EPISODE 496 – PRAYER – THE EMPOWERING FORCE

PRAYER – THE EMPOWERING FORCE

“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” 

Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV)

When you read through Ephesians 6:17-18, especially in the New King James Version (NKJV), you will notice that verse 17 ends with a semi-column (;) and then verse 18 starts with a lower key alphabet, “praying always..”

This implies that verse 18 of Ephesians 6, is not the beginning of a new sentence.

This implication is not only based on the NKJV but also on what it is in the original Greek.

Paul, the apostle, wasn’t introducing a discussion which was different from the armor of God.

The moment a Roman soldier puts on the various armor pieces, he puts on the helmet and then takes his sword for action.

The interesting thing is that it also takes an empowering force or ability for one to efficiently and effectively wield a sword.

To wield the sword of the Spirit,  which is the Word of God, is not only by how you understand the word. It is not only how skillful you are in using the word. The impact of the “Rhema word” is according to the power which backs it.

Through prayer, you activate the empowering force of the Spirit to wield the “rhema word”.

So you can read what Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:17-18  this way:

“And take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…praying…”

When the wielding of the word is backed by prayer, it works more effectively.
Prayer gives the “rhema word”, the force to prevail against every limitation.

The word of God is powerful, however, you cannot exude the power in the word without prayer.

Prayer is the means by which you saturate the word you have received from God with God.

Get it, God’s word spoken to you is full of God. However, the word should not proceed from you as your word. It must proceed from you as God’s word. This is why you pray.

Through prayer, you submit the administration of the word through you to God. The mighty hand of God backs your utterance (declaration of the revelation of the word) so that it will produce the God-kind and God-intended results.

Paul the apostle knowing this made this request:

“Finally, dear brothers and sisters, pray for us that the Lord’s message will continue to spread rapidly and its glory be recognized everywhere, just as it was with you” 2 Thessalonians 3:1 (TPT)

The rapid spreading of the message of Christ will be by prayer.

It is not how skillful or intelligent one is with the reality of the word. It is the ability of God which backs the administration of the word.

To even have utterance of the word, one must be soaked with prayer. (Ephesians 6:19).

This should give you a picture of wielding the word through God.

“For by their own sword they did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored them.” Psalm 44:3 (Legacy Standard Bible)

Take note the above verse is only used here, to give you a pictorial view of wielding the word through prayer.

So just as the Spirit- word is the sword of the Spirit, you wield it to triumph by prayer or the release of the Lord’s presence.

Don’t just speak or act the word. Use the word as a weapon of war through prayer.

Selah.