Ephesians 6:19-20 says, And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
Paul was in prison for his faith when he wrote the book of Ephesians. He asked the believers to pray that he would have boldness and the words to say when he preached the Good News. They didn't have the New Testament, they were in the middle of living it and writing it. Paul knew that his words were important. He probably didn't know that we'd be reading them two thousand years later. We should pray for pastors, preachers, evangelists and missionaries - that they would have the words to say to share the Good News about Jesus effectively. We should pray that God will give us the right words to share the Good News too. We are all called to share the love of Jesus with those around us - so we're all evangelists.
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Ephesians 6:18 says, 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. Paul says "And pray" to indicate that as well as putting on the armour of God, we should pray.
I don't know much about warfare, but I know that it's important to follow the commands of your leader. Prayer is how we communicate with our commander (God) and one of the ways he communicates with us. We should pray on all occasions - in the daytime and the night, when we're happy and when we're sad, when we are young and when we're old, when we're struggling and when we're thriving. We should pray with all kinds of prayers - private, communal, silent, out loud, prayers of thanks and prayers of request, prayers of praise and of crying out to God. We are also told to pray for God's people - they are our fellow soldiers in this spiritual battle. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't pray for non-Christians as well, but we should especially pray for other Christians because we are all in the same spiritual war. Ephesians 6:17 says, Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, which is the Bible. When Jesus was tempted by Satan he quoted the Bible. Matthew 4:3-4 says, During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (which comes from Deuteronomy 8:3). Satan tempted Jesus twice more and he responded with Scripture.
Psalm 119:11 says, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. You can hide God's word in your heart by reading and studying it every day and memorising Bible verses. When you are tempted by Satan there will be a scripture to reinforce what God desires for your life, as opposed to what Satan is tempting you to do. Here are some examples of temptations and relevant Bible verses: Gossip - Titus 3:2 Lying - Proverbs 12:22 Pornography - Matthew 5:28 Selfishness - Philippians 2:3 Pride - Proverbs 16:18 Anger - Proverbs 29:11 Envy - James 3:16 Hate - Matthew 5:43-44 Drunkenness - Ephesians 5:18 Foul language - Ephesians 4:29 Ephesians 6:17 says, Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. You would be very foolish to go into battle without a helmet. Your brain controls your body, so if it gets damaged you're in real trouble. Your thoughts happen in your brain. Understanding that your hope is in the Lord guards you mind against the discouragement and deceptions of Satan. The Enduring Word Commentary says, "The helmet of salvation protects us against discouragement, against the desire to give up, giving us hope not only in knowing that we are saved, but that we will be saved. It is the assurance that God will triumph." Because we know that we are saved by grace, that Jesus is coming back, and that God is preparing a place in eternity for us, we don't get discouraged. The helmet of salvation is the hope of salvation. Do you feel hopeful and confident that God will be victorious in the end?
I just made one of these words of encouragement jars in an afternoon. You can download the double-sided PDF of Bible verses and quotes that I designed on Canva, or you can design your own. I just folded them in quarters, put them in an empty jar, wrote on a tag and tied it with string. It would make a great gift or you can use it yourself.
Ephesians 6:5-8 says, Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling; and do it with a sincere heart, as though you were serving Christ. Do this not only when they are watching you, because you want to gain their approval; but with all your heart do what God wants, as slaves of Christ. Do your work as slaves cheerfully, as though you served the Lord, and not merely human beings. Remember that the Lord will reward each of us, whether slave or free, for the good work we do.
Our work can be an act of worship if we do it as though we are working for God. Paul said that we should do the right thing at work, even when no one is looking. He also said we should have a cheerful attitude. We're not just representing ourselves and our boss, we're representing Jesus. It's a good witness of your faith when you work hard. And God rewards us for the good work we do. When you get a job, whether it is stacking shelves in a grocery store or selling burgers, work hard and have a good attitude. Work as though you are serving Jesus. |
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