The Armor Of God Part 6 - Prayer Series

We have dealing with the spiritual battle we all fight daily. And over the course of the of the past couple of months we have considered the armor of God, the spiritual tools with which we stand against the enemy. Let us review them briefly:

Ephesians 6:14–17 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The last thing we must consider in the list of armor is not armor at all, nor is it a weapon, but it is the very power by which we employ the spiritual armor and weapons, that is prayer. Prayer is the very air the spiritual warrior breaths. It is by prayer we face the enemy.

Ephesians 6:18–20

This spiritual battle we face is bigger than any one of us can handle. Even as the church assembled and united, the enemy is out there waiting to squash the church.

1 Peter 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

We as the church face uncertain times ahead. The election on this Tuesday may very well determine the fate of religious liberty in this nation. There are forces we do not know about or understand waiting for the right moment to strike, a time of unrest, violence, rioting, and general anarchy and chaos.

I’m not a prophet, but it does not take a anyone special to figure out regardless of who comes out on top at this election, all havoc will break loose in this divided nation, perhaps as much as open conflict and even civil war. I hope I am wrong. We see all the players in place, violent conflict is just waiting to happen, and this unrest and uncertainty will be with us for the foreseeable future.

We were wondering what the new normal will look like in light of COVID-19. It will be nothing compared to the political turmoil we are about to experience. What can we, the people of God, the church do? For one, if you have not already voted, you need to do so, and we must vote our Christian values. Second, and actually first and foremost, we are called to pray. We as the church are called to prayer like never before. Only the very hand God can cool this red hot situation which we are in. In this spiritual war, prayer is the power behind the armor and the sword.

Old Testament Story of the Exodus (from Exodus 17:8–16)– before the nation of Israel got to Mt Sinai, they encountered the Amalek army. When Amalek attacked Israel, Moses went to the mountaintop to pray, while Joshua used the sword down in the valley. While Moses hands were raise, Joshua and the Israelite army prevailed. It took both to defeat Amalek—Moses’ intercession on the mountain, and Joshua’s use of the sword in the valley.

Our enemy is not flesh and blood

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Because of these things, because we fight against an unseen enemy (who all too often shows up and real human terms from which we suffer as Christians), Paul tells us to:

Ephesians 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

So we take up the armor. But the Army with the best equipment in the world, means nothing if the soldiers are not trained to use the equipment, and the soldier do not know how to effectively employ the equipment. So without missing a beat, Paul proceeds to talk about prayer. In some translation, verse 18 follows verse 17 with only a comma.

Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints

By prayer we ask for armor, In prayer we receive the armor, and with prayer we use the armor.

James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Prayer is a theme we find throughout Paul’s writings.