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The Prayer of Jesus

Before Jesus left the earth and ascended back to the Father, before He ever went to the garden and cried out for help, and before He was crucified and died for our sins, He spent time talking to His Father about some important issues. As He was talking to the heavenly Father, He prayed that we would possess three attributes before He sent us out to be His representatives in the world. He imparted to us His joy,His glory, and His love. Let's read His high-priestly prayer:

"...I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

"I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

"The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

"O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them"(John 17:11-26).

Ambassadors of The King

What do we call someone who is sent from one nation to another, representing the first nation from which they're sent? In the political realm, we call them an ambassador. They are sent as a representative of a king, authority, or nation. Every nation on earth has ambassadors, as does every king and kingdom. They are commissioned to speak or intercede on behalf of their nation, king, or people in order to bring peace, harmony, and fellowship between parties.

Spiritually speaking, the apostle Paul says that is what we are when we are in Christ: "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20). It is my desire to encourage you to stand firm as ambassadors of Jesus Christ – ambassadors of His glory! God has called us to stand and represent the King of all kings...and to occupy the earthly realm until He comes.

Several years ago, I was attending a conference and standing behind an international minister as an armor bearer. As I stood and worshiped, I had a supernatural experience with the Lord. I could feel pressure on my face, pressure so intense that it pushed my head back and actually hurt my neck. I asked Holy Spirit what was going on, and He explained to me that He was creating a mask for me to wear. I researched and learned that, historically, as ambassadors were sent into other nations, they were sometimes given a mask so they looked exactly like the king they represented.

Characteristics and Assignments

As ambassadors of Jesus Christ, we have certain characteristics and assignments so we accurately represent Him and His Kingdom while we are here on earth. Ambassadors need to know information about the King of kings whom we're called to represent. All ambassadors in the earthly realm must be knowledgeable about the territory and the people groups from which they are sent and to which they are going. This is how we too, as ambassadors of Christ, learn to intercede for the people around us, and the nations of the world, knowing their strengths and weaknesses.

Ambassadors also have great responsibilities for the Kingdom in order to rescue people from acts of warfare. As ambassadors of Christ, we take commands well and are very responsible. Since we are acting on behalf of the King we represent, we must live in Christlike holiness and power while on the earth.

Ambassadors accept persecution for their king or nation. Sometimes there are embassies that are attacked in other countries. But, just as the attack is not against the embassy itself, but upon the nation the embassy is a part of, so too the persecution Christians face isn't toward us, but toward Jesus, our King.

Not only that, but ambassadors keep their covenants and are peacemakers. We are to extend the King's reconciliation and bring harmony to relationships, businesses, churches, and families. That does not mean we don't deal with issues that arise – we must. But, we serve with boldness because we know the end of the story. The apostle Paul said it like this:"The God of peace will soon crush satan under your feet" (Romans 16:20). And Jesus reminded His disciples as He sent them out, "As you enter the home...let your peace rest on it" (Matthew 10:12-13).

As ambassadors of Jesus Christ, we also carry the King's banner of love wherever we go. We don't brag about ourselves, but exalt our King. We speak of the King's purposes for His people. Remember, we're not building false kingdoms, but rather building up the King's people.

Representing Jesus means we need wisdom in every decision we face. We know how to carry the authority and wisdom of our King. James writes that the wisdom we need "from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17 KJV). Without that type of wisdom, we could fail as ambassadors.

Trustworthiness and faithfulness are two more important characteristics of ambassadors. We acquire a lot of sensitive information in our journeys, and the King trusts us not to gossip, as the leaking of information could put people in jeopardy. We know how to relay the information we have only to Him through prayer and loving intercession.

And lastly, ambassadors give edicts, decrees, and declarations in the kingdom! We find an example of this in Esther 1:20: "...The king's edict which he will make is heard throughout all his kingdom..." Continue to decree the King's words, beloved, because you are representing a heavenly authority.

Glory and Power

As I prayed and wrote in my journal recently, the Lord gave me a vision of seeing myself walking along as golden glitter showered down from Heaven. It was absolutely stunning; but, in a way, it upset me because it didn't seem to answer the questions I had been asking the Lord. Questions that I thought were so very important. The Lord went on to show me that life is not about doing but about being. He kept saying to me, "Just be! Every place the sole of your foot treads is yours. Occupy until I come and fill the earth with the knowledge of My glory."

Glory, as defined in the Old Testament (kabowd), means "abundance, riches, honor, splendor, dignity, reverence, and weight." It is a most glorious and exalted state to be in. It is the revelation and manifestation of all that He has and is. (There's that weight I sensed as Holy Spirit was creating the King's mask).

If you think about it, it seems as if God is pleased to share His glory. Oh, wouldn't it have been great to have seen Moses' face shine so bright with the glory of God that he had to wear a veil over his face when he talked to others (see Exodus 34:29-34)?

And how exciting it is that Scripture indicates that God's glory is often linked with God's power. Paul speaks of the connection between glory and power when he prays: "That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ [Messiah] may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Ephesians 3:16-17).

And how about when Solomon was dedicating the temple? This is just one more example of glory connected to power. In fact, the glory of the Lord was so powerful that the priests could not even stand to minister (see 1 Kings 8:10-11). When God's glory comes, there His power is made evident.

Becoming Like The King

Does the King automatically send out ambassadors with no training? Well, according to 1 Thessalonians 2:4, the Lord is looking for those who areprepared: "Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts."

So how does God prepare us? Well, Jesus gave us one of several prerequisites in Matthew 22:37-38, where He says, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment." Spending time with Him on a daily basis is vital if we are to become like the King, representing Him well and wearing His mask wherever we go.

We must also be teachable. One of the main differences between the original 12 disciples (ambassadors) and the rest of us is the fact that they had three years alone with Jesus. They knew and believed that they were to advance God's Kingdom and carry the Gospel message to the world. We know they were not without faults and shortcomings. Interestingly, not even one of the chosen 12 disciples was a scholar or a rabbi. They had no extraordinary skills. Neither religious nor refined, they were ordinary people, just like you and me. And they were mentored by the very, very best – Jesus!

Would we really want that? To be alone with Jesus for three years and allow Him to be our mentor, expounding all things? I mean, it's easy to shout victory and sing and dance in a crowd...but how about when we're all alonewith the Spirit of Jesus?

As ambassadors, we need to learn victory in the secret place because we might be asked to slay giants publicly for the King. Ambassadorial training teaches us the difference between adversity and warfare. Adversity changes us internally (making us like the King), and it should actually help us remain set like flint, whereas warfare is an external battle with the enemy.

As ambassadors of Jesus Christ, we also determine standards of excellence. We don't pull the King of kings down to our level, but we reach for His. We surrender to Him completely, realizing that any strength that we have may work against us because the King works out of our weaknesses, not our strengths. Remember, we're representing Him, not ourselves, wearing His mask, and walking in His authority and power.

Beloved, may we continually learn and believe that we are ambassadors of glory, keeping God's covenants and filling the earth with His knowledge. And where are these promises – the covenants of God – contained? In the ark of His covenant, of course – that's in you and me! Oh, how amazing, how astounding that He lives within us so we can bring glory to Him, representing Heaven on earth.

Paulette Reed
Prophetic Arrow Ministries