The Prayer of Spiritual Warfare (Eph. 6:18)

Prayer might not seem like a vital part of warfare. Yet, when engaging our spiritual enemy, it's essential. This evening, we consider what prayer in battle looks like. Watch/listen to at: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermon/95231951447106

Notes

Transcript

Series: Ephesians: Building the ChurchText: Ephesians 6:18

By: Shaun Marksbury Date: September 3, 2023

Venue: Living Water Baptist ChurchOccasion: PM Service

Introduction

We’ve been considering spiritual warfare for the past two weeks, so prayer may seem like an abrupt change of topics. However, just as communication is vital in warfare, so too is prayer. We see this in other biblical contexts; Moses had to continue in prayer for Joshua’s sword to be effective against the Amalekites (Exod. 17:8–16). When the disciples could not cast the demon out of the child, Jesus explains, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer” (Mark 9:29). In fact, the battles we face often serve the purpose of driving us to God in prayer.

Without prayer, we are not properly engaging in spiritual warfare. It’s an aspect of preparing for battle, for as one commentary notes, “Prayer must buckle on all the other parts of our Christian armour.” We’ve learned that all our armor originates in the Lord. We gird our loins with His truth, put on the breastplate of His righteousness, prepare our feet by covering them with His gospel (vv. 14–15). We take up the shield of faith (which is a gift of God, Eph. 2:8–9), the helmet of salvation He provides, and the sword of His Spirit which is His Word (vv. 16–17).

Prayer also helps us in in the heat of conflict. We are told “to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (v. 10). Christians must draw upon the strength of the Lord to stand firm (v. 13). We don’t rely on our own strength, but His.

Prayer is essential to spiritual warfare, bringing us to our verse today. The word beginning v. 18, “with,” tells us that we grab all the armor of the previous verses through prayer. Far from a change in topics, prayer serves as the source of strength in our spiritual struggle, and this verse gives us the broad span of prayer emphasized with four, repeated “alls.” So, we’ll note that we are to pray all prayers, pray always, pray with all persistent watchfulness, and pray watching for all God’s people. Let’s consider the scope of prayer we need for spiritual warfare.

First, we should pray all prayers

“With all prayer and petition…”

Paul starts with the words “with all prayer and petition.” Another way of reading this is that we should engage the battle against the devil and temptation with all prayer and with all petition. Just as Paul said that we’re to “take up the full armor of God” (v. 13), we’re to engage battle with a variety of prayers.

Many places in Scripture exemplify a panoply of prayerfulness. For instance, Paul says elsewhere, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). The KJV says, “be careful for nothing,” meaning “do not be full of care” or anxious. Instead, we’re commanded to engage in “prayer and supplication” (the same word for petition here in Ephesians) and do so “with thanksgiving.” In that verse, there is a broader assortment of utterances to extend to God that help us to overcome the temptation of anxiety.

We could add other types of prayer, such as confession and intercession. That brings us to another example of variety in prayer, the Lord’s Prayer. It begins with praise and worship for the Father. It includes confessions that His will is to be done and that we are debtors. It further includes a petition for our daily needs and help in dealing with others, forgiving them their debts and maybe even interceding for them. Another petition arises as we seek the Lord for victory over temptation and the evil one, a prayer apropos for spiritual warfare. We come before the Lord with all prayer and petition.

As you’ve learned about prayer, you will often hear that prayer is a conversation with God. Indeed, you can talk to Him just as you could talk to me or anyone else. Jesus said you don’t need to utter certain words or even many of them to be heard by God (cf. Matt. 6:7). You don’t have to include such terms as thees and thous from the KJV to bend the Lord’s ear — those in Christ have the boldness simply to approach the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16).

However, the term “conversation” can be misleading, for it implies that we must wait on some kind of response from God when we pray. Sadly, this is a growing misunderstanding in Evangelical churches. It used to be if one asked most Christians how God speaks to us, they would reply that He communicates to us through His Word. However, popular books have changed the thinking of the church over recent decades, notorious among them being Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby and Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Such books have encouraged Christians to wait and listen to God in prayer. However, Jesus never says to do this when He teaches us the Lord’s Prayer, nor does any other passage on prayer in Scripture, including this one; Christians open themselves to receive false words when they do this.

