Prayer is not simply making our requests known to God, although that is an important aspect of communicating with God (Philippians 4:6-8). Prayer is actually spiritual warfare in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). It is an exciting spiritual discipline, and most people never even scratch the surface of what is possible.
I like to break concepts down into bite-sized pieces:
· Praise – First for who God is, and then what He does for us.
· Reflection – A searching inventory of our soul.
· Asking – For our needs and for God’s wisdom and direction.
· Your Daily Schedule – consulting God’s will for us each moment of our day.
Prayer allows us to draw near to and submit to God. In a place of prayer, we have His ear and His guidance. When we draw near to God, we hide under the shelter of His wings (Psalm 91:4). We confidently approach His throne with our requests (Hebrews 4:16). We are filled with His Spirit and directed by His peace each moment of our day (Philippians 4:7-9).
We ask God to search us, and to know our soul – our thoughts, emotions, and choices - to see if there is any iniquity hiding in the inner closets we keep hidden from others, and sometimes even conceal from our self in the form of repressed memories (Psalm 139:23).
When we resist the devil, we stop entertaining his lies that sicken our soul (1 Peter 1:13-16). Submitting to God and defying the devil, sets up the consequence of satanic forces fleeing from us. God’s Spirit enables us to resist Satan’s temptations and to discern his lies. Even Jesus was tempted by the lies of the devil but never sinned (Matthew 4:1-11).
Jesus used God’s Word to fight the enemy, and we can too (James 4:7-8). We never draw up a chair in the recesses of our mind and invite satanic influences to join our deliberations. We resist his temptation to cast away our confidence in God’s faithfulness (Hebrews 10:35-37).
We live as victors rather than victims – as more than conquerors through God’s Spirit (John 16:33; Romans 8:31-39; 1 Corinthians 15:57; Zechariah 4:6; Luke 10:19; Deuteronomy 28:7). He saves our spirit and soul and will eventually provide us with a glorified body, which is like the one that Jesus had when He emerged from the tomb. Satan retained no power to hold Jesus in the grave (1 Peter 1:8-9; Acts 2:24).
Prayer:
Father God, we are Your elect whom You chose through Your foreknowledge of the end of time to the very beginning (Isaiah 46:10). You sanctify us through the redemptive work of Your Spirit, so we will live obedient lives in Christ Jesus, who saved us by His blood. Even when we suffer in trials, they prove the genuineness of our faith, which is worth more than silver and gold refined in the smelter’s fire (1 Peter 1:1-7).
Although we have never seen You, we love You because You first loved us (1 John 4:19-21). We believe in You and Your Word because they are tried and true since the beginning of time. You fill us with Your indescribable and glorious joy, and You flood us with Your constant peace as we walk in Your ways. We give You all the glory for our accomplishments during this lifetime because You deserve all our praises.
Thoughts for the Day:
In spiritual warfare, we stay aware of satanic movement around us and remain alert to this influence in our personal life. The good news is that greater is the Trinity of God within us, than satanic forces. Our weapons in this war are the armor of God, and they are our divine power to demolish evil arguments that Satan sets up to take our thoughts captive. God’s armor gives us His peace, which keeps us from feelings of anxiety because we are set free by His Truth.
- John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 John 4:4; 1 Peter 5:8-9; Ephesians 6:11-17
