Prayer is not Preparation for the Battle... Prayer IS the Battle!

The Whole Armor of God - Ephesians 6:10-18

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 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.

13 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. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Stay alert and be persistent in your prayer... Prayer more than anything else empowers God's people to accomplish God's mission. Every successful "faith project" I've been involved in has been fueled by prayer.

A few years ago a friend and I had a brief conversation about the state of the church in the elevator of a hotel near Chicago. As the elevator door opened and I stepped out into the hallway I said, "We should team up and plant a church."  

That brief conversation planted a seed and several months later we got together to explore the idea.  As we talked about it we decided to invite a few others to commit the idea to prayer. As we persisted in prayer over the next six months, God laid out the plan.  Today hundreds of people are part of the two congregations that were birthed during that time of prayer. 

Everything Jesus did was birthed through persistent prayer.

• In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. -- Mark 1:35

• But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. -- Luke 5:16

• Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. -- Luke 6:12

• Jesus said, "So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into the fields. -- Matthew 9:38

• After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn't we drive the spirit out?” “Only prayer can drive this kind out,” answered Jesus; “nothing else can.” -- Mark 9:28-29

• Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” -- Luke 11:1

• Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.” -- Luke 22:39-40

• At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.” -- Luke 22:45-46

If we want to accomplish God's mission, we need to get up and pray that we will not give in to the temptation to sleep rather than seek the way of Jesus.