Prayers & Applications
Ephesians contains some of the most profound prayers in Scripture. Paul's prayers for the Ephesians reveal his heart for spiritual growth and understanding among believers. The following prayers are inspired by the themes and language of Ephesians, adapted for contemporary application. Click on any prayer to open it in focus mode for deeper reflection or to copy for personal use.
Father God, I come before You with a heart of gratitude for the immeasurable riches of Your grace. Thank You for blessing me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
I ask that You would grant me a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, that I may truly comprehend what is the hope of Your calling, what are the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of Your power toward those who believe.
Help me to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge. In those moments when I feel insignificant or when I struggle with my identity, remind me that I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before You in love.
Father, reveal to me more fully what it means that I am seated with Christ in the heavenly places, that I am Your workmanship created for good works which You prepared beforehand. When the enemy tries to remind me of my past, remind me of my future in You.
May the truth of my adoption as Your child and my redemption through Christ's blood sink deep into my heart today, transforming how I see myself and how I live my life.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Heavenly Father, I lift up those who are struggling today with feelings of worthlessness, purposelessness, or shame. For those who cannot see their value, I ask that You would open their eyes to see themselves as You see them.
Lord Jesus, You gave Yourself for us, demonstrating our worth in Your eyes. Help these precious ones to understand that they were bought with a price, that they are not their own. Remind them that they are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.
Holy Spirit, speak into the depths of their hearts, confirming that they are sealed for the day of redemption. Bring to mind the truth that they were chosen before the foundation of the world, predestined for adoption as sons and daughters according to the good pleasure of God's will.
Father, may they know that they are Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which You prepared beforehand that they should walk in them. Replace the lies they've believed with the truth of who they are in Christ – accepted, redeemed, forgiven, and deeply loved.
Remove the veil that prevents them from seeing their true identity, and help them to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.
Lord Jesus, I come to You acknowledging that too often I have allowed my identity to be shaped by the world – by successes and failures, by others' opinions, or by my past mistakes. Today, I ask for a profound shift in how I see myself.
Remind me that I have been raised with You and seated with You in the heavenly places. This is my true position – not what my emotions tell me, not what my circumstances suggest, not what others might say about me.
Holy Spirit, teach me to put off my old self with its deceitful desires and to put on my new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. When I'm tempted to find my worth in performance, achievements, or comparison, draw me back to the truth that I am chosen, adopted, redeemed, and sealed by You.
Father God, I ask that the reality of being Your beloved child would so transform my thinking that it changes how I live. Help me to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which I have been called – with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with others in love.
As I embrace my true identity in Christ, may I become a clearer reflection of You to those around me. Let my life be characterized not by striving to earn love but by resting in the love You've already given me in Christ.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Lord Jesus, You prayed that we would be one as You and the Father are one. Today I lift up Your Church – global and local – asking that You would heal our divisions and help us to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
Father God, forgive us for the ways we have allowed secondary matters to divide us, for times we have valued being right over being loving, for instances where pride has prevented reconciliation. Remind us that there is "one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Holy Spirit, help us to speak the truth in love to one another so that we may grow up in every way into Christ, who is the head. Teach us to bear with one another in love, to be humble and gentle, patient with each other's faults and weaknesses.
Lord, I pray especially for unity across ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, and denominational lines. You have broken down the dividing wall of hostility through Your cross, creating in Yourself one new humanity in place of the two. Help us to live as people reconciled to You and to each other.
May our unity be a witness to the world of Your reconciling power, that through us, others might come to know Your love.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Heavenly Father, I pray for marriages and families today, that they would reflect the beautiful mystery of Christ and His Church. For husbands, I ask that You would help them to love their wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. Give them servant hearts that seek to nurture, protect, and honor their wives.
For wives, I pray that they would be able to respect and support their husbands, not out of duty but out of a deep understanding of how the Church responds to Christ's love. May their relationships be marked by mutual submission out of reverence for Christ.
Lord Jesus, for parents, I ask that they would not provoke their children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction that comes from You. Give them wisdom, patience, and consistency. Help them to model faith authentically and to create homes where Your presence is honored.
For children, I pray that You would give them hearts willing to honor and obey their parents, understanding that this pleases You. For those with difficult family situations, bring healing, reconciliation, and grace.
Holy Spirit, fill each home with Your fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Where there is brokenness, bring restoration. Where there is distance, bring closeness. Where there is hurt, bring healing.
