Praying With Paul

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
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Magnificent Service

Passage

Ephesians 3:1-8

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for the great apostle Paul and for his life of magnificent service. I know that it was through your graciousness that he was called. It demonstrated the working of your great power to turn a human life from rebellion to obedience. Thank you for such a man, who could count himself as the very least of all your people. Thank you for such humility. He boasted not of himself but of you! My Father, let me imitate him completely in this! Thank you that through him, at least at first, the unsearchable riches of Christ were proclaimed, to make all men see what was the plan of the secret which you had kept hidden for ages in yourself, the God who created all things. In the name of Jesus I give you thanks and make these requests. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Wisdom Made Known

Passage

Ephesians 3:9-12

Prayer

Dear Father, who gives wisdom so generously, How thankful I am that the congregation of your people has become the channel through which your multi-faceted and many-splendored wisdom will be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. It thrills me to know that it was your purpose eternally to realize this in Christ Jesus my Lord. Thank you that through him we have confident and bold access to you. Help me, help all of your people, not to lose heart over what we suffer and what our leaders suffer for us. Help us to see this as our glory! In the name of Jesus I give you thanks and make these requests. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Spreading the Good News

Passage

Ephesians 3:1-13

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you for all the prayers Paul prayed for the Christians whom he brought to you in his day and for those who came to you through their preaching. Thank you for the impact that Paul has had on so many great churchmen through the ages. Thank you for the pure waters that I, even I, have drunk from the well of his teaching. Thank you, Father, for making provision to spread the Good News about Jesus over the whole earth, to every nation and language, that we might enter your kingdom. Thank you for allowing me to enter. I love you, Lord. In the name of Jesus I give you thanks and make these requests. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Rooted and Grounded

Passage

Ephesians 3:14-19

Prayer

Dear Father, transcendent in power and fullness, I bow my knees before you, Father, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. According to the riches of your glory strengthen me with your might in my innermost being, that Christ may dwell in my heart through the trust I have in him. Root me and ground me in love so that I may have the power to comprehend - along with all your holy people - what is the breadth and length and height and depth of your goodness. In the name of Jesus Christ I honor you and ask these blessings from your hand. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Love Surpasses Knowledge

Passage

Ephesians 3:20-21

Prayer

Dear Father, transcendent in knowledge and wisdom, Grant that I may know the love of Christ, a love which surpasses knowledge, that I may be filled with the fullness which is yours. Now to you, my God, who by the power at work within your people are able to do far more abundantly than all I can ask or even imagine - to you be glory in the congregation of your holy people and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen. In the name of Jesus Christ I honor you and ask these blessings from your hand. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Above All, Through All, In All

Passage

Ephesians 4:5-7

Prayer

Dear Father, Thank you, Father, for the unity you have provided for us: the one body, the one Spirit, the one hope that belongs to our calling, the one Lord, the one faith, the one immersion - and the one God! For you, our God, are the one and only God and Father of us all. You are above all and through all and in all! Thank you, holy God, for the measure of grace that you have given to me that I should be part of your universal fellowship. How gracious and good you are! By Jesus' authority and in his name I boldly come to you, asking all this. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Worthy of the Calling

Passage

Ephesians 4:1-4

Prayer

Dear Father, You have called me to your kingdom and glory! Help me to live a life worthy of the calling I have received from you. Help me live the same life style that King Jesus lived. Let me live with humility and submission, with patience. Help me to forbear others out of love for them. Help me to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit. Help me to be bound to my brothers and sisters in peace. By Jesus' authority and in his name I boldly come to you, asking all this. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Christ's Gifts

Passage

Ephesians 4:8-13

Prayer

Dear Father, giver of lasting gifts, Thank you for the gracious gifts bestowed by your Messiah on us when he descended into the depths for us and ascended into the heights to reign with you. He gave us, his church, lasting gifts - apostles and prophets, evangelists, and shepherd/teachers for the equipment of the saints, for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. Thank you for these gifts given until we all attain the unity he intends for us: faithful loyalty to Jesus, and full knowledge of the Son of God himself - to mature manhood- so that we can attain to the measure of the full stature of Christ himself. In Jesus' name. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

