War Ready: Put on Prayer
Read Time: 13 min 28 secs
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.”
Ephesians 6:10-20 NLT
Every time we do a ROAR event, crazy things seem to happen. I mean, people have had chronic health challenges and flare-ups. I've seen at least a handful of team members lose jobs or have unexpected career challenges around this time. A leader's basement flooded days before a highly anticipated event they were the main planner for. I’ve seen people threatened with eviction and even get word that close friends passed away hours before an event. We’ve even had some venues cancel days before, drop the ball on funding weeks before, or say no to agreed-upon process hours before. I’ve seen sound boards in two separate cities break right before an event when they were perfectly fine just before.
There have been situations that are even too sensitive to talk about here. Monkey wrench after monkey wrench has been thrown as we’ve endeavoured to walk out God-sized ideas and have the faith to trust that He will catch us when He tells us to jump, no matter how crazy the leap of faith looks. There have been breakups, internal issues, work challenges, health challenges, family challenges, friend challenges, funding challenges, and all sorts of problems when everything was fine moments before. And they all pop up as soon as we are on the verge of stepping out in faith and calling other influential leaders to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and join us on this mission of igniting others for ministry. It’s too predictable not to be a pattern. And I believe you can find the same pattern in your own life.
My family's phrase for the year has been soar and stretch. What that means is that this year, we’re committed to stepping out in faith and soaring into the new territories and platforms God has called us to, while stretching into a new level of responsibility, capacity, and faithfulness. Stretching and soaring often go together because new muscle often requires new weight. With new levels come new devils. With bigger stages come brighter lights, and it's an interesting reality to balance.
I recently talked to a very accomplished and gifted pastor, evangelist, administrator, and mentor who let me know that at times they are afraid of following God into the God-sized ideas He calls them to because they know the weight and attack that will come with it. It feels like having 19 in a game of 21, and the devil is playing defense. They’ve experienced the health challenges, financial challenges, relational challenges, and emotional challenges that often come your way to stretch you or strain you as you seek to soar with God.
If you look back, the devil often tries his hardest to make everything around you scream no when you are about to give your yes to God. Whether it be in your church, ministry, family, personal goals, business goals, or intimate walk with God, it seems like right before God shows up the brightest, life gets the darkest. And I truly believe this is the devil's way of trying to distract, derail, and destroy the people of God before they step into the power and purpose of God.
The Reality of War
Here’s the thing we often forget. We are in a war. Peter argues that the devil is a roaring lion, actively seeking out whom he can derail, destroy, and devour. Lions are stealth hunters. They sneak behind grass and bushes so that you don’t sense danger, only to pounce when it’s too late. By the time you see them, all you may have time to recognize is a 400-pound, 9-foot killing machine leaping 10 feet in the air and running 50 miles an hour to attack its prey with a bite force of 700 pounds per square inch of contact area. By the time you notice, it’s often too late. A lion hunts slowly but attacks fast, just like the devil. He stalks slowly so that you don’t recognize danger and then attacks. But not only that. Lions love to attack when your head is down.
They’ll stalk animals that are grazing or drinking near watering holes because they have an easier time sneaking up on you when you're focused on eating and not thinking about being attacked. The devil desires to get you when you’re focused on something else. Not just focused on bad things, but good things too. So focused on ministry that you forget the attacks. So focused on family that you forget the devil hates family. So focused on building what God told you to build that you forget that the devil is trying his hardest to make it collapse on you. This is the issue. Many of us don’t even realize we’re being attacked. This is why Peter in 1 Peter 5:8 says to stay sober-minded and alert, because the devil is a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. It’s too risky to be distracted or lulled asleep.
Like a lion, the devil goes for the neck, so to speak, so that you feel as if you cannot call for help as you suffocate in shame. Like a lion, he goes after those weak, tired. He sees our desperation, distraction, unmet needs, wounds, or emotional immaturity as chinks in armor that make us an easy target. He is actively trying to derail what God has destined for you. Yes you. Not just the pastors, business leaders, or ministry leaders you look up to, but you. Look what Paul says in a letter written to regular every day christians. He argues that we’re all fighting against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world. And like a hidden lion, we often can't see the attackers we’re up against.
