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Text: Ephesians 6:18-20
Prayer is the supply line
- Prayer is a part of your spiritual warfare. If you didn’t know that, you’ve never prayed. If you’ve ever prayed or tried to pray on a consistent basis you know it is a battleground.
- Opportunity for the Lord to support you and others in the battle
- This means prayer is a necessity if you want the Lord to work. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
- Paul and Silas pray and sing and the Lord opens the prison (Acts 16:25).
- The church prays and the Spirit of God directs them to send Paul and Barnabas.
- The church in Jerusalem prays for Peter the night before he is to be beheaded and the Lord breaks him out of prison. (Acts 12)
- Disciples told to pray in the garden so they will not enter into temptation. Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
- God answers according to the work He’s involved in
- It’s like tools for the job.
- Change a tire.
- If it’s not part of the work God is doing, then it isn’t an opportunity for God to work.
- God moves on the prayers of His people. Consider Moses. God is ready to wipe out millions of people and Moses prays that changes the course of history.
- Acts 4:31 when they had prayed the place was shaken
- Acts 9:40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up
- Acts 28:8 prayed and laid his hands on him and healed him
- Matthew 17:21…this kind only comes out by prayer and fasting. The power of God was not at work because there was a prayer deficit.
- It’s like tools for the job.
Parts of Prayer
- Prayer in the Spirit… (vs 18) is how the supplies for the battle are supplied.
- Praise (Hebrews 13:15)
- Requests according to God’s work
- Acknowledge sin (1 John 1:9)
- Yield to the answer (Romans 6:13)
- Intercession for others (1 Timothy 2:1)
- Paul says this in verse 18, supplication for all saints.
- Name of the Lord Jesus (John 14:13)
- Gratitude (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Prayer for Boldness
- That request ought to help you. If Paul needed boldness then you’re not alone.
- Boldness to make known the gospel.
- If the world is bold to sin, then God’s remedy is boldness for the Christian to preach the gospel of the grace of God that teaches men to repent and get away from their sin.
- Fear cuts off the supply line.
- Here is a battlefront seldom seen in America. It is where a Christian stands against sin and takes a beating from his own brethren for it.
- Some Christians don’t want “their church” or themselves to be associated with any Christian that draws fire from the enemy.
- Luther stood against the Roman Catholic church don’t you know he lost friends, family members, and people who knew what he was saying was right, but were unable to endure the attack of the enemy.
Ambassadors and Soldiers all at once
- This is an interesting insight because a soldier and an ambassador are on two sides of the spectrum. If you’re going to war with a country, you remove your ambassador and send in your soldiers.
- To spiritual life, we are soldiers.
- To the lost we are ambassadors.
- 2 Corinthians 5:20
- Acts 10:39-41 (we are ambassadors, not witnesses of the resurrected Christ)
