FULL ARMOR OF GOD-PRAY IN THE SPIRIT

 

Ephesians 6:10-18 is the basis of our discussion.  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”   

 

In our last Blog, we discussed the Sword of the Spirit, where we learned that we must know the Word of God and use this weapon to fight the attacks of the enemy.  It is so important to hide the Word of God in your heart and to have it ready for use at anytime.

 

The last weapon we need to know about is Praying in the Spirit.  The Scripture tells us that we must “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep praying for all the saints.”  First, we should discuss what prayer is.  Prayer is communication, fellowship with God.  Prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue.  It is a two-way conversation with our Heavenly Father.  Prayer is not suppose to be a memorized script that you recite.  It should be a sincere outpouring from your heart with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  God says in his Word, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).

 

Since we all are a part of God’s Army, we all must complete our mission:

q       Pray in the Spirit

1.     On all occasions

2.     All kinds of prayers and requests

3.     Be alert

4.     Always pray for all saints

 

1.     On all occasions:  According to the Word of God, we should “pray without ceasing.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:17)  Does that mean we should be on our knees all the time?  How can I take care of my responsibilities, if I’m praying continually?  “Praying without ceasing” is living in a way in which we are constantly acknowledging God in every area of our lives. When we think of His perspective in relation to all we experience, we will surrender to His will and seek His guidance in our lives. Living in an attitude of prayer leads us to a closer relationship with the Lord as our Father. Having that close relationship with God, will allow the Holy Spirit that is within in you to pray for you also.  (Romans 8:26)  So, don’t go running to confide in a close friend, run to God first with your concerns.  (Philippians 4:6, James 5:13) If we pray without ceasing, we will discover that life consists of constant opportunities for us to commune with God. We then become more dependent on God, more trusting of Him, and more grateful for His love.

 

2.     All kinds of prayers and requests: 

a.     Prayer of Supplication>to beseech, to entreat, to prey, to beg for something specific.  (James 5:17-18) All you have to do is tell God what your concerns are and ask Him for help.  This prayer should be very specific.   

b.     Prayer of Intercession>to mediate or plead on behalf of others.  (Genesis 18:22-33) To be able to intercede on the behalf of others, we must have God’s heart and desire for His will to be done in their lives.

c.     Prayer of Faith>to be able to trust that God’s promises are true.  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  (Hebrews 11:1) To know and to believe that you will receive in spite of what you see.  (Matthew 9:20-25)

d.     Prayer of Agreement>when two or more people are on one accord praying the will of God (Matthew 18:19-20) Being unified with others and God is a powerful, prevailing force that cannot be defeated.

e.     Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving>praise is joyful gratitude given to God in spite of our circumstances and thanksgiving is rendering gratitude toward God for all He has done for us.  (Psalms 100)  Prayers of praise and thanksgiving draw us into a closer and deeper relationship with God.

 

3.  Be alert:  In 1 Peter 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”  We need to be cognizant of the ploys of the enemy and sensitive to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Remember we are not alone in this battle!

 

4.  Always pray for the saints:  We are not to pray selfish prayers for only people we know and love.  We are to lift up all of our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world.  Paul gives us a great example of the type of prayer we can pray for others:  “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  (Ephesians 3:14-21)

 

So what does Praying in the Spirit mean?  First, we must realize that none of us can come to God totally on our own.  Ephesians 2:18 says, “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”  We need an assist from the Holy Spirit.  Through the Holy Spirit we have a V.I.P. pass straight to the Father.  The great thing about the Holy Spirit is He will pray for us when we don’t know what to pray for, when we are to weak, or our motives aren’t right.  “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”  (Romans 8:26-27)  Sometimes we may not be clear on God’s will for others and ourselves.  This is where the Holy Spirit can step in on our behalf.  God will also search our hearts while we are praying to make sure that are motives are pure.

 

Without the Holy Spirit leading us, we may be praying in vain.  Through the strength of the Holy Spirit we will have successful, sincere, sensible, affectionate outpouring of our souls to God who in turn will hear our cries and answer our prayers. 

 

NOW THAT’S POWER!!!!

 

Next time, we will begin a series on rebellion, obedience and submission.