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Bible studies |
| Dear God, Teach us to pray. Help us learn to use the Spiritual weapons you have provided us effectively. Speak through me as we study your Words together. Let us always be learning something new. Keep us grounded in your Word. Thank you for loving us. In the name of Jesus, Amen This song goes along with prayer in battle and is also a tribute to Mothers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9szeiHBLsaQ 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 Armor of God - Praying Always  Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 We now have all the pieces of our armor. We have been briefly trained on how they are worn and used. Now what do we do? We pray. We communicate with God who is the head and commander of our spiritual armed forces. Ephesians 6:18 is a loaded and powerful verse. NOTE Because prayer is such an extensive subject, I am going to discuss in this study about prayer and spiritual battles. I will give more details on prayer in another study when we are finished with this Armor Of God series. Prayer is not just talking to God. It is listening to God too. It is an awareness of God's presence. We are all called to be a person of prayer. Prayer is communication. The dictionary describes prayer as a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/prayer For the record, in this study we are assuming God is the object or person of worship. Prayer is how we communicate with God, plain and simple. Prayer works by calling down power from on high and focusing it on a specific target to make a difference. Let's take a moment to consider what happens with no communication. As a teenager, I played Volleyball and Basketball. Communication was very important between the coach and the players and between other players. The coach helps keep the team unified and gives plays to work together toward the common goal of winning the game. The coach kept us focused for teamwork. In basketball, if one of us tried to keep the ball to ourselves or refused to communicate with other players, we got to spend time on the bench. If we didn't communicate with one another, how would we know who was ready to receive the ball? We could not work together to guard the other team. If we didn't listen to the the coach, he took us out of the game. We could cause the team to not make a goal or could allow the other team to score. We could have a fowl called on us. Listening to the coach is important. In volleyball, communication was important too. If we didn't call out, “Mine!”, we could run into each other and completely miss hitting the ball, allowing the other team to score. We had to be ready to position ourself the way the coach instructed us or we would mess up the play for the entire team. If you were a setter, you learned to set or bump the ball in a way that it set it up for another player to spike it towards the other team. On the other hand, the players in the back row of 6 players had to be ready when the ball came back over the net so they could either return the ball or send it to the front row to set up for another spike. Anytime we failed to communicate, it could be costly. Imagine an army troop going out to battle. They had better know what they have been commanded to do and do it. They better be able to communicate with the other soldiers. With no communication, they would not be able to communicate a retreat if necessary or if a fellow soldier was wounded and needed help. With no communication on the battlefield, there would be complete chaos. No one would know exactly what to do regardless of the amount of training they had received. No communication on a battlefield could be a matter of life and death. With no communication, everyone does what is right in their own eyes which is not always right for the team or for others. The person keeping the ball to themselves in basketball may have thought it was right to push their way close to the basket and draw a fowl. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, what if another team member was open near the three-point line? The most points they could get with the fowl is two, and they have to make two baskets to get them. The person at the three-point line, would have had a chance to make three points with one shot. What was better for the team? Prayer Is Vitally Important! As we can see, open communication is very important. Prayer is fundamental and not optional. Jesus is our captain and we must remain in communication with him in our battles all the time. Paul calls on Christians in Ephesians 6:18 to pray at all times and on all occasions. Hebrews 2:10 ▼ Through constant prayer, we overcome the enemy and allow God to shape us into His likeness. Prayer is a way to actively fight the enemy. We must remain in constant and consistent communication with our God. We need to live in the attitude and atmosphere of prayer. How Do We Remain In Constant Prayer? We should pray powerfully, specifically, and constantly. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ▼ Paul is calling for a lifestyle of prayer. It is a call to see all of our life in communication with God. We should pray often. We can learn to do it naturally, without even thinking about it. It is being aware of God and his presence throughout the whole day. Prayer can happen at any time during any circumstance. The later part of Ephesians 6:18 tells us to always be watching. Watching allows us to spot the enemy and see his attacks coming at us. Our enemies are always seeking to destroy our lives, home, and church.They want to destroy our defense, offense, and communication. We must remain watchful, alert, and ready to pray at all times. Prayer can happen all the time when someone is open to finding God in their everyday experiences. God can become apparent in any place at any time. We have to be the one who must realize and be aware of His presence. We can watch for opportunities to pray throughout our day. The following could be opportunity and a call to prayer: *seeing or hearing an ambulance, fire truck, police car, or any other emergency vehicle. (for healing and protection) *seeing a member of the military or military vehicle (for world peace and for their safety) *walking through an open door (for God to open our heart to receive all he has for us) *seeing