Daily Bread Jan 25 07

Ephesians 6:18-20 - "Through every prayer and plea, praying on every occasion in the Spirit also being on watch, totally alert. And on my behalf that a word may be given to me in the opening of my mouth by boldly making known the mystery of the gospel. On behalf of which I am an ambassador in bonds that in it I may speak boldly even as I ought to speak."

Paul’s instruction to the church at Ephesus was that they should pray on every occasion in the Spirit. They were to be totally alert as the army of God and every need that presented itself was to be taken to God in prayer. Among those urgent needs was Paul’s own ministry of the word. He desired the church to pray for him that he would both be given the word and that he would speak the word of God with boldness.

Unfortunately, if we are not careful, we will pray after our own human concern and understanding and be completely ineffective. It is only the prayer of the Spirit that is the effectual and effective prayer. When we pray in the Spirit we will also receive the prayer of revelation or prophetic prayer that we can understand and receive instruction and edification by. Many times we also make the mistake of praying in the Spirit just short of the prayer that everyone can understand.

Blessings,

Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
abidingplace.org