Day 7 -Saturday- August 13, 2023-- Prayer Focus - DECLARE THE TRUTH
Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV) 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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. 13 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Of all of the pieces of the armor of God, the sword of the spirit, God’s word is an offensive weapon. With it we can defeat the enemy.
In Matthew 4 when Jesus was being tempted by Satan, He refuted the devil by quoting the Word of God.
This is why we should use scripture to pray. Satan’s offensive weapon is lie because Satan is a liar.
John 8:44 (NIV) 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
But God’s offensive weapon is His word, the Bible - the TRUTH. That’s what we use to take captive any and every thought.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV) 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
So what do we do?
First we expose the lie of the enemy.
Secondly, we declare the TRUTH of God’s word.
I invite you to pray scripture over area of your life. When Satan says you don’t have enough, that’s a lie. Pray the truth “My God shall supply all my needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
When Satan says you’ll never get over that cold or you are limited in what you can do because you have diabetes, then you pray the truth, “Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:2-5 (NIV)
There are many other scriptures you can pray. Download a copy of the prayer journal from our website or be sure to pick up a copy at the Guest Services Table. Praying scripture is on page 27.
