As 2024 comes to a close and we begin to usher in the new year, many people take some time to reflect on how the previous year went and what they have planned for 2025. These resolutions typically come in the form of relationship enhancements, financial improvements, weight loss, education or vocation, to name a few. Basically, they are confessions of what you want. They are your desires.

I recently finished a study on John 15 and noticed that the Bible offers timeless wisdom on this topic, particularly in John 15:7, where Jesus says, "If you remain in Me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." Wow, that’s a powerful statement! Ask whatever I wish, and it will be done. Kind of
sounds like a genie in a bottle, doesn’t it? But not so fast. This verse isn’t a free for all, land of delusion kind of thing.

1. Abiding in Christ

See the first part of the verse says IF. IF is a conditional statement, meaning IF something, THEN something happens. In John 15:7 the conditional statement is IF you
remain in Me AND My words remain in you. . . THEN ask . . . .

What does it mean to remain in or abide in Christ? Well, obviously it means to be in close contact with or a relationship with, to align your thinking with His thinking, your desires with His desires.

So, what do we know about Christ? Well, for starters, we know He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We know He cares (Love). We know He can do all things, knows all things and is all powerful. And if we dust off our memory from back in Sunday School, we remember Moses talking with God in a burning bush where God said, “I AM who I AM.” Meaning, God is reality and the way things actually are.