Right Living in a World Gone Wrong…Studies in Ephesians
Final Words: The Battle Plan
Ephesians 6:18
Two summers ago, Larry Lowrie, Dan Hilleman, Tracy Heron, along with Rachel’s dad Phil Smet and I, traveled to Washington DC for what I called “Pastor Bob’s shoestring tour of DC.” We spent 8 days traveling, sightseeing, telling stories and having a wonderful time exploring the Capital and the area around it.
Some of my favorite places to visit in the DC area are the battlefields of the Civil War. In fact, our campground was on part of the battlefield of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, where my great, great grandfather was injured. We also visited Gettysburg and Antietam. Antietam is especially meaningful to me because of the enormity of the battle that was fought there. The single bloodiest day in American History took place there on September 17, 1862, when Robert E. Lee brought his Southern troops into Northern Territory for the first time.
To understand the magnitude of the losses, consider that Antietam resulted in nine times as many Americans killed or wounded as took place on June 6, 1944--D-day, the so-called "longest day" of World War II. Also consider that more soldiers were killed and wounded at the Battle of Antietam than the deaths of all Americans in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, and Spanish-American War combined. In total, 23,000 soldiers were killed or wounded in a single day of fighting.
I especially like to go to Antietam because, unlike Gettysburg, it is not littered with a lot of statues and memorials. It is very much today like it was 144 years ago. You can easily look over the landscape and imagine the horror of the battle…
Have you ever stood on such a battlefield? Perhaps you’ve visited the beaches at Normandy, or Bunker Hill, Gettysburg or Yorktown. Regardless of a visit to one of those historic sights, the fact is that you have indeed stood on a battlefield – and you did so this week. You didn't have to make a special journey to get there. The battlefield was not marked with a historic monument. History does not record the battles fought here, but the battle rages. And you are in that battle.
The battle to which I am referring is the spiritual battle that Satan brings to us. The battlefield is simply wherever we may be when the attack comes. As soldiers of the Cross, we must be prepared. That is why God gave us His armor. We must stand ready to fight, clothed in the full armor of God. We must have the belt of truth about our waist. We must have the breastplate of righteousness. Our feet must be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We must take up the shield of faith and put on the helmet of salvation. In our hand, we must carry the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Wearing the full armor of God is essential, but to stand in the battlefield with nothing but this armor will not be enough. We must have the full armor of God, but we must have something more. We must have a strategy. We must have a battle plan. We must have tactics. We do we have all of the above, and we have them all in the form of a secret weapon – a Spiritual Weapon of Mass Destruction – Prayer.
The weapon of prayer will make the difference between victory and defeat. To go forth clothed in the best armor, even with the best intentions, and to neglect prayer will bring certain defeat. It is like an army going forth into battle with no battle plan. That we must fight is certain. But we must know more than that. We must know how to fight. That is why we must pray. Prayer is the weapon Satan fears the most. In Paul’s description of the Armor of God, he concludes with this paragraph:
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Prayer is not preparation for the battle – prayer is the battle! It is so vital to the Soldier of Christ that Paul uses the word “all” four times in the first sentence! Prayer is the battle plan, prayer is not preparation for the battle, it is the battle! Prayer is not the least we can do – it’s the most we can do! Let’s examine the battle plan of prayer:
“…Pray in the Spirit…”
We are exhorted to pray in the Spirit. Even though we are told over and over again to be in prayer, this wonderful balance appears – our prayer are something we do – but in the Spirit’s power and under his guidance. Our prayers need to be Spirit-directed. The Holy Spirit is the author of all effective prayer. In Romans 8:26-27 we read, “And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings to deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
There have been many times when I have not known how to pray. In those times, I just say, “Your will be done.” Many times, however, the Spirit will enable to do more than that. If we will wait on Him, He may reveal to us exactly how to pray for a certain situation.
