These prayers by Apostle Paul contain the keys to a future of victory and fulfilment in any Christian"s life. I personally recommend them to all who care to read this. Pray them daily for at least one month. Someone else recommends it be prayed daily for 6 months. I have just used the amplified translation to write out the prayers. Make it personal and you can use it to pray for others too! For eyes to be enlightened, to know the hope to which we are called and the inheritance we have in God and God has in us and the greatness of the power at work towards us who believe. Wow!
Ephesians 1:17-23
[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set- apart ones), And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places], Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come. And He has put all things under His feet and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church [a headship exercised throughout the church], Which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself].
Ephesians 3:14-19
For this reason [seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [that Father from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name]. May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God"s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! Be filled with all the fullness of God!
May you function at levels higher than you have ever functioned before as you move up into more of revelation in the knowledge of God and be filled with His fullness. Amen!

Brokenness is the state wherein we can be corrected and still bounce back with joy and continue to serve without bitterness. This is an achievable state as we go through our process of receiving correction and moving on from one level of excellence to another. Many get stuck because of the subtle pride that hides behind our gifts from God. Gifted people can sometimes be the most difficult to disciple. Behind our gifts is the self-confident boasting that says ‘I can do it too". ‘I have what it takes". We all go through this. God gives gifts and we get proud as if it was by our efforts we got them. We claim we want to use the gifts for God but really it is to boost our poor self-image. When we are corrected, the ‘monster" behind the gifts shows up. God gives and chooses how He wants to use the gifts. He does want us to employ our gifts for His purposes but how will He deal with what has attached itself to what He gave? Process is the sifting of the old inhabitants from the new. The new creation battles with the carnal nature for expression in us. Process takes us through the fire of purification where the dross surfaces so it can be dealt with. Unfortunately when the dross surfaces, like anger, hatred and bitterness, instead of recognising and removing, we allow these things to remove us from the beauty of the cleansing process. We take the offence and leave the environment where correction can take place. How tragic. “Every plant, which my heavenly Father has not planted, shall be rooted out”. (Matt. 15:13) Offences can root us out of the path to our destiny if we hold on to them, or, we can let God root them out of our hearts through repentance and forgiveness. Rather than become better, bitterness takes us away and our hearts become polluted, hence our destiny is no longer what He meant for it to be. How we need those who help interpret our experiences correctly so that Christ can be formed in us.

Memory Verse: "But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted."" (Matt. 15:13)

Wisdom Key: Offences can root us out of the path to our destiny if we hold on to them...

Life Application: Why is it so important to identify and deal with offences in our lives?