THE ARMOR OF GOD AND PRAYER | Northstar Church

” And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” – Ephesians 6:18 (NIV).

Knowing how to pray for the armor of God to be alive and active in your life is critical when you are experiencing spiritual warfare. Prayer brings you into communion and fellowship with God so that His armor can protect you. The armor of God is not just simply a metaphor, it is a necessity to fight the war with the enemy.

We have an enemy that wants to destroy our walk with God. But in Ephesians 6:12 we are told that the devil is not alone in attacking us: “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.” That is why we need the armor of God.

The armor of God includes a belt, breastplate, fitted feet, shield, helmet, and sword. Each is important. Take the sword of the spirit. For Roman soldiers, the sword was their main offensive weapon. The sword for a Christian is the Bible – this is referred to as the Sword of the Spirit. It is called the Sword of the Spirit because we need the help of the Holy Spirit to effectively use this weapon against Satan. The Spirit can help you recall verses when Satan starts to attack, so that you can quickly shut him down. When you read the Bible, the Spirit can speak to you through the Word. Additionally, the Spirit can make certain verses stand out to you as you read the Bible. Scripture is very powerful and is alive and active. That is why it’s so important to be in the Bible on a regular basis.

When most people read about the armor of God, they think that it ends with the sword of the Spirit. But look at Ephesians 6:18. It starts with the word and: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” While most people may not think of prayer as being part of their spiritual armor, it is necessary for any Christian. Think about it – it’s through prayer that you can ask God, the God who made the heavens and the earth, to come to our rescue, to send reinforcements, and to help us win the battle that you are in. Just as the Romans didn’t win every battle, your warfare will have victories and losses too. But prayer and an intimate relationship with God will help you through it all.

We know that God is sovereign. God is above all things and before all things. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is present everywhere so that everyone can know Him. God created all things and holds all things together, both in heaven and on earth. God knows all things past, present, and future. God knows everything completely before it even happens. Nothing is impossible with Him. That being the case, God can help us with every circumstance if we ask Him in prayer.

Pray that God would give you the power to use the armor of God.

Discussion Questions:

How often do you pray about the armor of God?
Which one of the pieces of armor or weapons do you need to pay more attention to? Explain?