He does this in many ways. He may speak to our minds and reveal exactly how He wants us to pray. We may then verbally express these prayers to God. At other times, no words will do. During these times the Spirit prays through us, “with groanings too deep for words.” At these times we must simply wait in silence before God as the Spirit communes with the Father. The point is this: the Spirit must lead all prayer. For us to pray effectively we must maintain our walk with God and our fellowship with the Spirit. If you don’t have that personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ – then your first prayer needs to be one of surrender to Him – ask Him to forgive you, cleanse you, fill you and lead you from this day forward!
“…On all occasions…”
How often should we pray? We should pray at all times. It is important for us to see the need for continual prayer. When is it time to pray? Always! There is never a time when we do not need to pray.
In the early church, we see that prayer was a way of life. Acts 1:14 says, “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” In Acts 2:42 we read, “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Paul writes in Thessalonians that we are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The early Christians knew just how important prayer could be.
But how is it possible to pray continually? Well, it is not possible if by that we mean a verbal prayer. There are obviously times when we cannot do that. We work, talk to others, eat, and sleep. But if prayer is viewed as an attitude of devotion to and communion with God, then it is possible to pray without ceasing. If the attitude of your heart is toward God, then He will be the center of your existence. In every situation and circumstance, you will find yourself naturally discussing it with God. He will be your first thought, not your last. You will run to Him for counsel, rather to everyone else but Him. This is not to say that we will not have times of regular prayer. We will. But our hearts will always be poised toward God. You can cultivate that attitude by doing simple associations – I heard about a pastor last week who challenged his congregation at the National Day of Prayer gathering to pray every time the looked at their watch – just for an instant. You can pray while you drive – just turn off the radio and turn on your mind to God. You can pray while doing dishes, or mowing the lawn, or running or walking.
John Wesley wrote of the person who experiences this kind of prayer:
His heart is ever lifted up to God, at all times and in all places. In this he is never hindered, much less interrupted, by any person or thing. In retirement or company, in leisure, business, or conversation, his heart is ever with the Lord. Whether he lay down or rise up, God is in all his thoughts; he walks with God continually, having the loving eye of his mind still fixed upon Him, and everywhere seeing Him that is invisible.
Whatever your profession and whatever your circumstance in life, you can experience this kind of continual prayer. As a business professional, housewife, student, young mother, or single --- everyone can experience it. Your life and mine can have this upward look. It is a state of being.
There are many types of prayer for us to pray. Different kinds of prayer are essential for the differing circumstances of life. There are times when we need to pray prayers of confession because we have sinned. There are times when we need to pray prayers of thanksgiving because we are grateful. There are times when we need to pray prayers of adoration and praise because we want to worship God. There are times when we need to pray prayers of intercession because others need our prayers. There are times we need to pray prayers of petition for ourselves because of some need in our lives. Different prayers address different situations. And there is great variety in prayer.
We must become familiar with and skilled in the use of all kinds of prayer. A skilled marksman can use a rifle very effectively, while an amateur may not even come close to the target. If prayer is to be an effective weapon for us as believers, then we must refine our skill in using prayer through regular praying. We must become familiar with this weapon.
All too often people simply concentrate on petition prayer. We are very quick to rush into God's presence and ask Him for something. But we must take time to praise Him. We must enter into His presence with thanksgiving and praise. This kind of prayer can take the form of speech or song. Songs of praise directed to God are really prayers. Prayer can be spoken, sung, and even expressed without words.
“…Always keep on praying…”
If the weapon of prayer is to be used effectively, it must be used persistently. Just this week I visited with a woman who asked me “How long do I keep asking God for help with this? When do I just stop?” The answer is simple: NEVER! We are in a continual warfare. For prayer to be effective, we cannot afford to let up. We must be on the alert. We must pray, pray, and pray again.
