Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIRV)
Paul Prays for God’s People
14 I bow in prayer to the Father because of my work among you. 15 From the Father his whole family in heaven and on earth gets its name.
16 I pray that he will use his glorious riches to make you strong. May his Holy Spirit give you his power deep down inside you. 17 Then Christ will live in your hearts because you believe in him.
And I pray that your love will have deep roots. I pray that it will have a strong foundation. 18 May you have power with all God’s people to understand Christ’s love. May you know how wide and long and high and deep it is. 19 And may you know his love, even though it can’t be known completely. Then you will be filled with everything God has for you.
20 God is able to do far more than we could ever ask for or imagine. He does everything by his power that is working in us. 21 Give him glory in the church and in Christ Jesus. Give him glory through all time and for ever and ever. Amen.
Are You Needing The Strength to Stand?
We know who our enemy is, and we may even be dressed for battle (Eph. 6:11). But we don’t feel ready. Our weaknesses seem large and our strength small.
To stand firm in this life, we need the power of our living Lord operating within us. To have God’s divine power released in us requires serious, sustained prayer (v. 18). When we communicate with the Father, His Holy Spirit will give us discernment so that we can recognize truths about spiritual warfare and gain insight into the adversary’s tactics (1 Cor. 2:14). Starting each morning with the Lord lets Him strengthen us to stand steadfastly for Christ, no matter what is in store for us that day.
Prayer is an essential element in our protection against the devil. If we are prayerless—that is, if we fail to seek God’s guidance and neglect to put on His armor by faith every day—then we will be defeated. Our understanding and vision apart from the Lord are too limited and the enemy is too powerful for us to stand alone. However, Romans 8:37 tells us that with God, we will be more than conquerors. He will make us ready if we draw close to Him through prayer, listen to His instructions, and follow through with obedience.
The enemy despises prayers that are offered through faith in Jesus Christ, because he has no defense against them. Persevering prayer strengthens you. It also crushes Satan’s might and sends him running (James 4:7). Drop to your knees in prayer to the Lord and watch what happens.