Dear Partner,

This month I would like to share with you a little more concerning the Lord's statement to me earlier this year,

"My people have been trained to work on their giving. I have called you to train them how to work on their heart."

Continuing in Matthew Chapter Six, another thing that Jesus said we were to do "in secret" was to develop a prayer life with the Father. Why does the Father desire a "secret" prayer life ... just between you and Him? He desires intimate fellowship with you. He wants to have a relationship with you that goes far beyond mere command and obedience; He desires fellowship!

"Secrets" are those things that are shared between two people who have an "intimate" relationship. There are things that I discuss with my wife that I would never discuss with anyone else on earth. I love her. I trust her. I desire to share the most intimate details of my life with her.

Being the husband and provider for my home, I expect her to come to me and share her desires. If she wants something, I expect her to come to me alone and tell me what is the desire of her heart. I would be astonished if she stood on the street corner out in front of our house and shouted, for all the neighbors to hear, "Husband, I need a new dishwasher! Buy me a new dishwasher! I want a new dishwasher!"

If she did such a thing, I could not help but wonder what her true motivations were. Why in the world would she want to make her requests known to all of our neighbors? Does she think I would not provide for her without being "shamed" into it by their opinion? By her public declarations, is she actually implying to the neighbors that I am not a good provider? She is my wife! We have the most intimate of relationships. Providing for her needs is the joy of my heart. It would be a violation of our intimate relationship for her to make her requests known to anyone but me.

Jesus is our husband and we are the bride of Christ. Through His finished work on the cross, He has made it possible for us, the bride, to have full access to the Father's "Garden of Grace," much like Eve had full access to every tree in the garden of Eden [except one]. Eve was free to go to any tree she desired in the Father's garden and freely eat the fruit thereof.

Because of His great love for us, His bride, Jesus has given us free access to go to our Father's throne of grace and freely receive answers to our prayers. That's why Jesus said,

John 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

The only stipulation that our husband, Jesus, put on this promise was that we ask "in His name." That means that our requests should line up with the plans, purposes and pursuits of Jesus Christ for our lives. Selfish requests that are made without any regard for our husband's leadership are not answered. But as long as our requests line up with the "mind of Christ," we can rest assured that our prayers will be heard and answered by the Father.

To be clearer, let me give this illustration. As the bride of Christ, what if we went to the Father and said, "I don't really care much for your Son and I am not at all interested in helping Him do the work of the kingdom on earth. I am legally His wife, however, and on that basis alone I am demanding that you give me whatever I ask for. I could care less about helping Him at all. I just want what I want because I want it. Give it to me. I demand it!"

Well, what do you think the likelihood is of that sort of prayer being answered? None, would be my guess. Answered prayer is born of faith. Real faith is born of love.

Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Love between a husband and wife is born of intimate fellowship and quality time spent together. As we spend time in worship, the Word, and prayer, our love for Jesus Christ abounds more and more. Our desires become one with His desires. Our motivations become one with His motivations. Then when we go to the Father our hearts are full of love for His Son and our requests line up with the leadership of our husband. When our requests are made in accordance with "His" will, we know that we will receive from the Father whatever we ask for in the name of Jesus.

1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1 John 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Thank you for your gift to GCM. Sue and I love you and appreciate you. We thank God for your generous and giving heart. God bless you!

Your friend and co-laborer,

Gary Carpenter

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