He was getting ready to ascend to the Father and they were troubled.  Peter asked Jesus why he couldn’t follow Him now and how he was going to lay his life down for Him if he couldn’t follow (John13:37).

 
Jesus replied that Peter would indeed lay his life down for Him and that the disciples were not to be troubled or distressed because He was going to prepare a place for them and would come back and take them to Himself.
 
It was in this context that Jesus told His disciples to abide in Him.  (John 15:4)”Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; ye are the branches; He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.”
 
(John 15:7) “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
 
To abide means we are to live with Christ being vitally connected to Him.  It is a vital union.  When we are not in this union with Christ the promises we read in Psalm 91 were not ours to claim.  The promises were contingent on our “abiding under the shadow of the almighty.”
 
Jesus was inviting us to share in this oneness with Him when He commanded the disciples to abide in Him.  He didn’t tell us to do something that would be out of our reach.  He invited us into complete union with Him where we could walk with Him daily, moment by moment, feeling His presence, listening to His voice and experiencing what it means to be connected to Him. 
 
It is in abiding in this relationship with Jesus that we bear much fruit.  We don’t try to produce fruit.  It is the inevitable outcome of our abiding in the Lord’s presence.
 
How are we going to abide in the Lord’s presence?  We learn by doing something over and over again until we finally “get it.”  As we learn to spend time with Jesus, worshiping, meditating in His word, listening for His voice, praying and daily surrendering ourselves afresh we repeat this process each day until it becomes part of us.  The Holy Spirit will wash us with the water of the word and the living seed that has been sown into our spirits will become life to us and we will be transformed into the likeness of Christ.
 
When we became born again and entered into relationship with Jesus we were invited to come and abide in Him.  The scripture doesn’t say that we are to come to Him and be with Him.  It says, “Abide in me.”  This speaks of an unbroken, intimate connection with Christ and it’s out of this relationship that we ask and receive from the Father. 
 
When Jesus says, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it will be done unto you.” (John 15:7).  It is a fruit of abiding and it is mentioned in connection with the parable of the Vine.
 
(John 15:1-8) AMP “I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser.  Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit (that stops bearing) He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.
 
You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you (the teachings I have discussed with you). 
 
Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you.  (Live in Me, and I will live in you).  Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.
 
I am the Vine; you are the branches.  Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit.  However, apart from Me (cut off from vital union with Me) you can do nothing.
 
If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a (broken off) branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned.
 
If you live in Me (abide vitally united to Me) and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
 
When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.
 
I have loved you, (just) as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love (continue in His love with Me).”
 
When we are connected to the Vine everything we do should flow from the root, who is Jesus.  When we’re abiding in Christ our own self thoughts and self will are brought into submission and the thoughts of Jesus fill our hearts.  Our will is brought under control and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit breathes divine life into our beings.  It’s then that we will be praying the desires of the Lord, listening to His voice and sharing the desires of our hearts with Him. 
 
When Jesus gave us His name and told us to “Ask in His name,” it wasn’t without the condition of our abiding in Him.  His name isn’t like a blank check that we can fill in and use at our discretion.  Many Christians have been led astray when they have mistakenly tried to use the name of Jesus to obtain things the Lord hasn’t told them He’s giving them.  When we are abiding in Christ He will give us the desires of our hearts and we will be asking in accordance with His will and thus receive the answer to our petition.
 
When we are abiding in Christ we have the authority to use His name with confidence.  We come to the Father through the blood of Jesus.  We’re seen as righteous through Jesus’ blood.  Jesus righteousness is in me and His Holy Spirit lives in me.  The Father sees the righteousness of Jesus and then grants my petition. 
 
When the Father looks at me He wants to see me living and abiding in Jesus.  It’s when were abiding in Christ that our prayers have much power to prevail.  Scripture teaches us that a righteous man’s prayers avail much.  Abiding keeps us in a place where we see answered prayer.  It is a fruit born out of relationship with Christ.
 
When we were saved, born again, our sins were forgiven and salvation assured.  But the Lord has so much more for us that is born out of intimacy with Him.  It’s as though many people have accepted the gift of eternal life but have not come into the place where they can be partakers of the inheritance they received through the blood of Jesus. 
 
I am urging you to come into the place where you are abiding continuously in the presence of Christ and can receive all that He has for you.
 
Exercise:
Learning to listen takes time.  I’m asking you to start by taking at least 15 minutes each day to listen to the Lord during your prayer time.  Ask Him to tell you if there is anything He requires of you or wants to say to you and then quiet your mind and spirit until you can hear your own heartbeat just focusing on being quiet.  Go to your prayer time with a notebook and pen ready to write down anything the Lord says to you.  If He speaks you will be ready to capture everything He says.  If He doesn’t speak don’t lose heart because He will speak if He has something to say to you.