Gus Harter speaks from Ephesians 6:10-20, outlining the warfare set before the Christian, the armor provided by God against the battle, and the nature and necessity of prayer in the daily course of the war.
First, the apostle Paul describes a spiritual warfare in which we are soldiers. Our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against Satan and his emissaries. Battling against brethren with whom we disagree is not under consideration.
God provides us with six types of armor for the fight. They are:
- Girding of the loins with truth, as found in God’s word
- The breastplate of righteousness, protecting the heart–the seat of thought and purpose, and the source of such righteousness as we are blessed to have
- Feet shod with the gospel of peace, peace with God that we obtain by conforming our lives to Christ and following Him
- The shield of faith, confidence that the battle is the Lord’s
- The helmet of salvation, keeping sin from gaining its hold in the mind
- The sword of the Spirit, the word of God; the Bible is our source of defense and indeed our entire armory
How is the fully-armed Christian to hold position and advance the battle? Verses 18-20 provide marching orders for the saints: pray always, with all prayer. Prayer comes in many forms, and we are to practice all of them. Elder Harter identifies 5 distinct ways we can pray to God.
- Adoration and praise for God’s power, holiness, and love
- Thanksgiving for God’s blessings in our lives and all around us
- Confession and requests for forgiveness of our sins
- Intercession, asking help and blessing for others
- Petition, asking that our own needs be met
May we, as Paul directs us, pray to God with all prayer for the gain and glory of His kingdom, that it may be in earth as it is in heaven.
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