Experience His Power and Glory!

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. Ephesians 1:17-19 KJV

Apostle Paul was a great teacher during his time here. He carried the burden of Jesus on his shoulders so whenever he prays, it was rich with grace and profound. Paul doesn’t ask God to fulfill fleshly or shallow desires. He doesn’t ask for band-aid solutions to real life problems. He requests that, in the midst of these troubles, God would reveal Himself. He petitions for things that impact us at the heart of who we are – things that will bring about significant and lasting transformation in our life.

Today, we would focus on his letter to the Ephesians with emphasis on our opening scriptures.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory… Here, Apostle Paul distinguishes God and Christ. He refers to God as Father and Jesus as Lord.

Some Christians begin prayers with ’Father Lord Jesus’, it is a common practice. Read the first line of that prayer again, notice the emphasis on God the Father, and Jesus our Lord. You see the contrast?

Let’s get into this, The moment we accepted Jesus as our Lord and personal Saviour, Our relationship with God changed dimensions. Unquestionably, He remains the Supreme Being, the Almighty God, but that is what unbelievers can call Him because they relate with Him from a distance.

However, for Believers, the stakes are higher. A bridge has been built and because of this, we have acquired the sonship privilege. Now we place our faith in the finished works of Jesus, no more a third person interaction. Our access is unrestricted , up, close and personal. So we can call Him our Father.

To have this understanding means we relate with God as Father-Child, our confidence during prayer is rock solid. We know what to say and how to say it. And with this consciousness, you recognize that whatever your Father wants for you is for the best.

He is genuinely interested in your wellbeing and growth. He is still our God but beyond this, He is our Father.

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:25‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭11:2‬ ‭KJV

“And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭6:18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Jesus is our Lord. And We are to pray in the name of Jesus, not to Jesus. We call Him Lord because He bought our freedom at the price of His blood. To pray successfully, you have to know to whom you are speaking with. Prayer is a conversation and every conversation begins by addressing the person you are speaking to by name. So when we pray, we pray to our Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭5:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The second part of the prayer says;

“may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:17-19‬ ‭KJV‬‬

In Hosea 4:6, God declares, “‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.'” God’s people are being destroyed by the ignorance of their authority in Christ. Yet the Bible makes it clear that we are not powerless against the wiles of the enemy or the temptation of the world.

Proper perception of Spiritual Truth does not depend on our intellect. It hinges on the openness of our heart and brokenness of our Spirit. How is your heart? Is it tender to the Word of God? Are we yielding to the Spirit? Do you long and yearn for God as a deer does for the water brooks?

The more we are open to Him, the better we grasp the depth of the power available to us in Him. Paul also expects us to know and to see that God cherishes us. In God’s eyes, His true riches are us. And we a part of a great scheme of events. The unity of God’s people.

To gain the knowledge of God is not to show superiority or prove to people how much we know the bible, verse by verse. On the contrary, the more we learn about our Father, the more we grow in Hope and Faith. And the more we grow in Hope, the less likely we get swayed or tossed around.

God has exceeding great power. Bigger than we can ever imagine. And the good news is it is available to us who believe. Remember, anytime you think you cannot make it, or do it, or go any further, we are kept by the power of God. It is never by our power nor by our might but by my Spirit, says the Lord. We must awaken into the power lying dormant within us.

Christians are not powerless or without help. C’mon, Jesus cast out demons, healed the sick, raised the dead and resurrected from the dead. Howbeit us who possess the indwelling of The Spirit, the resurrection power. If we surrender totally. the HolySpirit would guide us into the truth of this magnificent power.

So when we pray, we don’t do so as weaklings but come before the throne of grace with the authority bestowed on us. That is the aim, to use our authority activates the manifest power. This power is the seal in our messages, the living proof. Otherwise, we may just be rambling witnesses.

The word of God is living. The power of God is real. As believers, we are not only followers of Jesus, but also recipients of His blessings and power. “The very same power which raised Christ is waiting to raise the drunkard from his drunkenness, to raise the thief from his dishonesty, to raise the Pharisee from his self-righteousness, to raise the Sadducee from his unbelief.” (Spurgeon). But it is only as real to you to the extent of your belief.

Stay blessed

Love,

Angel💙💛💚