“Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT)
”So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24 NKJV)
“My dear friends, I pray that you will remain strong and not be discouraged or ashamed by all that I suffer on your behalf, for it is for your glory. So I kneel humbly in awe before the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the perfect Father of every father and child in heaven and on the earth. And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power. Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life. Then you will be empowered to discover what every holy one experiences—the great magnitude of the astonishing love of Christ in all its dimensions. How deeply intimate and far-reaching is his love! How enduring and inclusive it is! Endless love beyond measurement that transcends our understanding—this extravagant love pours into you until you are filled to overflowing with the fullness of God! Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. Now we offer up to God all the glorious praise that rises from every church in every generation through Jesus Christ—and all that will yet be manifest through time and eternity. Amen!” (Ephesians 3:13-21 TPT)
Step 1: Probe the prayer under the light of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 17 is beyond my ability to fully comprehend. If I only catch a glimpse of its depth my life will be radically transformed. Take a closer look…
…Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life.
Only by faith will I begin to experience what Paul is praying in this verse. The New King James Version says, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” The release of the life of Christ within me doesn’t begin with an emotion. It doesn’t begin with intellectual understanding. It takes place by faith regardless of what I feel or think. Feelings come and go. Thoughts shift and change. However, the life of Christ which is resting within me never waivers. It is consistent, solid, and stable.
As I embrace the life of Christ within me day in and day out it becomes the source of my life. The love of Christ becomes the resting place from which my life flows. Everything that we have been discussing – glory, favor, strength, might, power – come from this source. My life becomes one with the life of Christ. His love becomes my love. He is my source from deep within my spirit where his love rests.
The love of Christ also becomes the root structure from which his life merges with mine. I grow and flourish as he grows and flourishes within me. His roots run deep and are stronger than anything that blows against the tree of my life. All of the nutrients required for me to grow tall and strong are drawn from the good ground of the Kingdom through the roots of Christ. I am able to bear much fruit because I have such deep and widespread roots able to pull up into my life living water.
What a power packed prayer! Are you beginning to see the picture being drawn by…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 442: Praying With Paul – Ephesians 3:13-21 Part 7