Don’t Leap Over This!

The Ephesians Prayers

Leap Year! February 29th may leap over the next four years — not occurring again until 2016 — but there is something in your life you shouldn’t wait that long to experience…the power of The Ephesian’s Prayers!

The Ephesian’s Prayers are a selection of prayers the Apostle Paul prayed over the members of the church at Ephesus. There are also two other prayers in Philippians and Colossians that are very easily grouped together with these. Together, the prayers Paul prayed in Ephesians 1:17-23, 3:16-21, Philippians 1:9-11, and Colossians 1:9-14 are arguably some of the most important prayers he penned in the New Testament. They are certainly some of my favorites.

These prayers are lovely to read, as we may think about how they apply to the various recipients, and members of the early church; but the wonderful thing about the Bible is that the Word of God is a living word (Heb 4:12). Paul was writing, through the Spirit, to all believers, throughout the ages. We can hear what Paul is saying to the Ephesians and apply them to ourselves here and now, in our modern day life. If we pray these prayers over ourselves and others, they will yield the same results now as they did for the early church then.

Kenneth E. Hagin — my father in the faith, and pioneer of the modern ‘Word of Faith’ movement — brought attention to these prayers as he gave testimony of their results in his life. He expressed that when he started to pray these prayers every day over himself, sometimes multiple times a day, over a long period of time, he saw glorious things happen in his own life.

He challenged believers to pray these prayers over their lives every single day for at least 6 months, and see what great things would take place. ‘Don’t miss a day,’ he would say, ‘or you’re not really serious about it.’ He would also say, ‘Don’t just recite them! Pray them like you mean it, if you want them to work!’

His admonishment has stuck with me ever since I heard it, and I have taken the “6 month challenge” many times. At a young age, I printed out these prayers and took them with me everywhere — to school, on trips, and everything in between. Before stage performances and competitions, these prayers were on my lips. Sometimes, I would switch it up, and pray two of the scriptures in the morning, and the other two at night. It doesn’t really matter, as long as you pray them in faith, and you pray like you mean it. Great things have happened in my life through the results of these prayers. I may not have been able to see it at the time, but I can surely now look back over these years of my life and see all the Lord did for me. I will continue to pray them for as long as I live.

Whether I am in the midst of the ‘6 months’ or not, these prayers are now embedded deeply onto my heart — I am convinced they are etched there forever. The nights of praying them as I fell to sleep; the early mornings when I would say them with a groggy voice…they all have made these the prayers that, when I go to pray, are the first thing on my lips. I don’t even have to think about it anymore…they are just there, on the edge of my tongue and heart, waiting to be spoken.

So I encourage you today, don’t wait 4 years to pray these prayers and be serious about them. “Leap” into a 6 month challenge of your own today, and see what results await you at the end. Copy and paste them as I have typed them below, and print them out on cards that you can take with you throughout your day — put them in your car, at your desk, make them into a bookmark that goes where you go — whatever you have to do to keep them before your eyes, and make them real to your spirit. Do what works for you!

I have put these verses into first person; you can personalize it even more by putting your own name in the blanks of the first person pronouns. I encourage you also to pray these prayers for your family and friends — your husband, your marriage, your children, your neighbors. Put their names in these blanks. As they are effective for you, so they are for whomever you pray them over. Is there someone on your heart? Someone for whom you have been praying and believing the Lord? Someone who needs salvation? Pray the word over them, and you will see results. I have prayed these prayers over countless family members and friends. Some, I prayed for many years ago, and have seen the fruit in their lives just this past year. I have seen this work! These prayers are powerful and effective (James 5:16).

Praying these prayers is so easy, and only takes a few minutes. I have written them in the versions I like — but find them in the versions and translations that you like! Pray with a heart of faith, and don’t miss a day! Believe that He hears you, and that He will do these things in your life (1 Jn 5:15) or the lives of those for whom you are praying. Praying God’s word over lives and situations is the most powerful way to pray for anything, and He loves to hear His word being brought back to Him. God will honor the Word that you pray.