Jesus emphasized the importance of persistent prayer. In fact, He told a story in Luke 18 to illustrate this point. The reason for that story was “to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.” Toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount He encouraged all of us to be persistent in our praying when He said, “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.” These three verbs are all present imperatives. He is really saying, “Keep on asking; keep on seeking; keep on knocking.” Additionally, there is an ascending order of intensity to these verbs. One begins by asking. But seeking is more than simply asking. It involves action. Seeking is going after something. And knocking involves more than simply asking or seeking. The picture here is of someone pounding on a door. There is no doubt that Jesus intended to graphically illustrate the importance of persistence and perseverance in prayer.
We should never quit praying until we get either a yes or a no response. God can certainly tell us no. In that situation we ought to quit praying. God a can also give us a yes. Then we can also quit praying. But when we hear neither a yes nor a no, then we should keep praying. God may be using our persistence in prayer to accomplish His will. He may be doing something in you, or in someone else. George Mueller of Bristol prayed for two friends for over fifty years. He was asked whether He really believed that God would bring salvation to these men. He replied, “Do you think God would have kept me praying all these years if He did not intend to save them?” They were both converted. One shortly before Mueller’s death, the other at his funeral! In His sovereign will, God uses persistent prayer.
Prayer can be effective, not only for you, but also for others. In fact, one of the primary uses of prayer should be intercessory prayer. We are called to pray for all the saints. Just think of it. Your prayers can have a direct effect on others. Your prayers can bless them. Your prayers can lift them up. Your prayers can impact their lives for Christ. Your prayers can encourage them. Your prayers can keep them from falling. Your prayers can fend off the attack of the enemy. Your prayers can impact situations on a global scale. There is no place in this world where your prayers cannot touch lives. What an awesome privilege we have!
Of course, the obvious reason we are to pray for all the saints is that the saints are engaged in combat. Each Saturday morning our Gatekeepers men’s group gathers around the Word of God and reads Psalm 91. We do it as a prayer for each other – and for 8 months we prayed, every Saturday for Tom Cummins in Iraq. He was at war, and we prayed for the Lord’s protection and covering. It was and is appropriate that we do so – but we are all in a war zone, and we all need those prayers! As we intercede for one another, we engage in the very ministry which Jesus is performing even now. He is at the right hand of God interceding for the saints, and in this passage we are called to join Him in that ministry – praying for each other.
Paul asks for prayer for himself in verse 19 & 20. The battle we wage must be fought on our knees in prayer. As we pray for one another, we need to pray that we, like Paul, will “boldly and fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” When was the last time you prayed that prayer for your spouse, or child, or friend? That they would be bold in sharing the gospel? We need to be praying exactly that prayer as a church – that God would unleash us into this community to share the good news of eternal life in Jesus Christ – advancing His kingdom – pressing against the gates of hell – knowing that those gates will never turn back the body of Christ.
In closing this letter, Paul reminds us that we are not in this fight alone. He needs their support and camaraderie in the fight, just as they, and we, need one another. Nothing knits a group of people together like shared conflict. Paul, while under house arrest and chained to a guard, has spent this entire letter encouraging the people of Ephesus, and now he is sending Tychicus, who has been encouraging Paul, to encourage them, and he asks them to pray for him so that he can be bold and fearless. Folks, we need one another – we need to pray for one another and with each other. Like soldiers in a Roman garrison, we must be found side by side, our shields of faith interlocked, our swords ready – but unlike any other army, as we enter the battle, we bow in prayer for our battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of darkness.
We dare not forget this truth. All our strategic planning, all our training and conferences, any number of programs and curriculum will accomplish nothing if we are not engaged in the battle plan of prayer. You know, I’d love to see what God could do if we would simply become a people of prayer and engage the enemy where it hurts him most…will you join me? What would happen if we got on our knees, and fought like the army of Christ for the next 14 days? What if we covenanted that we are not going to take the summer off from the war – but are going to advance the kingdom over the next three months? Might we see God move? Would you like to try it? Let’s get on our knees and fight like men and women of God! Let’s see His power unleashed and His victory won! Let’s see how big a dent we can make in Satan’s camp!
Let’s PRAY!!!