THE STAGGERING EFFECT OF PRAYING THE WORD

The turning point in my life came when I prayed EPHESIANS 3:14-19 ….for myself more than a thousand times. I started by reading them aloud, beginning with the first chapter. I personalized the prayers by saying "me" wherever Paul said "you."

For example, reading Ephesians 3:14-17, I would say, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant me, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in my heart by faith ...."

I spent much time praying these two prayers on my knees at the altar of the last church I pastored in East Texas. I kept my Bible open before me to these prayers and prayed them for myself several times a day. Sometimes I told my wife I was going next door to the church to pray and didn't want to be bothered except in an emergency. Sometimes I stayed in prayer two or three days at a time.

I spent about six months praying this way during the winter of 1947-48. Then the first thing I was praying for started to happen. I had been praying for "the spirit of wisdom and revelation" (Eph. 1:17), and the spirit of revelation began to function! I began to see things in the Bible I had never seen before. It just began to open up to me.

I advanced more in spiritual growth and knowledge of the Word in those six months than I had in 14 years as a minister and in more than 16 years as a Christian. That was one of the greatest spiritual discoveries I ever made. I said to my wife, "What in the world have I been preaching? I was so ignorant of the Bible, it's a wonder the deacons didn't have to come by and tell me to get in out of the rain!"

We must have this spirit of wisdom and revelation of Christ and His Word if we are to grow. It is not going to be imparted to us through our intellect, either. The Holy Spirit must unveil it to us. People often want to know how to pray for fellow Christians. If you start praying these Ephesian prayers for them, you'll see results in their lives. I suggest you pray the prayers for yourself, too.

Years ago, I prayed these prayers twice a day, morning and evening, for a family member. He needed healing desperately, yet he couldn't seem to grasp what the Bible teaches about divine healing. When I prayed, I inserted this person's name in the prayers as I had previously inserted my own. Within 10 days, he wrote me, saying, "I'm beginning to see things I never saw before." (The minute you get scriptural, things happen.) It was surprising how fast my kinfolks changed once I started praying for them scripturally. (I had been praying for some of them for years with no results.) (Kenneth E. Hagin)

sidespin: THE STAGGERING EFFECT OF PRAYING THE WORD

The turning point in my life came when I prayed EPHESIANS 3:14-19 ….for myself more than a thousand times. I started by reading them aloud, beginning with the first chapter. I personalized the prayers by saying "me" wherever Paul said "you."

For example, reading Ephesians 3:14-17, I would say, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant me, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in my heart by faith ...."

I spent much time praying these two prayers on my knees at the altar of the last church I pastored in East Texas. I kept my Bible open before me to these prayers and prayed them for myself several times a day. Sometimes I told my wife I was going next door to the church to pray and didn't want to be bothered except in an emergency. Sometimes I stayed in prayer two or three days at a time.

I spent about six months praying this way during the winter of 1947-48. Then the first thing I was praying for started to happen. I had been praying for "the spirit of wisdom and revelation" (Eph. 1:17), and the spirit of revelation began to function! I began to see things in the Bible I had never seen before. It just began to open up to me.

I advanced more in spiritual growth and knowledge of the Word in those six months than I had in 14 years as a minister and in more than 16 years as a Christian. That was one of the greatest spiritual discoveries I ever made. I said to my wife, "What in the world have I been preaching? I was so ignorant of the Bible, it's a wonder the deacons didn't have to come by and tell me to get in out of the rain!"

We must have this spirit of wisdom and revelation of Christ and His Word if we are to grow. It is not going to be imparted to us through our intellect, either. The Holy Spirit must unveil it to us. People often want to know how to pray for fellow Christians. If you start praying these Ephesian prayers for them, you'll see results in their lives. I suggest you pray the prayers for yourself, too.

Years ago, I prayed these prayers twice a day, morning and evening, for a family member. He needed healing desperately, yet he couldn't seem to grasp what the Bible teaches about divine healing. When I prayed, I inserted this person's name in the prayers as I had previously inserted my own. Within 10 days, he wrote me, saying, "I'm beginning to see things I never saw before." (The minute you get scriptural, things happen.) It was surprising how fast my kinfolks changed once I started praying for them
scripturally. (I had been praying for some of them for years with no results.) (Kenneth E. Hagin)

This absolutely true...I believe it. The word is true and faith. Jesus says, "the word that I speak unto you, they are spirit and life." believe the spiritual controls the physical. "it is the spirits that quickening", this according to our saviour Jesus. Thank you Lord Lord Jesus.