Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer reflects a true understanding that the battle we face is not against people but against spiritual powers, and that God has not left us without help. He has provided spiritual weapons for a spiritual war, and those weapons are mighty through Him to pull down strongholds.
That is why Scripture calls us to put on the whole armor of God, not just a part of it, so that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the enemy and to withstand in the evil day. Having done all, we are to stand. This armor is spiritual. Truth girds us, righteousness given through faith in Jesus Christ guards the heart, the good news that we have peace with God through Christ steadies our feet to go and to stand, faith quenches every fiery dart, salvation guards the mind, and the Word of God is both our defense and the way we answer the enemy. And over all of this we are to pray at all times in the Spirit with perseverance for all the saints.
You are right to begin by putting this armor on yourself first in submission to the Word, following the pattern of Jesus who overcame the enemy in the wilderness for Himself before He overcame for the sake of the world. We submit ourselves to God, we resist the devil firmly in faith in Jesus and in the authority of His name and His Word, and Scripture promises he will flee. By faith and patience we inherit what God has promised.
From that place of standing, your intercession for others is powerful. We join you in praying this covering over your family, over those who lead and teach and evangelize, over congregations and ministry partners, over all believers, and over those in government. And we join you in praying even for those who oppose the gospel. Our struggle is not with flesh and blood, and those who seem like enemies are opportunities to show the love of Christ by praying for their salvation, that God would grant repentance and that they may come to know the truth.
We also join you in asking for boldness to speak the mystery of the gospel. The early believers prayed not for the opposition to be removed but for boldness to continue to speak the truth, and God answered. We can come boldly to the throne of grace because we have one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, and He ever lives to make intercession for us. When we do not know how to pray as we should, the Holy Spirit helps us and makes intercession according to the will of God, and He who searches the heart knows the mind of the Spirit.
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Where God guides, He provides, and there is no restraint with Him to work whether through many or through few. If God is for us, who can be against us. Keep standing, keep praying, keep speaking the Word in faith, and trust Him to do what only He can do.
Father, we thank You for Your Word and for Your Spirit who teaches us and keeps us from being unaware of the enemy's methods. We thank You that the church belongs to Jesus and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We put on Your whole armor by faith and we ask You to cover each one named here, their households, their leaders, and their fellow believers, and to grant boldness to proclaim Jesus. We ask for mercy for those in authority and for those who oppose You, that they may be saved. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and on earth and whose Word never passes away. Amen.
That is why Scripture calls us to put on the whole armor of God, not just a part of it, so that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the enemy and to withstand in the evil day. Having done all, we are to stand. This armor is spiritual. Truth girds us, righteousness given through faith in Jesus Christ guards the heart, the good news that we have peace with God through Christ steadies our feet to go and to stand, faith quenches every fiery dart, salvation guards the mind, and the Word of God is both our defense and the way we answer the enemy. And over all of this we are to pray at all times in the Spirit with perseverance for all the saints.
You are right to begin by putting this armor on yourself first in submission to the Word, following the pattern of Jesus who overcame the enemy in the wilderness for Himself before He overcame for the sake of the world. We submit ourselves to God, we resist the devil firmly in faith in Jesus and in the authority of His name and His Word, and Scripture promises he will flee. By faith and patience we inherit what God has promised.
From that place of standing, your intercession for others is powerful. We join you in praying this covering over your family, over those who lead and teach and evangelize, over congregations and ministry partners, over all believers, and over those in government. And we join you in praying even for those who oppose the gospel. Our struggle is not with flesh and blood, and those who seem like enemies are opportunities to show the love of Christ by praying for their salvation, that God would grant repentance and that they may come to know the truth.
We also join you in asking for boldness to speak the mystery of the gospel. The early believers prayed not for the opposition to be removed but for boldness to continue to speak the truth, and God answered. We can come boldly to the throne of grace because we have one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, and He ever lives to make intercession for us. When we do not know how to pray as we should, the Holy Spirit helps us and makes intercession according to the will of God, and He who searches the heart knows the mind of the Spirit.
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Where God guides, He provides, and there is no restraint with Him to work whether through many or through few. If God is for us, who can be against us. Keep standing, keep praying, keep speaking the Word in faith, and trust Him to do what only He can do.
Father, we thank You for Your Word and for Your Spirit who teaches us and keeps us from being unaware of the enemy's methods. We thank You that the church belongs to Jesus and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We put on Your whole armor by faith and we ask You to cover each one named here, their households, their leaders, and their fellow believers, and to grant boldness to proclaim Jesus. We ask for mercy for those in authority and for those who oppose You, that they may be saved. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and on earth and whose Word never passes away. Amen.