There are powers of darkness actively seeking you out for the purpose of destroying you. If your eyes were opened, you'd see evil spirits actively trying to snuff out your calling, your children, your marriage, your influence, and your ministry. You'd see that there is an active bounty on your head. They’re actively trying to find a way in and a way through. You'd see that day and night, spiritual powers are fighting for your soul and attention.
I don’t tell you this to scare you. I tell you this to prepare you. Problems are sometimes proof that you’re in your purpose. Things often get worse before they get better because the devil is afraid of what will happen if you keep pushing. Things often feel heavier before you get stronger because the devil is afraid of how you’ll function for the kingdom at a new capacity. Thomas Edison said that “Many of life's failures are people who didn't realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Angela Duckworth, in her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, argues that persistence and passion matter more for success than innate talent. The devil knows this, and that is why he is trying to get you to give up as soon as you get close.
Opportunities, obstacles, obstructions, and objections will often present themselves as soon as we are moments away from stepping into all that God has for you in a season. Issues will come before you say yes to the thing that will change the trajectory of your life. Problems will arise right before you are used to influence those who will go on to influence nations for the kingdom of God, and this pattern of pain before purpose shouldn’t be ignored. The devil understands your influence and capability and is afraid of it. The issue is that many of us are ignoring our power.
Now, I don’t want to communicate that you or I should avoid any responsibility for proper preparation and planning, or argue that all issues in every life and ministry are the devil. Some challenges are your fault and need to be acknowledged as such. Instead of just blaming the devil, we should have the awareness to look within and ask what God is trying to show or teach us through failure or problems, and how we can commit to moving forward better. But I do believe that it is no coincidence that a specific type of demonic defense seems to always come when you are about to score spiritually. I want your spiritual eyes to be opened to this.
Scouting Report
Sports teams will often create a scouting report of the players of the other team they are about to play against. A scouting report simply points out the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents so that you can develop a better plan to contain or defeat them.
If you can't go left, the scouting report will say that, and the entire team will force you left. If you are known for a hot temper or lack of emotional control, the scout team will point that out and send people to get under your skin in the first half in hopes that you'll be fouled out, ejected, or give up by the second. If there is a spot you can’t shoot from, they’ll lead you there and keep you open. If there's a situation you often mess up in, they’ll create it. And I believe the devil has something of a scout team. He has watched thousands of years of human history. He has studied your family and people like you for generations. He knows where you go when you're stressed and who you lean on. He knows how to defuse your strength and expose your weakness. The issue is that he is using our patterns against us, but we aren't recognizing his.
When and how does conflict tend to happen in your relationships? When do petty disagreements tend to come? How do you begin to feel before you say something you regret? What are the conditions when you go back to that cycle of sin? When do depression and comparison tend to creep in? When do those negative thoughts seem to pop up that are often so hard to take captive? And what could the enemy be trying to distract you from?
How could he be trying to slow you down? What could he be trying to accomplish, and how would success on his part impact the call God has placed on your life for this moment? If you lash out, how will the influence God gave you be squandered or used to tear down what God wants to use you to do rather than to build it up? If you submit to fear, how will the thing God called you to spearhead be slowed down? Pay attention. Be sober-minded. Don't get in such a cycle that you don't realize you're being set up for just the place the devil wants you. But above all, prepare for the battle before it comes. People who live in Florida have a plan for hurricanes. People who live in Cleveland have a plan for blizzards. You need to do the same spiritually. Learn how you need to prepare beforehand, or what you need to do to stay protected when the attacks show up.
Applying the Armor
This is why Peter says to be sober and vigilant. Don't allow anything in that could compromise your awareness or give the devil a foothold to distract or derail you. Don't put your head down. This is why Paul says to put on the armor of God so that you can thrive, stand, and experience success in spite of the attacks. So what is the armor of God, and how do I apply it? I’m glad you asked.
Paul starts by naming the belt of truth. Truth about yourself, God, and the situation is what holds everything together. It's hard at times to face or speak the truth, especially when it pains us in a negative light, but this is what is needed for the humility God needs to work with us. Next, the breastplate of righteousness is presented as a robe we are covered in, similar to a breastplate or chest piece in a suit of armor. Christ’s righteousness protects us from blows that our own effort or accomplishment couldn't protect us from. After that are the shoes of peace, so that in spite of the valley we walk through, we fear no evil because the Prince of Peace is with us. Walking with God into new and scary situations and holding your footing through the unknown can be stressful and straining, but when peace is attending to your path, you can be like Peter and tread on and through the very storms that are terrifying others.
