The Power of Prayer

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints … —Ephesians 6: 18

We are familiar with the spiritual armor Paul describes in the sixth chapter of Ephesians—the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, prayer. Without this armor, you wouldn’t be able to stand. Spiritual warfare calls for spiritual weapons. I suggest to you that of all the weapons at your disposal, prayer is the most vital. It must be, for Satan tries everything he can to keep us from praying. He doesn’t want you inviting God into the battle. He would like to keep it just between the two of you.

***Prayer is the decisive weapon.

In the garden, Jesus prayed while Peter slept. When Jesus awoke him, He said, “Peter, are you asleep? …Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Mark 14: 37-38). When Jesus faced the actual conflict, He was victorious because He won the victory in prayer. Peter faced a conflict that night too, but he was defeated. Perhaps if he had prayed instead of slept, he would have been victorious. I wonder how often we are defeated because we fail to pray. By prayer, we take power from the enemy. When we pray, Satan must yield to the name of Jesus Christ. May God help us to use the weapons He has given us—all the weapons. And may He move us to pray, waiting upon God and persevering until we see God’s will wrought in this earth.

Father, we thank You for the powerful weapon of prayer whereby we can pull down the strongholds Satan has in lives of those around us. Teach us to pray, Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.