We do read here that we’re to pray in the Spirit, which may be a further point of confusion. So, let’s turn there next. Not only are we to pray all prayers, but…

Second, we should always pray in the Holy Spirit

“…pray at all times in the Spirit,…”

We read here that we must “pray at all times in the Spirit.” There’s a capital “s” in this translation, a reference to the Holy Spirit. In another place, Jude tells us specifically to pray in the Holy Spirit (Jude 20), the same thought as we have here. The fact that we can pray to God in the first place is a grace of His Holy Spirit. Jesus says that hypocrites make long prayers to be heard (Matt. 23:14), and in John 9:31, we read, “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.” There are times where God even says to those who claim to be His people that “even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen” (Isa. 1:15). We’re all sinners and somewhat hypocritical, a perilous condition before a holy and angry God.

However, the Lord is also a God of mercy and grace, and He regenerates the heart so that we can repent of sin and fear the Lord. He works such grace through the Holy Spirit, and it is He who causes our prayers to ascend before the throne of God like smoke from the altar of incense (Exod. 30:1–10). The Holy 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 too deep for words; and … intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:26–27). In other words, the Spirit of God alone is the reason anyone can pray.

Think about this illustration. When the little ones want to make a card for Mother’s Day, they may ask daddy how to choose the paper and crayons (a red sheet of construction paper with a red crayon will not communicate well!). They might ask how to spell the message, and he replies, “I L-O-V-E Y-O-U.” The father, in a sense, is helping the children in their weakness. Likewise, though we don’t pray as we ought, the Holy Spirit helps us pray as we should.

To pray in the Holy Spirit, then, is the only way to pray at all, and it is to pray “in the power and sphere of the Spirit.” We seek the Holy Spirit for insight, wisdom, guidance, and strength. We want our prayers to align with the will of God, and we can only do that through the Holy Spirit. We pray with the “Spirit of grace and of supplication” (Zec. 12:10) and are being filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).

So, to pray in the Spirit is to completely rest in the ability of God. I don’t even trust in my ability to pray! Instead, I seek Him to align my words with His revealed will in His Word. As such, I may even devote much time to a prayer, even sometimes writing it out ahead of time as I pray over my prayer! In the end, though, when I pray, I do so trusting the Holy Spirit will make it better. We can put no confidence in the flesh.

So important is the Spirit that we read here we’re to “pray at all times in the Spirit.” The state of the verb “pray” in the original is possibly middle, which seems to indicate that one is praying for oneself. In other words, it is, of course, right to extend prayers to God for your own self. Again, as Philippians 4:6 commands, “let your requests be made known to God.”

There’s also a frequency to prayer in Paul’s words. By that, I don’t mean a radio frequency, as though we need to “tune into” God (contra Sarah Young). Yet, we should extend prayers on a frequent or continual basis. Perhaps 1 Thessalonians 5:17 puts this principle more succinctly: “pray without ceasing.”

So, prayer can be offered often. It’s not that continually praying for the same request impresses God with our many words; Jesus said the opposite in Matthew 6:7. Still, He taught us to pray at all times and not lose heart (Luke 18:1), and Paul modeled praying at all times for Christians (Col. 1:3). Don’t only allow times of trouble drive you to God. While it is right to seek Him in our distress, it is best to pray in all the stations of our lives. Every moment, emotion, thought, and choice is an opportunity for prayer, whether as a petition or a praise, and it is always done in the power of the Holy Spirit.

To go one step further, then, we don’t need to pray only at certain times (say, 6am, 12pm, and 9pm). Regularity can be helpful, especially in busy seasons, but praying “at all times” doesn’t mean that ritual times throughout the day makes our prayers more acceptable to God. We should cultivate a practice of praying at every moment.

Again, God only hears us because we pray “in the Spirit,” not because of how often we pray. Still, an attitude of constant prayer reminds us of our constant need for Him. Recognizing our dependency is vital in spiritual warfare.

