Ephesians | Pray

Series: Ephesians

“Pray”

Ephesians 6:18

Recap:

As believers we are in a spiritual battle!

How to stay engaged in the battle?

Ephesians 6:18

¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

1. Pray in the Spirit– “praying at all times in the Spirit”
   1. ⁹ You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:9-11)
   2. ²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)
2. Praying at all times- “praying at all times in the Spirit”
   1. ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
3. Praying with all kinds of prayer- “with all prayer and supplication”
4. Pray with perseverance- “To that end, keep alert with all perseverance”
   1. ² Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2
5. Pray for the body of Christ- “making supplication for all the saints”
   1. ³ I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy (Philippians 1:3-4)
   2. ¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, (Ephesians 1:16)

Stay awake, stay engaged in the battle!

From The Valley of Vision:

“O God of my delight, thy throne of grace is the pleasure ground of my soul. Here I obtain mercy in time of need, here see the smile of thy reconciled face, here joy pleads the name of Jesus, here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit, anoint the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, gather manna from thy word, am strengthened for each conflict, nerved for the upward race, empowered to conquer every foe; help me to come to Christ as the fountain head of descending blessings, as a wide open flood-gate of mercy.”