Ephesians 6:10-18 - "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in
the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be
able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against
the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness
in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you
will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand
firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the
Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and
petition for all the saints."
This is a familiar passage to all of us, but I noticed something today I hadn't before. After it names the five different pieces of the armor of God and their uses, it says in verse 18 - "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints." We are in the middle of a war, and just putting on the armor isn't enough. We need to be in constant communication with our Commanding Officer. (pray at all times)
We're told in verse 12 that our struggle isn't against flesh and blood. We don't fight against anything we can see, so you wouldn't think that we would be very effective soldiers, and yet we're on the front lines. That's why we're told to pray at all times in the Spirit. We're at war with spiritual forces, so we need to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
As well as praying, we're told to be on the alert. In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus told is disciples to "Watch and pray" because the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We need to be aware of whats going on. We need to be on our guard. If we are alert, If we pray in the Spirit then we'll walk by the Spirit. "For those who walk according to the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit." (Romans 8)
Beyond girding ourselves with peace, righteousness, and salvation, and defending ourselves with the word of God and faith, we need to constantly be in communication and submission to the Holy Spirit.
This is a familiar passage to all of us, but I noticed something today I hadn't before. After it names the five different pieces of the armor of God and their uses, it says in verse 18 - "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints." We are in the middle of a war, and just putting on the armor isn't enough. We need to be in constant communication with our Commanding Officer. (pray at all times)
We're told in verse 12 that our struggle isn't against flesh and blood. We don't fight against anything we can see, so you wouldn't think that we would be very effective soldiers, and yet we're on the front lines. That's why we're told to pray at all times in the Spirit. We're at war with spiritual forces, so we need to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
As well as praying, we're told to be on the alert. In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus told is disciples to "Watch and pray" because the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We need to be aware of whats going on. We need to be on our guard. If we are alert, If we pray in the Spirit then we'll walk by the Spirit. "For those who walk according to the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit." (Romans 8)
Beyond girding ourselves with peace, righteousness, and salvation, and defending ourselves with the word of God and faith, we need to constantly be in communication and submission to the Holy Spirit.
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