Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 115

April 25;   Ephesians 3:16;   171/260(I);   ‘Strengthened With Might’

Ephesians 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is praying his second powerful prayer for the church at Ephesus and for us.  Studying and praying these two prayers in Ephesians, for yourself daily, will help you grow spiritually.  As you realize what Paul is directed by the Holy Spirit to pray, it is staggering what this verse is saying.  I believe the Father has given us all of this because of His love for us and His desire to change this world that is lost without Him.  ‘That He would grant you according to the riches of His glory.’ Paul is asking God the Father to do for us what He is eager to do.  Paul is praying this way because the Father wants us to know who we are because of what He has given us.   ‘Riches of His glory’ means that everything our heavenly Father has, He has given us.  The noble and honorable character of God the Father gives us all of these things for a specific purpose.  ‘Strengthened with might,’ literally the ruling power (‘strengthened’) the Father has given us is miraculous (‘might’).  This is for a specific purpose.  The Father does this by the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives in our spirit and empowers us in our spirit.  Paul is telling us to pray this prayer and as we do, our faith grows and we come to know who we are in Christ, what our authority is, and that the miracle power of the Holy Spirit flows out of us to bless us and help those who do not yet know Jesus.  We need to pray this, believe this and do this, so the lost will be free.  This world without Jesus, has no ability to help us, despite all of their worldly knowledge.  God’s Word and the Holy Spirit is needed to be free.