The prayers below are referenced from both the King James and the Amplified Bibles. They are paraphrased, and put into first person.

Ephesians 1:17-23

“Father, I pray that You would give unto   me   a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You. I pray that the eyes of   my    understanding would be enlightened, and that the eyes of   my   heart would be flooded with light. I pray that   I   would know and understand what is the hope of Your calling, and what is the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints. I pray that   I    would know what is the immeasurable, unlimited, and exceeding greatness of Your power in and for   me  , who believes, according to the working of Your mighty power, which You exerted in Christ when You raised Him from the dead and set Him at Your own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, power, might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in the world which is to come. You have put all things under His feet, and so under   my    feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body. And   I    am in that body; I pray that   I    would be living in the fullness of Him who fills all in all and makes   me    complete.”

Ephesians 3:16-21

“Father, I pray that You would grant unto   me   , according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with might by Your Spirit in   my    inner man. I pray that Christ would dwell in   my    heart by faith, and that   I    would be rooted and grounded in love, able to comprehend with all the saints what is its breadth, and length, and depth, and height. I pray that   I    would know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, and be filled throughout   my    whole being with the fulness of You — that   I    would be a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself. Unto You who is able to do exceedingly, superabundantly, far over and above all that   I    dare ask or think — infinitely beyond    my    highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams — to You be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.”

Philippians 1:9-11

“I pray that   my   love would abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight — that   my   love would display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment. I pray that    I     would surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value — recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences. I pray that   I   would be untainted and pure, unerring and blameless, and that with a sincere, certain, and unsullied heart,   I   would approach the day of Christ not stumbling or causing anyone else to stumble. I pray that   I   would abound in and be filled with the fruits of righteousness through Christ, to Your honor and praise, that Your glory would be both manifested and recognized.”

Colossians 1:9-14

“Father, I pray and desire that   I   might be filled with a full, deep, and clear knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, and in discernment of spiritual things. I pray that   I   would walk, live and conduct myself in a manner worthy of You, Lord, fully pleasing You in all things, bearing fruit in every good work, and steadily growing and increasing in the knowledge of You, with fuller, deeper and clearer insight, acquaintance and recognition. I pray that   I   would be invigorated and strengthened with all power, according to the might of Your glory, to exercise every kind of endurance and patience, perseverance and forbearance with joy. Giving thanks to You, who has qualified and made   me   able to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. You have delivered   me   from the power of darkness and translated   me   into the kingdom of Your dear Son, in Whom   I   have redemption through His blood, and the forgiveness of sins.”

At the end of Valentine’s Day…

It’s not the beginning of Valentine’s Day that can be the hardest for a ‘single lady’. In one sense, you’ve known the day is coming, and you know what it holds in store. The day can go by in quite a manageable way — especially when receiving the heart-warming messages that may come from family and friends who truly care about and love you.

It is the end of the day for which you have to watch out. The end of the day is when you let your guard down.

The day is done, but your mind is just getting started — it counts up the years of Valentine misfortunes; it tells you how old you are and what you don’t have. It makes what other people have seem so glow-y and sparkly, and compares you to that. This is the lens from which your mind will try to get you to see your life today.

Your mind will never do you justice on Valentine’s Day, if you give it control — single or not! The mind always has a lens through which you are looking at your life. Today, don’t let it control you. Change this lens to one that sees the amazing and epic love that is already yours. This ‘V-Day’, look at your life through God’s lens of love to see all that you do have. “Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

Whether you’re single or not, and even if you are married, you’re first love should never be a man. I surely do love my husband with all my heart and to the depths of my soul, but He is not my Savior, and he did not love me first. 1 John 4:19 says “We love Him because He first loved us.” God loved me long before any person could.

Thinking of God’s love for you on Valentine’s Day should never stop. You are not remembering His love for you today because you are single! No! You are viewing life through His lens of love because He is the author of love in your life, and always will be. Think of Him on every Valentine’s Day for all your life.

