Power in Jesus’ Name
Opening Prayer
Mighty God, show me areas of weakness in my life that need to be strengthened.
Read Ephesians 6:10–24
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Final Greetings
21 Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.
23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How would you finish a letter like this one to the Ephesians?As this letter draws to a close, Paul returns to his theme of the Lord’s mighty power. What is it about the enemy that makes it essential that we have God’s power to stand against him?
Paul would have been chained to a Roman soldier. He uses the soldier’s armor as a picture to help us be ready for all spiritual battles. What does each piece of armor suggest about the schemes of the devil? If most of this letter is to be applied to the church, how do we together arm ourselves for the fight?
Verses 18–20 focus on the importance of prayer. Prayer expresses our absolute dependence on God. We cannot stand firm without his power at work within us and his power at work around us. How often do you pray that, when you speak, God will reveal himself to those to whom you are speaking?
About 25 years later in Revelation 2:4,5, John would write that the church in Ephesus had failed to maintain their initial love for Christ. It is a sobering reminder that we should never become complacent or give up praying that God would continue to bless us “with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (1:3).
Apply
Take time today to “put on” the armor God has given us by praying through verses 10–16.
Closing prayer
Lord God, may I be strong in Your mighty power as I live out my faith today.
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