Above and Beyond: Prayer for Spiritual Power Part 1 (Ephesians 3:14-17)

 

14 “For this reason, I kneel before the Father
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
16 I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit,
17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love,
19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power
that works in us—
21 to him be glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Ephesians 3:14–21(CSB)

 

 

I. The Prayerful Posture

 

1. Kneel Before

 

9 “Therefore, you should pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy.
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Matthew 6:9–13 (CSB)

 

A. Honor

 

B. Submission

“Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.”
Proverbs 16:3 (ESV)

 

 

C. Total Dependence

 

D. Total Devotion

 

2. The Father

 
 

A. Father of All

 

B. A Personal Father

 

II. Prayer for Spiritual Strength

 
 

1. The Holy Spirit- Our Strength Supplier

 

A. Inexhaustible

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

 

 

B. Enabling

 

 

C. Empowerment

 

 

D. Exercising

 

6 “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.
7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.
10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”
1 Timothy 4:6–10 (ESV)

 

III. Spiritual Depth

 

 

1. Prayer of Faith

 

 

2. Prayer for Spiritual Depth

 

 

A. Dwell

 

29 “Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
31 The second is this:
‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:29–31 (ESV)

 

 

B. Rooted and Firmly Established

 

1 “Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.”
Psalm 1:1–3 (ESV)

 

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)

 

7 “The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired
are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them
is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.”
Psalm 19:7–11 (ESV)

 

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Matthew 7:24–27 (ESV)

 

12 “I know how to be brought low,
and I know how to abound.
In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:12–13 (ESV)

 

 

Prayer 1-
That we take the correct postures in our lives

 

Prayer 2-
That we would rely on the Father

 

Prayer 3-
Prayer for the Holy Spirit to give us His Strength

 

Prayer 4-
That we put our full faith in God and will Be His heralds

 

Prayer 5-
That Christ would dwell in us completely

 

Prayer 6-
That we would root ourselves deeply and build ourselves upon the firm foundation of Christ

 

 

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