That leads naturally into the next point. Not only are we to engage in all prayer, praying in the Spirit at all times, but also, “with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance.” So:

Third, we should pray with all persistent watchfulness

“…and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance…”

While praying in the Holy Spirit, we should engage in a persistent watchfulness or alertness. Jesus commanded such prayer (Mark 13:33). On the night the Lord was betrayed, He chided the disciples for not being able to remain awake in prayer; “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:37–38). Because of Peter’s lack of prayerful watchfulness, Satan won a spiritual battle with him (cf. vv. 67–72). We need to be awake to the spiritual battle surrounding us.

Consider this. A watchman on the front lines falling asleep is derelict in his duties, not only earning himself a possible court-marshal but possibly also death from the enemy for all he failed. Should not a soldier of the cross also watch and be prepared, not just with his armor, but with prayer? Indeed, when we lack watchfulness or alertness, we begin to trust in the strength of the flesh to get us through this life.

The enemy looks for such opportunities of weakness, and remember he has many wiles or schemes (v. 11). Indeed, and he is cunning — he may even come in subtly with what appears to be an answer to prayer. For instance, during the temptation of Christ, he offered Jesus an early victory of sorts, should the Lord only violate His Word. We must be alert: The devil may tempt us to think God won’t hear us unless we pray long, like the Pharisees; he may tempt us to pray briefly, giving up our petitions on the eve of some victory. He will use every deception in his arsenal.

So, we must pray “with all perseverance.” This is what the disciples engaged in after the ascension (Acts 1:14). It is not faithless to continue in prayer for some outcome; it only becomes sinful if we think our many words will sway God to violate His holy will. We’re told elsewhere to “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2). As MacArthur notes,

The parables of the persistent neighbor and the importunate widow were both told by Jesus to illustrate the manner in which His followers should pray. At the end of the first parable He said, “And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened” (Luke 11:9). At the end of the other parable He explained, “Now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily” (Luke 18:7–8).

This watchfulness or alertness keeps us aware not just for our own prayer requests, then. If our eyes are open, then we will see opportunities to pray for others, as well. Note that this modifies the way in which we are alert — we should be persistent and watchful in our prayers and petitions in the Holy Spirit for all the saints. That brings us to the final point.

Fourth, we should pray for all God’s people

“…and petition for all the saints”

Elsewhere, Paul urges “that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men” (1 Tim. 2:1). Here, he encourages specific prayer for fellow saints. As opportunity arises, we should “do good to all people,” but “especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal. 6:10). That’s because there should be a special watchfulness amongst God’s people for each other arising from mutual love, the means by which people know we’re Christ’s disciples (John 13:35).

We tend to focus on our own problems, great as they may be. However, intercessory prayer for others may even help us in surprising ways. For instance, after everything Job endured, the Lord chose to restore his fortunes after he had prayed for his friends (Job 42:10). One of our problems might be that we are too inwardly focused. As one author notes of another:

Praying for others with sincerity and perseverance is, in God’s immeasurable grace, a great blessing and strength to our own souls. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reported that before the outbreak of the Spanish civil war that country was experiencing such an epidemic of neuroses that psychiatrists could hardly handle them all. But the war, terrible and destructive as it was in most respects, had the unexpected effect of “curing” many of Spain’s thousands of neurotics. When they became concerned about the welfare of their families, friends, and country instead of their own, their neuroses disappeared and hospitals and clinics were almost emptied of such cases. “These neurotic people were suddenly cured by a greater anxiety,” an anxiety that reached beyond their own selfish welfare. (The Christian Soldier [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1977], pp. 357–58.)

Obviously, and again, it’s not wrong to pray for your own needs, but the command here is to pray for the saints. In fact, as Paul is on this point, he will go on to ask for prayer for himself in the next verse. It’s an interesting study to note what he prays for when he asks for prayer, but we will save that for next week.

Conclusion

We must remember this scope of prayer comes in the context of spiritual warfare. Christians pray all prayers, pray always, pray with all persistent watchfulness, and pray watching for all God’s people. Only with the strength of the Lord are we able to stand against the schemes of the enemy, so may we utilize the full panoply of prayer.

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