May our homes be places where relationships reflect Your heart and Your purposes.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Prince of Peace, I come to You acknowledging the broken relationships in my life and in our world. Lord Jesus, You are our peace, who has broken down in Your flesh the dividing wall of hostility. Through Your cross, You have reconciled us to God in one body, putting to death the hostility.
I pray for specific relationships that need healing today. For those where trust has been broken, where hurt has created distance, where misunderstanding has caused division – Lord, bring Your reconciling power. Give me courage to take steps toward peace, to speak words of forgiveness, to listen with empathy rather than defensiveness.
Holy Spirit, help me to put away all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander, along with all malice. Make me kind to others, tenderhearted, forgiving as God in Christ has forgiven me. When I'm tempted to harbor resentment or to seek revenge, remind me that I was once far off but have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Father God, I pray not only for my relationships but for reconciliation in our broken world – between nations, between ethnic groups, between those divided by politics or religion. May Your Church be a community that models supernatural unity in a fractured world.
Help us to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Father God, I desire to grow in spiritual maturity, to no longer be a child "tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine." I ask that You would help me to grow up in every way into Christ, who is the head.
Lord Jesus, teach me what it means to walk worthy of my calling, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with others in love. Shape my character to increasingly reflect Yours. Where there is pride, cultivate humility. Where there is harshness, develop gentleness. Where there is impatience, grow steadfastness.
Holy Spirit, I ask that I would be strengthened with power through You in my inner being, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. Root me and ground me in love so that I may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.
Fill me with discernment to recognize truth from error. Give me wisdom to speak the truth in love. Equip me to use the gifts You've given me to build up the body of Christ. Help me to put off my old self with its deceitful desires and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
May my life increasingly bring glory to You as I am transformed more into the image of Christ.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Holy Spirit, I come asking to be filled afresh with Your presence and power today. Paul instructed believers not to be drunk with wine but to be filled with the Spirit. I long for that filling – not just for emotional experiences but for supernatural empowerment to live the Christian life.
Fill me with Your wisdom that I might understand what the will of the Lord is. Fill me with Your joy that might overflow in "addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with my heart." Fill me with Your peace that passes understanding, even in difficult circumstances.
Lord Jesus, You promised that rivers of living water would flow from within those who believe in You. Let those rivers flow freely in my life today – not blocked by sin, by busyness, by worldly concerns, or by self-reliance.
Father God, I don't want to grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom I was sealed for the day of redemption. Help me to put away all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice. Instead, make me kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving toward others.
As I am filled with Your Spirit, may the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control be increasingly evident in my life. May others see Christ in me.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Lord Jesus, You have called me to "walk as a child of light," and I desire to live in a way that pleases You. Help me to discern what is pleasing to You and to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.
Holy Spirit, make me sensitive to Your leading. When I'm tempted to compromise, to rationalize sin, or to conform to the patterns of this world, sound an alarm in my conscience. Strengthen my resolve to choose what honors Christ, even when it's difficult or unpopular.
Father God, You have called me out of darkness into Your marvelous light. Help me to live as a child of light, with my life characterized by all that is good and right and true. Where there are areas of my life that I've kept hidden or that don't align with Your heart, shine Your light of truth and grace.
I ask for wisdom to make the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Show me how to live intentionally and purposefully, not wasting the opportunities You provide to reflect Your light to a dark world.
May my life increasingly reflect the light of Christ, exposing darkness not through harsh judgment but through the attractive power of a life transformed by grace.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Mighty God, I acknowledge that my struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. In the face of these spiritual realities, I stand in the strength of Your might.
Lord Jesus, help me to put on the whole armor of God that I may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. I put on the belt of truth, rejecting lies that would weaken my faith. I put on the breastplate of righteousness, walking in holiness not to earn Your favor but because I already have it.
I put on, as shoes for my feet, the readiness given by the gospel of peace. Help me to be prepared to share this good news whenever opportunities arise. I take up the shield of faith, with which I can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one – the doubts, accusations, temptations, and fears he sends my way.
I put on the helmet of salvation, protecting my mind with the assurance that I am saved by grace through faith, a gift from You that cannot be earned or lost through performance. And I take the sword of the Spirit, which is Your Word. Holy Spirit, bring Scripture to mind when I need it most.
