Together in Christ: 'Pray in the Spirit for This' — Ephesians 6:18

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
— Ephesians 6:18 NLT

Key Thought

Paul is equipping the believers in Asia Minor, [1] and especially those in Ephesus, to face the attacks of the evil one and his demonic powers:

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. [2]

In the verses preceding, Paul listed the weapons available for the spiritual warfare we will all face. [3] Our verses are Paul's exclamation point to our power and preparation for spiritual battle.

The Holy Spirit empowers us in our prayers and intercedes for us so that our prayers honor God and align with His will. [4] In addition, God releases the Holy Spirit with power into the lives of those for whom we pray. [5] In our passage today, Paul reminds us of two essential elements of the Spirit's power released through our prayers:

  • Staying alert, recognizing that we are in a spiritual war with evil foes intent on deceiving and destroying everything we hold dear. [6]
     
  • Being persistent, regularly and consistently praying for each other and all believers everywhere because the battle is ongoing until Jesus returns in glory.

To these principles, I would add a third that is implied in the prayers we find throughout Scripture:

  • We should not only pray for fellow believers, but we should let them know that we are praying and what we are praying for them.

Please, join me in praying for our friends, family, and fellow believers worldwide. Prayer, because of our intentionally praying through the Holy Spirit, releases God's power to defeat the evil one!

[1] There is evidence that Ephesians was a letter written to several churches in Asia Minor, what is now modern Turkey.
[2] Ephesians 6:10-12.
[3] Ephesians 6:13-17.
[4] Romans 8:26-27.
[5] Ephesians 3:14-16.
[6] John 8:44. If you want to see what Satan longs to do with us, look at the condition of the man known as Legion in Mark 5:1-5

Today's Prayer

Father, hear our prayer as we join with the apostle Paul in praying for Your power to be released into the lives we love:

When I think of all [You have done to bless us], I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower [those we love in Christ] with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in [their] hearts as [they] trust in him. [Then their] roots will grow down into God’s love and keep [them] strong. And may [they] have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May [they] experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then [they] will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
 
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. *
* This prayer if from Ephesians 3:14-21. The pronouns were changed so we could pray for our loved ones, friends, and Christians worldwide.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Ephesians 6:10-20
  • Colossians 1:13-14, 2:12-15, 3:1-4

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Illustration

Illustration of Ephesians 6:18 NLT — Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

About This Devotional

Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.

'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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