Above all, Paul says to lift up the shield of faith that can extinguish all of the attacks of the devil. If ultimate faith in Jesus is what keeps us safe and sane throughout all the devil can throw at us, don't you believe it's important? It’s that belief that God is fighting for you. It's that belief that everything He allowed to get shot your way won't be more than you can bear. It's that belief that even the arrows that get through will be turned around and reused, renewed, and recycled for more good than you can imagine. It's faith that turns opposition into optimism. Don't we need faith?
This call to faith leads right into our admonition to take up the helmet of salvation so that our mind is protected by the memory that God has already saved and will continue to save. Remember, Jesus’ name means God is salvation or God’s Salvation. God saves, and Jesus is the God who is saving. When you keep Jesus on your mind, you are constantly remembering that God is a Savior. Salvation is to stay on your mind so that, regardless of the attacks, you know your help is here and coming. But some of you may be recognizing that I only named defensive armor and no offensive weapons. Lastly, Paul says to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. You may notice that the only offensive piece of armor doesn't even originate from you. It is God’s word. John reminds us that Jesus is the Word that became flesh. Paul is telling you that Jesus is the one who is doing the real fighting. Your defense and offense come through your belief in what He already said.
Combat the attacks with the Word of God. Allow the Word to do the fighting. Allow the Word to do the defending. Allow Jesus to take up residence in your life and situation so that you can withstand the attacks of the devil. But how do I put this armor on? How do I find myself safe and protected with Jesus? How do I find this protection?
Paul in Philippians 4:6 argues that praying about everything will lead to a peace that exceeds anything. And that peace will guard your hearts and minds as you rest in Christ Jesus. The word for guard here is used to describe keeping watch and guarding a city to prevent invasion. It's a military term. Prayer is designed to protect and prosper us, similar to the armor of God Paul is arguing for in Ephesians. The issue is that we’ve been complaining about attacks without prioritizing our protection through prayer!
Prayer is your Preparation and Protection
After telling us about the armor of God in verses 10-17, Paul gives us our final instruction in verse 18, and you can't afford to miss this. He says to pray in the Spirit at all times on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent, tenacious, and continual in your prayer for all believers everywhere. Maybe we are feeling the brunt of the attacks or losing direction in the storms because prayer hasn't been our priority and source of protection.
But Paul says don't just pray for yourselves or the other believers. He says, pray for me, too. It’s something special about praying for others. None of us are immune from attacks. On the contrary, the shepherd is often targeted so that the sheep scatter. The devil knows that if he can get someone with influence to give up, he can derail a lot as a consequence. Pray for your leaders that they will keep the faith in spite of friendly fire. Hold their arms up like Aaron and Hur. Pray for your leaders that they’ll continue to fight when we act more like the complaining Israelites than anything. It’s funny how the higher your level of influence grows, the more you respect those you once complained about. There are likely issues and weight they experience that you know nothing about and truly couldn't handle before you were ready. Pray for their courage, boldness, tenacity, and clarity so that they can continue to fight as we go after this win for the kingdom together.
Issue one, I believe, is that we don't acknowledge the war we are in. Issue two is that we don't prepare for it through prayer. We don't allow the Spirit to point out the areas we need to shore up before the storm. We don't listen when the preparation God calls us to sounds extreme. We don’t pray like we're actually being attacked and prayer is the lifeline to our commanding general. Can you honestly say that you have been praying in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion for every believer everywhere? I believe that if we acknowledge the battle and pray like it, we will be, as Paul said, able to withstand anything the devil throws. Will you take the time to pray with and for me?
Questions to consider:
Where in your life do you feel the most pressure, distraction, or opposition right now? What might God be trying to teach you through it?
What patterns tend to show up when you are spiritually vulnerable? Think about stress, fatigue, conflict, comparison, fear, temptation, or isolation.
How can you tell the difference between a spiritual attack, a consequence of your own choices, and a difficult circumstance God may be using to grow you?
Who is someone in your life that you need to be praying for right now—especially someone carrying significant responsibility or influence?
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