The Prayers of Paul !

The Prayers of Paul: The Authority of the believer, is unveiled more fully in the book of Ephesians than any other epistle written to the churches. Because these prayers are based on the Ephesians, let me encourage you to read the first three chapters over and over again for several days. You will notice they are Spirit Anointed prayers at the and of the first and third chapters. However, Powell didn't pray these prayers only for the church at Ephesus. These prayers apply to us today just as much as they did to the believers at Ephesus, because they were given by the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:16- 20) "I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of his glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places . . . (Ephesians 3:14- 19) "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being written and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breath, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." The turning point in my life came when I prayed these prayers for myself more than 50 times. I started by reading them out loud, beginning with the first chapter. I personalized the prayers by saying "me or my name" wherever Paul said "you." For example, reading (Ephesians 3:14- 17), I would say, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant me, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in my heart by faith. . . ." I spent much time playing these two prayers on my knees and the altar of my home, I kept my Bible open before me to these prayers and prayed them for myself several times a day. Sometimes I told my wife I was going to the altar to pray and didn't want to be bothered except in an emergency. Sometimes I stayed in crackdown to about three days at a time. I spent about six months praying this way doing the winter of 1999. Then the first thing I was praying for started to happen. I had been praying for "the spirit of wisdom and revelation knowledge" (Ephesians 1:17), and the spirit of revelation knowledge began to function ! I'm beginning to see things in the Bible I had never seen before. It just began to open up to me. I advanced more in spiritual growth and wisdom as well as knowledge of the word in those six months than I had in 15 years as a minister and in more than 30 years as a believer. That was one of the greatest spiritual discoveries are ever made. I said to my wife, "what in the world have been preaching ? After I had listened to a CD of me preaching a sermon. I was so ignorant of the Bible, it's a wonder the deacons didn't have to come by and tell me to get in out of the rain ! We must have this spirit of wisdom and revelation knowledge of Jesus Christ and His word if we are to grow. It is not going to be imparted to us through our intellect, either. The Holy Spirit must unveiled it to us. People often want to know how to pray for fellow Christians or believers. If you start praying these Ephesians prayers for them, you'll see results in their lives. I suggest you praying the press for yourself, too.