DIGGING DEEP NO. 1060 November 26, 2024 THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER (PART 3) Ephes.6: 18- 20.

Prayer is the energy that enables the Christian soldier to wear the armor and wield the sword. We cannot fight the battle in our own power, no matter how strong or talented we may think we are. When Amalek attacked Israel, Moses went to the mountain top pray, while Joshua used the sword down in the valley Ex.17: 8- 16.  It took both to defeat Amalek; Moses’ intercession on the mountain and Joshua’s use of the sword in the valley. Prayer is the power for victory, but not just any kind of prayer. Paul told us how to pray if we would defeat Satan.

Pray always – This obviously does not mean “always saying prayers. We are not heard for our much speaking Matt.6: 7. Pray without ceasing 1Thes.5: 17 says to us “Always be in communion with the Lord. Keep the receiver off the hook.” A Christian must pray always because he is always subject to temptations and attacks of the devil. A surprise attack has defeated more than one believer who forgot to pray without ceasing.

Pray with all prayer – There is more than one kind of praying: prayer, supplication, intercession, and thanksgiving Phil.4: 6, 1Tim.2: 1. The believer who prays only to ask for things is missing out on blessings that come with intercessions and giving of thanks. In fact, thanksgiving is a great prayer weapon for defeating Satan. Praise changes things as much as prayers change things. Intercession for others can bring victory to our own lives Jb.42: 10.

Pray in the Spirit – The Bible formula is that we pray to the Father, through the Son, and in the Spirit. Rom.8: 26- 27 tells us that only in the Spirit’s power can we pray in the will of God. Otherwise, our praying could be selfish and out of the will of God. In the Old Testament tabernacle, there was a golden altar standing before the veil, and here the priest burned the incense Ex.30: 1- 10; Lk.1: 1- 11. The incense is a picture of prayer. It had to be mixed according to God’s plan and could not be counterfeited by man. The fire on the altar is a picture of the Holy Spirit, for it is He who takes our prayers and ignites them in the will of God. It is possible to pray fervently in the flesh and never get through to God. It is also possible to pray quietly in the Spirit and see God’s hand do great things.

Pray with your eyes open – Watching means keeping on the alert. The phrase watch and pray occurs often in the Bible. When Nehemiah was repairing the walls of Jerusalem and the enemy was trying to stop the work, Nehemiah defeated the enemy by watching and praying Neh.4: 9.

Watch and pray is the secret of victory over the world Mk.13: 33, the flesh Mk.14: 38 and the devil Ephe.6: 18. Peter went to sleep when he should have been praying, and the result was a victory for Satan Mk.14: 29- 31, 67- 72. God expects us to use our God-given senses led by the Spirit to detect so that we detect Satan when he is beginning to work.

Keep on praying – The word perseverance simply means to “stick to it and not quit.” The early believers prayed this way Acts.1: 14; 2: 42; 6: 4. Perseverance in prayer does not mean we are trying to twist God’s arm, But rather that we are deeply concerned and burdened and cannot rest until we get God’s answer. Most of us quit praying just before God is about to give the victory.

Pray for all the brethren – The Lord’s prayer begins with “Our Father”; not “My Father.” We pray as part of a great family and we ought to pray for the other members of the family. If my prayers help another believer defeat Satan, then that victory will help me too.

The encouragement – Ephesians 6: 21- 24 – We are not fighting the battle alone. There are other believers who stand with us in the fight, and we ought to be careful; to encourage one another. Tychicus was an encouragement to Paul Acts.20: 4; and Paul was going to send Tychicus to Ephesus to be an encouragement to them.

In Conclusion – What an encouragement it is to be a part of the family of God. Nowhere in the New Testament do we find an isolated believer. Christians are like sheep; they flock together. The church is an army, and the soldiers need to stand together and fight together.