a cross or a heart (thank God for loving you and for His sacrifice to save you) *Washing the dishes (be thankful you had food to eat) *cleaning house (you have a family, be thankful and pray for them) *doing laundry (you have clothes to wear and pray for those less fortunate) *paying bills (you have shelter, running water, electricity, cell phone, etc... Pray for the homeless) *seeing someone begging on the side of the road (pray for them) *paying for a purchase at the store (pray for your cashier, especially if they make you angry) *while going out to eat (pray for the people serving you, and don't forget to leave that tip when it is due😉) *seeing trees (Thank God for the shade and decorations and thank him for plants which breath out oxygen for us and take in carbon dioxide when we breathe it out. Trees and plants are like natural air filters provided by God) Praying always and acknowledging God are to be in alignment with one of Christ’s most basic principles in Matthew 6:33. Matthew 6:33 ▼ We are to seek first, above anything else, even our basic needs, the kingdom of God. Praying always is stepping out in faith and believing that God will add all these things we need if we seek Him first. He gives us strength to overcome, to finish our journey, and to enter His kingdom with Him. Philippians 4:19 ▼ Our most severe temptations and trials happen in every day events like eating, drinking, interacting with other people, or conducting normal, routine business. We must always acknowledge God and His presence. We don't want to end up trying to fight our battles on our own without Him or making our own decisions without Him in them. Proverbs 3:5-8 ▼ By remaining in a prayerful state, we are ready to face unexpected battles and aid other Christians at a moment's notice. Praying must be done in the power of the Holy Spirit to be effective. Romans 8:26-28 ▼ A prayer must be more than an exchange of empty words. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we pray. The Spirit knows what to say and how to say it even if we don't. Ephesians 5:18 ▼ Christians are to live there lives under the influence of the Holy Spirit. He directs our prayers. Romans 8:1-18 ▼ Romans 8:1-18 could be a message all by itself, but it explains the importance of living in the Holy Spirit and how to do it. Paul tells us to pray in the Spirit. To pray in the Spirit is to pray under the influence of the Holy Spirit. God looks at the heart more than at the words prayed themselves. When we say heart-felt prayers, we acknowledge God's power to help, make our requests, claim the Lord as our God, and wait expectantly for the answer. We claim God's promises for His people. Acknowledging His power honors Him and gives us hope. Requesting help from God for yourself actually obeys a command. It is not a sin to pray for yourself. Hebrews 4:16 ▼ Perseverance In Prayer Ephesians 6:18 also says we should watch with all perseverance and supplication. We should never see prayer as a burden. We should never give up on prayer. Perseverance is persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. A supplication is a humble request. 1 Peter 4:7 ▼ Consider the story Jesus tells in Luke 18:1-8. If an unrighteous Judge will honor the request of a widow because of persistence, Don’t you think a God who loves you would answer your persistent requests? Luke 18:1-8 ▼ We should keep on praying until we receive an answer or until the Holy Spirit says for us to stop. Praying For All Saints Christians are to say humble prayers for all the saints (other Christians). They are to pray for their church, elders, deacons, teachers, preachers, and pasters. They should pray for specific ministries and outreach programs of the church as well. They also need to pray for the missionaries. Pray for other Christians: -when they are sick (Jame 5:15) -when workers are needed to be sent out (Matthew 9:38) -when they are newly converted (Acts 9:17) -that doors would be opened for them to spread the Gospel (1 Corinthians 16:9) -when sending out Christian literature (Psalm 43:3) -For Satan's power to be broken from them (Luke 13:12-16) -Leaders (Acts 4:29) -when they are sinning (James 5:16-18) Those are just to name a few. I am sure we could think of even more occasions to pray for other Christians, but I think you get the idea. Certain Times For Prayer There are certain times when we should go into our secret prayer closet for prayer and spend specific and appointed times with God. Matthew 6:6-13 ▼ Jesus himself, constantly withdrew to pray. Luke 6:12 ▼ Daniel prayed three times a day. Daniel 6:10 ▼ David prayed three times a day in Psalm 55:17 and seven times a day in Psalm 119:164. Psalm 55:16-17 ▼ Psalm 119:164 ▼ Other times to pray: -when in trouble (Psalm 55:16) -when needing guidance (James 1:5) -when tempted (Psalm 69:1) -when persecuted (Psalm 7:1) -when disturbing letters arrive (Isaiah 37:14) -when sick (James 5:14) -when there is a need of any kind (Philippians 4:6) There is a time for every kind of prayer: meditation, crying out to God, interceding for others, praying for ourselves, praying in a group, praying by ourselves, using our own words, and using the words of others like the Lord's Prayer. A regular prayer time and method of prayer nurishes one’s soul and relationship with God. Our life can be enriched, embraced, and enlightened by spending time with God in prayer. In closing, How would you describe your prayer life? Do you pray always or almost never? Do you pray with emotion or just quote empty words? It is time we all examine ourselves to make sure we develop the kind of prayer life God intended us to have. Start praying and ask Him for His help today. Prayer is an essential part of a Christian’s every day life. It is an effective strategy when fighting against God's enemies and following him. (see 2 Chronicles 14:12, 2 Chronicles 20:16-29, and Isaiah 37:36-37) God defends His own. Adam Clarke's Commentary says that if we feel dependant upon God as we should, we will always be in the spirit of prayer. Matthew Henry also wrote that nothing else we do should hinder our prayer at the proper time. Here is a video about prayer. It mentions the effectiveness of prayer between a mother and son. I hope you enjoy the video. Resources ▼ Jesus is my permanent anchor!  |
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