Pray for Power, Faith, Knowledge and Fullness

Paul Prayed for Power in the Inner Man

Paul was praying for the Gentiles at Ephesus. He had just explained the mystery that the Gentiles are included as fellow members in the body of Christ. He desired that they would know the power of God within them that comes with a relationship with Jesus Christ. Once a person comes to know Christ as their Savior they have the resources of heaven at their disposal to bring about the will of God.

2 Peter 1:1–8 NASB95

Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter

A believer has everything necessary to bring about the will of God. However, in order to do this they must have their inner man strengthened with the power of God. As long as a person relies on their own power to bring about the will of God, they will not experience the accomplishment of the will of God.

Only God can bring about His will. He chooses us to do it. We must rely on His power and strength and not our own. This often times will take us out of our comfort zone and make us dependent on Christ. This will always bring about a crisis of belief. A crisis of belief requires faith.

Paul Prayed For the Indwelling of Christ By Faith

Testing of your faith comes through what you believe about Christ. For example, If Christ calls you to something beyond your capability faith determines what you will do. Faith says your capabilities are inadequate but the ones I will give you are more than adequate for fulfilling my purposes.

Tell story about how stepping out in faith to teach Sunday School led me to take another step to full-time vocational ministry. I realized back then that I did not possess the biblical knowledge to teach Sunday School, but it was not about my knowledge, it was about His calling. I needed Him to give me what I needed to teach. The same is true today in pastoring. I do not have the capability to pastor, but it is not about my capability, it is about Him calling and supplying all I need to pastor.

When God calls, you follow in obedience. This will always cause you to make an adjustment in your life that should create a certain level of being uncomfortable. You press though this through faith and make the necessary adjustments to be obedient in your faith.

Examples of adjustments of faith

Noah had to build a boat when it didn’t make sense.

Abraham had to leave the comfort of His family to begin the Family of God.

Moses had to leave the comfort of being Pharaoh's child to be the leader of God’s people.

David had to leave his occupation as a shepherd to become a king.

The disciples had to leave their businesses to follow Jesus.

Saul had to turn his back on everything he believed and was taught, to be a servant of Christ.

God has big plans that He wants to fulfill in us. Are you willing to have the faith to walk in the will of God?

Paul Prayed for the Knowledge of the Love Christ To Be Known

The knowledge of Christ’s love for a person must be known before a person will be willing to commit to the will of God. Before Christ will call you into anything “big” he wants you to know His love for you. Everything we do for God must be rooted in our love for God and our knowledge of God’s love for us.

When we do things for God, trying to earn favor from God, without a love relationship with God, we will not experience God. Most probably one will get very tired and frustrated and give up.

When we do things for God, out of, a love for God, we will experience God. You will still get tired and frustrated but your love for God and His calling will help you accomplish His will.

To know that Jesus loves you because of who He is and not what you do is liberating for a believer. Share story of factory worker Kenneth. Company was going to replace them and demonstrated that they did not care or love their workers. God will never replace us, but has given us the best He has.

1 John 4:16–18 NASB95

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

The love of God casts out fear. God loves us and as a believer we should not fear His judgement. We will not be judged for eternal lake of fire because of His love for us and salvation.

Paul Prayed For the Fullness of God.

To be filled with the fullness of God is to be complete. This means that you are everything God created you to be. God completes our being through our faith in His Son Jesus Christ. When we have Him we have everything we need. We have reconciliation with the Father through salvation. We have everything we need to grow in faith as we focus on Jesus. We have everything we need physically. Christ is our completion.

When we give Christ the wholeness of our live we will never be in want for anything. Christ fulfills our desires. The only thing we will want is deeper intimacy with Him. This will never be satisfied this side of heaven.

Do you have anything you want more than deeper a relationship with Jesus? If the answer to this is yes, then you are not filled with the fulness of God. If