Talking about you, Jeremiah 31:3 says “I have loved you with an everlasting love…with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Even in a natural relationship, you have to let yourself be loved. Receive God’s lovingkindness by which He is drawing you today. Let yourself be drawn.

As those thoughts come at the end of the day, turn to the comfort of the Word. Let it wash your soul and mind. Let it change the lens through which you are viewing yourself. As Romans 12:2, above, tells us, only after that renewing of the mind are we able to prove — or even see! — what that perfect will of God is for us. Let these scriptures below remind you of all that is good in your life; let them remind you of His amazing love and faithfulness; and let them remind you of His promise to meet the desires of your heart, and to give to you every good thing.

Then, one day, when you can say “I have found the one whom my soul loves”, your heart can still be anchored in the love of God, from which all human love abounds.

Whether you are ‘single’ or not, this Valentine’s Day or the next, know that you are never alone — not because of the person sitting beside you — but because, as He told Joshua in Chapter 1:5 of that book, God “will never leave you or forsake you.” Your first love will never be the person you exchange cards or share a meal with — It will always, only be Him.

Love Him and receive His love this Valentine’s Day, and it will always be enough.

Scriptures for your heart

Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Rock and firm Strength of my heart and my Portion forever.”

Isaiah 54:5 (*My favorite ‘Single Ladies’ scripture) “For your Maker is your Husband–the Lord of hosts is His name–and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer”

Jeremiah 31:3 “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you”  CEV: “I have loved you with a love that lasts forever.”

James 4:5 “The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love”

Psalm 69:16  “Hear and answer me, O Lord, for Your loving-kindness is sweet and comforting; according to Your plenteous tender mercy and steadfast love turn to me.”

Revelation 2:4 NKJV “…you have left your first love”  v5 MSG:”Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste…”

Revelation 1:5,6 ESV “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.”

Psalm 37:3-7 “Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord (roll and repose each care of your load on Him); trust also in Him and He will bring it to pass. And He will make your uprightness and right standing with God go forth as the light, and your justice and right as the shining sun of the noonday. Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him…”

Joshua 23:14 “Know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one thing of them has failed.”

Psalm 84:11 “For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows grace and favor and glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”

Colossians 3:2-3  “Set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.”

(All references are in the Amplified version, unless otherwise stated)

Rooted in Christ

“Plant your roots in Christ and let Him be the foundation for your life.” Colossians 2:7 CEV

This scripture captures the purpose and essence of this blog. Every oak, no matter how mighty and tall, if its roots are none or shallow, will eventually, under pressure or storm, fall. Jesus described this phenomenon in Mark 4:5, in which a sower planted seed into shallow soil.

“The seed sprouted quickly, but soon wilted and died because it didn’t have deep roots.” (NLT)

In further explaining the story, Jesus adds in verse 16 that the seed represents those who hear the Good News of the Gospel, and “immediately receive it with joy.” But,

since they “don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s Word.” (NLT)

Our daily lives and attentions are so drawn to the branches and leaves of life–and certainly beautiful are the birds nesting, the fruit growing. Our roots, on the other hand, are something we often take for granted. If they were there to get our tree growing in the first place, they must still be there, right?? But roots require constant nourishment and watering. If they are taken for granted, they not only lose their strength and stability, but they deprive the whole tree of its source of life.

It is so important as a Christian to take the time not only build our branches, but also to deepen our roots. The pages and archives of this blog are the record of my roots lengthening, stretching and strengthening as I become more established in the faith and the Savior I cherish, by reading His Word and gaining insight from the Holy Spirit. I share my thoughts with you in the hopes that they serve to further establish and strengthen you as well.

My prayer for each of you is,

“that Christ would dwell in your hearts through faith–that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to…know the love of Christ.” Eph 3:17-18 ESV.

There is no stronger foundation upon which to build ones life than Christ alone. He is the richest soil, and the firmest ground.