Prepare for Battle! Day 9 ~ Pray in the Spirit
Weekly Manna for Memory
Ephesians 6:10-13
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.
Additional verses if you’d like a memorization challenge 🙂 …
Ephesians 6:14-18
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.
Manna Snack
Pray in the Spirit
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 Lord’s people.
Our God is a God who wants to answer our prayers! Isn’t that amazing?
And with the evil one scheming against us and our families each day, it’s so important to communicate with the One who wants to equip us to stand against him. We need to pull our strength from Him.
Remember, the Armor of God passage of Ephesians 6 starts out by saying (emphasis mine):
Be strong in the Lord and in HIS mighty power… 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.
It is NOT on YOUR strength that you are battling.
And it is NOT your children or your spouse you are actually fighting against. Discord in the home is a perfect way for Satan to gain control. It is not your neighbor’s rudeness you have to address, but rather see it as a spiritual battle for her soul and your attention. Satan is shrewd and has lots of experience in breaking up relationships.
The battle is spiritual!
So, let’s combat Satan by praying relentlessly for “all the Lord’s people,” for our families, for those situations in our day-to-day lives where the evil one is slowly and quietly gaining ground.
Let us be alert and stand firm!
Today, instead of having a 5-minute devotional for you to read, I want us to spend the extra time actually praying. If you usually allow yourself 5 minutes out of your day to read this, then set your timer and be sure to spend at least that amount of time praying for those around you.
And, remember, when we don’t know exactly what to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26). But we do need to take the step to pray.
You can use the prayer below as a springboard for your own. Each time there is a “….”, fill in the blank with your specific requests/concerns.
Dear Jesus, thank You that you have equipped us to stand firm in the battle against the evil one. Thank You that You are a God who is concerned about the needs of Your children. Lord, You have not left us stranded when it comes to facing daily struggles, temptations, relational issues, heavy situations. You promise to walk through it with us (Psalm 23). So, Lord, I lift up to you the battles I am facing…. I lift up to you each member of my family in what they face each day…. And for my extended family…. I pray for my friends and church family…. For those in leadership in church…in schools…in government…. I pray for the Christian teachers and students in my children’s schools…. I pray for Christians around the world who are suffering daily for Your Name’s sake…. (etc…)
Lord, You have promised that if we bring our requests to you with thanksgiving, our hearts and minds will be guarded by “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:6-7). So thank You, Lord, for Your peace. Amen.
Meal of Manna
I encourage you to grab your journal and keep praying! Often there are the usual items we tend to pray for, but if we take a bit more time and are forced to think more deeply…there’s a whole new level on which the evil one is battling that we need to pay attention to!
For example, I may regularly and quickly pray for wisdom in dealing with my 2-year-old’s tantrums. But when I take more time, my prayer might grow to include his jealousy of and relationship with his brother, wisdom in specific discipline methods we are trying to use, or for God to fill my toddler with peace and for us to have the patience to show him consistent love through it all. That is where the true battles are being fought. Those are the things we need to cover in prayer.
So, go ahead and pray in the Spirit. I’ll stop talking 😉 .
Take-Away for Today
I’m not sure if I’ve over-used post-it notes yet! 🙂 But I’d encourage you today to post, throughout your house, various reminders to pray. Perhaps post a reminder to pray for your children near the laundry or for your husband near the coffee maker. Your church missionaries could be posted on your fridge and place that picture of your unsaved friend in a frequently traveled area.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 urges us to “pray without ceasing.” Let’s plan to do that and watch for how God moves in our lives and the lives of those we pray for.
