Thursday, April 26, 2018

Praying always with all kinds of prayer and supplication in the Spirit Therefore stand 8

This partial quote of Ephesians 6:18 is not always acknowledged as being part of the armour of God, but it surely is! I know for sure, that in the midst of the battle I need to flee to the shelter of His embrace. The verse talks about both prayer and supplication, so it is about both intimacy with God and also about our requests. And perhaps first and foremost it is about making sure in prayer that all the armour is in place.

So we need to start with the Truth, Jesus told us “Man does not live by bread alone but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). We need physical food daily, and we need to make sure we feed daily from the truths of the Word. Also for example, it is no coincidence, that the helmet on salvation follows the breastplate of righteousness. Salvation is a gift received by faith. It cannot be earned. Feeling saved on the other hand is a very different question, and we are not likely to feel saved, and so have peace of mind, if we are not walking in the ways of righteousness.

In the verse we are looking at today, we are admonished to be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. In particular, this part of the armour needs to anticipate the attacks before they happen. We need to surround our hearts, minds, souls and emotions by hedges of protection that can only be put in place through prayer. So the armour is not just about me, it’s about the kingdom, it’s about our fellowship, it’s about being diligent and persistent.

Father, the Scripture tells me that in many things we all fail (James 3:2). and I am very aware this morning of the inadequacy of my prayer life. Thank You Lord that You have given me prayer partners, and thank You that with Your help, prompted by Your Spirit, I am growing in this area. But I have not arrived, and I ask for Your ongoing help for myself and for anyone who wants to get in on this prayer this morning. And I give You all the honour and glory and praise in Jesus Name Amen

No comments:

Post a Comment