21 Days In Prayer - Day 17 -Tuesday- August 22, 2023-- Prayer Focus - Spiritual Warfare
The Armor of God
We’re not a “devils under every rock,” type of church, yet He is a
Jesus already accomplished victory over the enemy at the cross and resurrection.
Jesus won the battle, The devil has power, but he has to respond to a higher authority. Jesus.
1 John 4:4 (NIV)
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
The creation is subject to the creator.
1 John 3:8 (NIV)
8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil
God has given us everything we need to stand against all attacks of the enemy.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (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.
18 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.
Finally .. of all the things that Paul just shared, he wants us to pay attention to this.
Our battle is not against people. Our battle begins in the spiritual realm.
We are called to stand firm in the midst of spiritual warfare with God’s power, God’s armor and in prayer.
Belt of Truth - we stand on the truth of God’s Word.
John 14:6 (NIV)
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Breastplate of Righteousness - the only thing between the enemy and the soldier’s heart.
When we accept Christ, God sees us differently.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Shoes of Peace - Jesus Himself is our peace. In that peace we are ready to fulfill what God had for us.
Shield of Faith - This covered all the rest of the armor. It consumes the fiery darts (accusations, deceptions, lies and fear)
We fight our battles through prayer but we win through the shield of faith.
Small Groups are so important because we can lock our shields of faith together.
Helmet of Salvation - God guard my mind.
Sword of the Spirit - The word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
May we come out of 21 Days of prayer for a commitment and hunger for God’s Word.
Rhema - it is the spoken word that jumps off the pages and comes into our hearts. It gives us power and direction.
God gives us this weaponry so when the battle comes, we are prepared.
4x Paul says for us to STAND.
We may not realize it when we pray but every demon experiences it.