Father, I pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication, remaining alert with all perseverance. I trust not in my own strength but in Your mighty power at work within me.
In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, You have all authority in heaven and on earth. Before Your name, every knee must bow and every tongue confess that You are Lord. I come to You today to address strongholds that have established themselves in my life and thoughts.
I recognize that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness. In Your mighty name, I take authority over any stronghold of [specific issue - fear, addiction, bitterness, etc.] in my life.
I put on the whole armor of God: the belt of truth – I reject the lies that have supported this stronghold; the breastplate of righteousness – I stand in the righteousness You've given me, not in condemnation; the shoes of the gospel of peace – I stand firm in the peace You provide.
I lift the shield of faith against every fiery dart aimed at me. I place the helmet of salvation over my mind, protecting my thoughts with the truth of who I am in You. I take up the sword of the Spirit, declaring that Your word is true and powerful.
Where the enemy has established patterns of thinking contrary to Your word, I tear them down in Jesus' name. I declare that "the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds." I take every thought captive to obey Christ.
Holy Spirit, continue to expose areas where I've believed lies, and replace them with truth. Fill me with Your power to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.
Sovereign Lord, You are mighty in battle. As I face spiritual warfare, I come seeking Your strength and boldness. The apostle Paul asked for prayer that words would be given to him, that he would declare the mystery of the gospel with boldness, as he ought to speak. I ask for that same boldness today.
Father God, when intimidation comes, remind me that I am Your ambassador, speaking on behalf of the King of kings. When fear rises up, fill me with the Holy Spirit's power. When I'm tempted to remain silent, give me words that come from You.
Lord Jesus, You have already won the ultimate victory at the cross and through Your resurrection. Help me to stand in that victory, to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. I put on the whole armor of God that I may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
I pray for specific areas where I need boldness today: [specific situations]. Give me discernment to recognize spiritual opposition, wisdom to know how to respond, and courage to stand firm regardless of the cost.
Holy Spirit, help me to pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. Keep me alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and especially for those facing persecution for their faith.
May my life reflect the truth that greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.
In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.
The book of Ephesians beautifully balances theological truth with practical application. The first three chapters establish who we are in Christ, while the last three chapters explain how we should live in light of that identity. Here are key applications from Ephesians for contemporary Christian living:
Your behavior should flow from your identity, not determine it. Before Paul tells believers how to live (chapters 4-6), he thoroughly establishes who they are in Christ (chapters 1-3). Practice viewing yourself through the lens of your spiritual position – chosen, adopted, redeemed, sealed, and seated with Christ.
Christ has broken down dividing walls of hostility between different groups of people. Actively work against prejudice and division in your spheres of influence. Look for ways to build bridges across racial, social, economic, and denominational differences, demonstrating the reconciling power of the gospel.
Spiritual transformation isn't just about stopping negative behaviors; it's about replacing them with Christlike qualities. Identify specific character traits and habits to "put off" and their corresponding positive alternatives to "put on." Make this a conscious, ongoing practice in your spiritual growth.
Every relationship should reflect aspects of our relationship with Christ. In marriages, families, friendships, and work relationships, practice mutual submission, sacrificial love, respect, and service. Consider how your relationships can become living parables of Christ's love for the church.
Recognize that spiritual warfare is real, and develop habits that keep you spiritually protected. Identify which pieces of spiritual armor you need to strengthen. Create daily practices that help you "put on" truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and God's Word.
Being filled with the Spirit should be the Christian's ongoing experience, not a one-time event. Cultivate practices that increase your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's leading: worship, thanksgiving, Scripture meditation, and community. Regularly ask God to fill you afresh with His Spirit.
Actively choose to live in ways that reflect God's character and values, even when surrounded by darkness. Test your choices, entertainment, and conversations by asking if they are good, right, true, and pleasing to the Lord. Be willing to lovingly expose darkness rather than participating in it.
Let Paul's prayers in Ephesians 1:15-23 and 3:14-21 reshape your prayer life. Instead of focusing primarily on physical needs and circumstances, pray for spiritual insight, inner strength, deeper comprehension of Christ's love, and spiritual maturity for yourself and others.
Spiritual gifts are given not primarily for personal fulfillment but for building up the body of Christ in unity. Identify your gifts and actively use them to strengthen others and promote maturity in the church. Seek ways to collaborate with those who have different gifts.