Warfare Prayer

Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham later in the program so you are you Dr. Graham's message this first uses message warfare where they God's word, in turn, would be pleased to Ephesians this chapter. Ephesians chapter 6, I want to remind you for just a moment where we've been so far and are invisible series, added a six chapter of Ephesians we have been engaged in spiritual battle and understanding our enemy and responding resisting in the name of the power of our great Savior to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. I want to remind you that we learn that Satan is a defeated Jesus came to destroy the works of the enemy. The works of the devil and one day he will cast him into eternal judgment and hell.

I want us to remind ourselves that the power of Christ is in our lives. Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. The same power that defeated Satan at the cross in the resurrection by the power of the resurrection that same power that very same presence is indwelling us living in us.

We need to always resist the enemy. You have the power in Jesus name. You have the authority because of his shed blood. And because of his victory. You can live in the victory that is ours and the Lord Jesus Christ the same time we must not be ignorant or uninformed regarding his schemes ensnares therefore way to put on the armor of God.

This spiritual armor that we've seen describe in Ephesians chapter 6 we are to put on the armor of God. It is foolish to enter battle of any kind without protection. God has given us these weapons for our warfare. The battle is in the mind and therefore we are to take every thought captive in his name. We are to feed upon the word and obey the principles mighty which are powerful weapons to the pulling down of strongholds. But there's one more vital lesson that we must learn and apply seen here in the 18th verse of Ephesians 6 because for so many.

This is the missing piece.

This is the missing ingredient to living in this victory that we have in Christ.

Verse 18 praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the same and also for me, that words may be given to me by the opening of my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak is essential if you are in battle to stay in touch. Stay in communication with the commander-in-chief. And so in our spiritual battles. We must be constantly in touch in prayer with our Savior. Prayer is the invisible energy the invisible force behind the believers armor that is laced through and through are armor. The weapons of our warfare.

I look at our nation. Unbelief is rampant and militant. The name of Jesus is profane and blasting morality, even perversion is a common experience for so many today morality is in a freefall demonic activity is on the rise. The family is under attack. Marriage is being redefined. Babies are aborted drunkenness and drug addiction are commonplace. Violence is increasing and that's just in America because around the world. Spiritual warfare is very, very real churches persecuted there more Christians dying for their faith in this generation than any previous generation why we face some opposition for our faith in this country in other parts of the world people to stand for Christ are facing genuine, authentic, fierce persecution for Christ and the gospel say yes we are at war, and the only way to win this war is in the name of Jesus to put on the armor of God and to pray with power, so this is a battle cry and the battleground is believing prayer. Prayer is not preparation for battle.

Prayer is the battle and it is in prayer the power of passionate praying that we find our strength when you read verse 18. Look at it carefully. You may see some punctuation there. And of course there were no punctuation marks in the original text of the New Testament so you can actually remove that punctuation mark in the way that it is written, for it says in verse 17 take the helmet of salvation of the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God, praying at all times in the spirit. This is not a disconnect from one verse to the next, but rather it is integrating that we activate the armor that we engaged the enemy and so with the same breath of the Holy Spirit that tells us to put on the armor of God. We are therefore to be energized in prayer of all kinds pray in the spirit. The Bible speaks often of this kind of prayer.

Colossians 412 speaks of our struggling in prayer is a word which means agonizing contending struggling now.

Prayer is worship. We know that we worship God in prayer. Prayer is work is a mental and spiritual discipline in which we are to work at our commitment to prayer the exercise of prayer, but prayer is not only worship and work. Prayer is warfare prayer is more Jesus said in Mark 1438 watch and pray that you did not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. On one occasion the disciples of Jesus were trying to cast out evil spirits from a boy a demoniac boy and they couldn't do it and they were frustrated at their failure. Jesus came down from the mountain where he had been communing with God the father along with Moses and Elijah there at the Mount of Transfiguration and Jesus said this kind.

This kind of deliverance. This kind of power comes only by prayer and fasting sincere steadfastness struggling prayer.

When Peter was facing temptation, Jesus looked at him and said, Satan desires to sift you like wheat to grind you in the power. But then Jesus said, I have prayed for you in behalf of this man Jesus prayed against the powers and in the works of the enemy. The early church knew this kind of power this kind of warfare praying when Jesus told them together in an upper room they they did exactly as they were commanded and what were they doing in that upper room waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. They were praying. The spirit came, and then God moved and lives were changed. Thousands of people were being brought into the kingdom of God is the church was birth. So what of the church.

Acts chapter 2.

They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in prayers. Prayer wasn't just a part of the agenda. It was and is the engine personally and corporately as the church so the church advanced because of prayer, God brought more and more people into the kingdom because these were men and women who knew how to play the powers of darkness and strongholds of Satan, then religion and all the rest. They knew how to pray that away in the name of Jesus in acts chapter 3 on their way to the temple before the first miracle of the first century church. What were Peter and John doing on their way to the temple that day. They were going there to pray. Acts chapter 4 when Peter and John were in prison for their faith. What did the church do the church pray they had no contact with the higher-ups they had no political persuasion. They had no ability to coerce the judgments of a powerful Roman imperialist. So what did they do. They huddled up and they prayed and God open prison doors and delivered Simon Peter and John prayer when we pray like this walls come down strongholds are destroyed lives are transformed anytime. This is happened anytime you see the power of God at work in a supernatural way in a powerful way is because someone is pray. Amen. What kind of prayer is this, see the prevailing power of prayer, the prevailing power prayer verse 18 says, praying at all time in the spirit. The Spirit intercedes with us is our prayer partner. This is what it means to pray in the spirit prayer therefore means that we cooperate with God Almighty, that God himself moves in response to our prayers. Prayer is the church's secret weapon.

In contrast to that prayerless mess is the signal of our defeat. The quickest way to defeat.

I look at my own life. Any failure that I've had in my life is ultimately a prayer failure because I failed to pray as I also pray Satan hears our prayers more than anything we do that prayer is the greatest weapon in defeating the snares of the strategies of the steam of the devil.

This is something the devil doesn't want you to know you're listening to PowerPoint with Jack ran in today's message warfare prayer at this very moment