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Written by Keith Butler

"Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God" (Col. 4:12).

Paul is talking about prayer here. That word "laboring" means striving. So he is explaining that Epaphras is praying for you, not in just a mediocre fashion, but he is laboring - fervently doing battle in the spirit.

This type of prayer is particularly true when you are praying for a believer in trouble.

Now Mark 11:24 says whatever things you desire when you pray believe you receive them and you shall have them. When you pray for things, it is a one-time prayer.

However, when you pray for people, it's not a one-time prayer because people's lives can change day-by-day and sometimes moment-by-moment.

Get Into The Zone
When we pray for people, we labor. To labor fervently means to call that person's name in prayer, to focus and think about that individual. You are praying the Word over them and praying in the Holy Ghost. Then you stay in prayer until you get passed your mind, passed your body, and until you get over into the zone.

I mean, in the zone is a place where you stay praying until your body goes on autopilot, and your mind is clued in on this deal. It's the kind of prayer that seems like you've been praying only ten minutes when an hour and a half has gone by. It doesn't seem like an hour and a half. I'll tell you what happened - you got in the zone.

The Holy Ghost got involved. He had somebody who was willing to allow Him to release His power through on behalf of somebody else. So when you are praying with fervency, then you are releasing power. And God is able to move because you have authority in the earth, and God does what His children ask Him.

So when you ask Him in fervent prayer, the Holy Ghost will assist you in asking the right thing. Then you get the power of God pointed in the right direction in that person's life.

When you are praying, laboring fervently, for a person, the Holy Ghost will then have things come up in your Spirit concerning them. It could be the husband or wife of that person - maybe their children. Then you pray for that person, call that person's name out and labor for them until you feel a release.

The whole point is to get into effective fervent prayer for one another - that's what this is all about.

Scripture References: Romans 15:30; 9:26-29; 12:11

Keith Butler Ministries
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