22.For what in particular did Paul request prayer?

That the power of utterance would be granted to him, that he would be able to open his mouth with boldness to make known the mystery of the Gospel.

Those who are inexperienced in the ministry of the Word will not be able to understand this prayer request as well as those who have labored in the teaching and preaching of the Word.

We can know the Word. We can have people in front of us who need the Word. But we are fighting against angelic rulers formerly of high rank in Heaven. Of our own wisdom and energy we are not able to prevail against these personages. They are resisting the Word of Christ that is in our mouth. It is only as these hindering spirits are bound by the Spirit of God, their ability to thwart us restrained, that it is possible for us to open our mouth and declare what God has put in our heart and spirit.

Prayer in the Spirit is of the utmost importance if the saints who are on the front lines of the battle are to continue to declare boldly the deliverance that is found only in Christ our Lord.

The nations of the earth are awaiting that Word today. All the forces of Hell are determined to prevent the Word of God from releasing the peoples of the earth. As the saints pray, the Father will grant them the power and wisdom to overcome every wicked spirit and to bring life and light to the many millions who are sitting in darkness in the present hour.

Paul mentioned "the mystery of the gospel." Paul, more than any other apostle, understood the transition from Moses to Christ, from the Torahwritten on stone to the eternal moral law of God written on the heart. The mystery of the creation of Christ in us, the new creation, the Body of Christ, the transition from righteousness gained by conformity to a written code to righteousness gained by the crucifixion of the adamic nature and the formation of Christ in us, appears to have been given to Paul alone.