Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. —Ephesians 6:18-20
As soon as he listed the armor of God, the Apostle Paul emphasized prayer as a powerful spiritual weapon in this invisible war. This world is not a playground. It is a battleground. Communication is vastly different between a battleground and a playground. The true church is fighting a spiritual battle and this army advances on its knees.
Paul encourages specific prayer for specific needs. May God help us to stop praying weak, generic prayers and start praying specifically. Notice Paul’s prayer emphases in verse 18:
- Pray at any time
- Pray for all needs
- Pray in the Holy Spirit
- Watch and pray
- Persevere in prayer
- Pray for all the saints
Earlier this year, I wrote a blog detailing these prayer points. Click here to read that blog.
Today, consider Paul’s personal prayer requests in verses 19-20.
Don’t miss the fact that Paul asked the Ephesians to pray for him. God wants His children to pray for one another. It is not a sign of weakness to ask people to pray for your prayer requests. Praying for one another is a key function of the body of Christ. We are fellow soldiers fighting together in this spiritual battle. We need one another.
What prayer requests did Paul have? He wanted to see the Gospel advance and to see the Lord minister through him effectively to others. What a powerful lesson for Christians to heed!
Paul asked them to pray that he would have “utterance.” A word study reveals that “utterance” is a translation of the Greek word logos which means word. Paul knew he needed the Lord’s help in proclaiming the Gospel to his generation. He asked people to pray that the Lord would give him the right words and a spirit of boldness to share this life-changing message as effectively as possible. This was the great spiritual battle Paul was fighting – a battle for people’s souls.
October is widely recognized as Pastor Appreciation Month. When you pray for your pastor, can you incorporate Ephesians 6:19-20? Can you pray that for other pastors, missionaries, evangelists, Bible teachers and your fellow followers of Jesus?
When you pray for us at SWRC, would you please pray this? Whether in writing, radio, video or other forms of media, we want to accurately and boldly proclaim God’s unchanging Truth to this generation. God has blessed us with an opportunity to do that since 1933. We pray that we will continue faithfully to His call to be watchmen on the wall.
Yes, the spiritual battle is escalating but God has equipped us with powerful weapons including prayer. May we stand firm in our faith and resist the enemy’s fiery arrows. May we put on the whole armor of God and boldly proclaim the glorious Gospel Truth.
I invite you to pray with me this Tuesday, October 1, at 7 p.m. Eastern – live on the Southwest Radio Ministries Facebook page. Let’s unite in prayer as we seek the face of God.
Please let us know how we can pray for you by emailing your requests to prayer@swrc.com. I look forward to joining you in prayer on Tuesday evening.
