has fulfilled His own part of the
contract by His Grace. But in order to complete the contract and receive all God
has obtained for us, we need to apply our faith to what He has done.
He says in Hebrews 4:16 that we should come boldly to the throne of grace to
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. He didn’t say we should
come begging and cringing. He says we should come confidently to receive what
He has provided. We just need to believe.
God loves the world so much that He sacrificed His only son to save us. And He
wants the best for us. He wants us to be at peace, to prosper, to be healthy. And
He has provided everything we need to live in His provisions for us through
Jesus sacrifice. But the people of the OC did not have these privileges. Recall
that in Mathew 11:11. Jesus told his disciples that John the Baptist was the
greatest man born on earth as at that time-because he was the man chosen by
God to prepare the way for the messiah. But Jesus quickly added, however, that
even the least person in the Kingdom of heaven-meaning those of us who have
been saved by the Grace of God because we placed our faith in Him would be
greater than John the Baptist.
Brethren everyone who has been saved by faith in Jesus’ sacrifice is greater,
more privileged and more anointed than everyone who operated under the OC.
Because Jesus did not sacrifice His blood for them. They were not born again.
They did not operate under the power of the Blood of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was
not available to help them. He does not dwell in them. During their dispensation,
God sent His spirit to His prophets only on occasions. Only the priests and high
priests could enter into the presence of God. But now Revelations 1:6 declares
that we are all priests and kings and are encouraged by God to come boldly into
His presence.
So this is the difference between prayers of the OC and the way we should pray
under the NC. This is where we are missing it. We keep praying OC prayers like
the prayer of Jabez-Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory. Yet
you have been granted every spiritual blessing in heavenly places which includes
the enlargement of your territory if you believe. And we keep singing songs
based on the OC like-create in me a new heart oh God and renew a right spirit
within me; cast me not away from your presence oh Lord; take not your Holy
Spirit from me based on Ps 51. But your spirit is already recreated and renewed.
He will not cast you away because He has said He will never leave you nor
forsake you and He cannot lie. Do you make your children plead, beg and cry to

you for food, clothing and school fees? No. They don’t need to. They just ask
because they rest in the assurance of your love and provision. What we need to
do is to believe. We need to believe that God has done what He said He has
done. Under the NC you don’t have to pray to get God to do. You have to rest on
what Jesus has done. And believe me Prayers are much easier when you rest on
J accomplishments and pray from a position of victory.
Brethren like we discussed in Episode 18 the battle is in the soul! We need to
work on our mindset to keep shifting gradually until we come to that place of
acceptance that Jesus has done it all. That we don’t need to plead but believe
and receive. This is that missing link. To believe not only that God can do all
things; that God can do what He says He will do but that God has done what He
says He has done.  The mind is like a magnifying glass. Whatever we focus on
and magnify gets bigger. Meditate and focus on what God says He has done and
you would stop fashioning your prayers after the OC.
So many Christians combine OC prayers with NC prayers. But James 1:6 says
that a person who wavers cannot receive anything from the Lord. You need to
take a stand. Don’t declare that you are blessed today and pray the prayer of
Jabez tomorrow. This is why you must not depend only on what you hear or
read from others but read the word of God for yourself and ask the Holy Spirit for
understanding.