A More Perfect Union

Passage

Ephesians 4:14-16

Prayer

Dear Father, Giver of life and growth, We bless you, Father, because what you want for each of us your children is that we may no longer remain immature children but become grown-up children, no longer tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of strange teachings, by the cunning of men with their crafty and deceitful schemes. Thank you, Father, rather for calling us to speak the truth in love and to grow up in every way in him who is the head, into Christ. Thank you for putting Christ into us and us into Christ so that the whole body, with each part working properly and joined and knit together by every connection with which it is supplied, makes bodily growth and builds itself up in love. In Jesus' name. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

My New Nature Made Alive

Passage

Ephesians 4:17-21

Prayer

Dear Father, righteous and holy God, Help me never to be tempted to live as worldly people live: futile in their thinking - darkened in their understanding - alienated from you because of the ignorance within them - hard-hearted and calloused - given over to licentiousness - greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness. I did not learn of a Christ like this! I learned of a righteous and holy Christ. Help me ever to aspire to live as your holy people live: clear and decisive in thought - illumined in their understanding - reconciled to you by knowing your Son - tender-hearted and supple - self-controlled - hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Help me to follow him just as I was taught in him - as the truth is in Jesus. In his precious name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

My Old Nature Put to Death

Passage

Ephesians 4:22-24

Prayer

Dear Father, righteous and holy God, Enable me to put away completely my old human nature - the former lifestyle corrupted by deceitful desires. Help me to be renewed in the spirit of my mind, to put on a new nature, created in your likeness in true righteousness and holiness. Father, make me holy like Jesus, righteous with his righteousness! In the name of the holy Jesus I pray for true holiness within me. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Good Neighbors

Passage

Ephesians 4:25-28

Prayer

Dear Father, worthy of my love and obedience, May the thought of deceit or falsehood never enter into my relations with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Let all of us speak the truth with our neighbors, since we are members of each other. Don't let my anger turn into sin. May I never let the sun go down on my wrath. Don't let grudge-holding and unforgiveness on my part give the devil any opportunity. Help me never to covet anything that belongs to someone else, but rather to work with my mind and my hands to get the things needed by myself and others. In the name of Jesus who sacrificed himself for my sake. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

Imitating God

Passage

Ephesians 4:29-5:2

Prayer

Dear Father, worthy of my love and obedience, Let nothing evil come out of my mouth - only what is good for building others up. Let whatever I say fit the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. Don't let me do anything that would grieve your Holy Spirit within me, by which I have been sealed for the day of redemption. Help me get rid of all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander, and especially anything malicious. Help me to be kind to others, tenderhearted, and forgiving, even as you have forgiven me in Christ. Father, I want to imitate you, as a loving child would imitate a father. And may I walk in love, even as Christ loved me and gave himself up for me, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to you. In the name of Jesus who sacrificed himself for my sake. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

A Clean Mouth

Passage

Ephesians 5:3-4

Prayer

Dear Father, Keep me from talking about or thinking about illicit sex and pornography and covetousness, since you require that your holy people avoid referring to these things. Keep me from filthy stories, silly or flippant talk, and any other kind of conversation not fitting for one who follows you. Instead, let my mouth be filled with - thanksgiving! In the name of Jesus I ask for the purity of mind and spirit that was in him. And I give you thanks. Amen.

[nChrist]

________________________________
Praying With Paul
by Eldon Degge, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
________________________________

A Clean Mind

Passage

Ephesians 5:5

Prayer

Dear Father, Holy God, You have warned me that I can be sure of this: that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is covetous (idolatrous!) has any inheritance in the kingdom that belongs to you and Christ. Furthermore, keep me from enjoying as entertainment the depiction of such things in books or magazines, or on the stage or on television. Help me to understand that most of what comes through these media is from the minds and imaginations of unregenerate people, whose gods are self, money, power, and sensual indulgence. In the name of Jesus I ask for the purity of mind and spirit that was in him. Amen.