The Strength to Stand
Scripture: Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
God has given us prayer so that we may help each other stand. The devil is always scheming to cause us to fall. But God provides ways to help us stand victorious over the powers of evil. Paul warns us in Ephesians 6 against the devil's schemes and the "powers of this dark world" that are constantly opposing us. Four times he uses the word "stand" to encourage us to hold out against the onslaughts of the "spiritual forces of evil" (Ephesians 6:11-14)
Standing our ground requires that we first "put on the full amour of God." We are protected against the devil by knowing the truth, being righteous, having the gospel of peace, trusting God, possessing salvation, and using the Word of God in the right way. But Paul's order to "put on the full armor" does not end with "Take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." It goes on without a break to say, "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions." In other words, the prayer support we give each other is an important part of our defense against the devil.
The prayer support required is all embracing. It's "on all occasions," of "all kinds" "always" and "for all the saints." Imagine being in the midst of a fellowship of Christians who prayed for each other this way. The possibility of falling would surely be minimized.
God intends that ALL believers be strengthened to stand, as ALL take seriously the responsibility to ALWAYS keep on praying, on all OCCASIONS with ALL kinds of prayer for each other. That's a tall order. It goes far beyond the kind of casual praying that most Christians are accustomed to. But those who pray "in the Spirit" can do it.
REFLECT
Do you sense that you are getting the kind of prayer support you need in order to stand?"
Are you giving the believers around you the kind of prayer support they need in order to stand?
Is there anything more you should be doing to support the people around you in prayer? Be as specific as possible.
PRAYTHANK God for His good and wise plan to supply prayer support for every member of His body. THANK Him for people who have given you prayer support in the past - parents, grandparents, pastors, teachers, elders in the church, and many others.
If you failed to provide prayer support for those who needed your prayers, CONFESS that failure to God.
ASK God to help the community of believers you are a part of to live up to the standard of Ephesians 6:18
Commit yourself to serious prayer support for the people around you.
Pastor Dr. Ron Short