Fight to Pray

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This is the Truth Network encouraging prayer, God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything encouraging prayer Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling and many other books on prayer provides weekly biblical insight help you learn to mom and now while we're going on an adventure today. Imagine the horror and archaeologist in your standing in front of an ancient door door has been there so long. The others just admired for its artwork, but for the longest time you had the feeling that there was something on the other side and now through further explanation that you found the key and you just put the key into the door and it turns that is the door that were opening today on encouraging prayer.

So James this week you found the key to a very important place in the word of God's intent was more much loved passage. The sixth chapter of Ephesians that talks about the full armor of God, and that is a passage that many of appreciated just words artwork because it is beautiful and use of metaphor, but if you been listening to encouraging prayer a little while you'll know that we've been exploring this topic and trying to go deeper into it.

One of the things that is always troubled me when I look up images of the full armor of God was that prayer was never part of the picture, even though it so clearly in that passage. At least it's not in modern images you see online and if you go back a little farther in the 1800s, you start to see it there and it's people like Charles Spurgeon Oswald Chambers who who recognize how absolutely vital prayer is to this whole picture in the six chapter of Ephesians Plowright with talks about this passage a bunch of times and you would call prayer the forgotten piece the armor of God, that's right.

But now, thanks to Oswald Chambers I see it as something much more than even that many are familiar with Oswald Chambers book my utmost for his highest, but they don't realize is that the thoughts from that book are actually condensed from earlier lectures and devotional talk to the gate his wife pulled them together after his death.

So if you dig a little deeper.

You can find those writings and in a talk for missionaries on Ephesians 6 he said this, the armor is for the battle of prayer, take up the whole armor of God stand therefore and then pray the armor is not to fight in but to shield us while we pray. Prayer is the battle.

The reason we do not pray that we do not own Jesus Christ is Master we do not take our orders from him.

The key to the Masters workers is prayer and where we are. When we pray makes no difference in Whatever Way, God is engineering our circumstances. In other words, wherever you are. That is the duty pray file so what you're saying what Chambers is saying because you picked this from his pocket since the prayer is the key to unlocking a whole new understanding of the armor exactly read verses 10 through 12, before you get to the armor and it makes sense.

Here they are percent. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

In verse 12 for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. So you and I are up against these forces that are so powerful that the only way we can fight them is through God's strength and this is why the devil goes after prayer. If you can beat us in the area of prayer.

Other defeats are sure to follow because we've lost communication from headquarters Richard Loveless, a professor at Gordy, theological seminary, wrote the enemy of our souls is painfully aware of the destructive force of even our dullest and weakest prayers and will go to any length to block them and that true, how many Christians do you know who say oh I just pray to my never say that we say the very opposite. Most of us feel guilty about prayer because we know we could be doing more than we are.

I know I certainly can and and and that's why prayer really is the battle that brings me back to what Chambers said again, we don't take orders from Jesus is much as we might, by staying in close contact with him through prayer, yes, but but if we see that prayer really is the battle and insight to pray all the more. That's when we really make progress in my utmost for his highest in reading for October 17. You'll find these words. Prayer does not equip us for the greater works. Prayer is the greater work and you know that makes sense because what we want is what God alone can do and only prayer will take us there because we want to work in God's strength, not on our own because of this we can never underestimate just how important our prayers are and that's all really make sense if you think about how to apply the armor of God, when you pray, so can you walk us through that a bit. Okay, so the belt of truth, we we have to be truthful with God. When we pray right that the breastplate of righteousness suite we can't cherish sin in our hearts or our prayers will be ineffective before God.

The breastplate of righteousness. Scripture says the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

You're gonna love this one didn't Jesus say pray the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.

Didn't he tell us pray for his kingdom to come, take up the shield of faith, we have to pray with faith that the helmet of salvation, what does that mean except we receive Jesus through prayer and we stay close to them through it and then go on into verse 18, pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

And you keep on reading from there and Paul is saying pretty pray pray pray it. It all makes sense. So the door swings open and we can see the key. This is so cool.

It really does make sense of the armor of God is meant to be some abstract metaphorical passage about something really practical to help us as we pray.

Prayer is the battle Robbie. There is an because this is how we win by the grace of God and in his strength to help us in this and help us to pray more to live in your spring and not walk by faith, beautiful say to hear more from Pastor James by visiting the website James Banks.org or by visiting these church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you to pray. This is the Truth Network.

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