The Potent Weapon of Prayer

"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." Ephesians 6:17-18 (NLT)

by Alexandra Copeland

As Christians that are committed to living the life that Jesus Christ made available, prayer is the most powerful weapon that we have. John 10:10 tells us that our blessed Lord came so that not only could we have an abundant life, but a more than abundant life. I dare say that most of us would be happy with just an abundant life, but God deals with the exceedingly abundant. He always surpasses our expectations. He goes beyond anything that we can think or imagine. So because of Christ, we have access to the kind of extraordinary life that God wanted for His people since the world began. We learn from Ephesians 1:11(NLT), that “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.” This is good news indeed, because God’s plan for each of us, and for the entire universe, is absolutely amazing, but we can never forget that God has an enemy. This enemy, the devil, will stop at nothing to try and ruin the plan of God. This is why our prayers are so monumentally important.

In Ephesians 6:13-18, the Apostle Paul teaches us about the weapons that God has given us. A person can’t really comprehend the usefulness of weapons without first knowing a little something about warfare, because warfare is the event that makes weaponry necessary. Your opponent will have a field day if you try to engage in battle without weapons; it is almost a sure thing that you will lose if you attempt to fight this way. Even David used a sling-shot to kill Goliath. It was a small weapon against a giant enemy, but with the force of faith in God behind it, this small weapon packed a mighty punch.
It is paramount that as Christians, we understand that we belong to the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ gave us the keys to open the door; for in Matthew16:19a (NLT) he said, “And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.” The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to God, but there is also another kingdom. This kingdom belongs to satan, and it is occupied by his demons.

In the Book of Matthew, Chapter 12, the Pharisees were so blinded by the devil that they accused Jesus Christ of casting out demons under the authority of Beelzebub, the prince of demons—lucifer himself. The Pharisees were not even worthy to speak the name of Jesus, and yet here we have them taking a healing and restorative act of Christ and turning it around to accuse him of being in allegiance with God’s archenemy, the devil. Jesus responded in Matthew 12:25-26(NLT) and said, “25 Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive.” We know that we, you and I, belong to the Kingdom of God, and Jesus Christ informed us in Matthew 12:25 that the devil also has a kingdom.

Paul said in Philippians 3:20 (NLT), “But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.” Because of the sacrifice of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we are now citizens of God’s Kingdom. The enemy has waged war against God’s Kingdom; therefore, we must understand that as citizens of heaven, we are also under attack. This is not a visible war, but it is invisible warfare and the enemy wants it to remain as such. Exposure means that he has to fight out in the open where he is seen for the thief and liar that he is. It’s one of the reasons that he uses his tricks to keep people in the dark, because when they are blind they are ignorant of his devices.

Whether or not you wish to fight is of no consequence to the enemy; he wants to fight you. The worse position in the world is to not know your enemy, but we know ours. And not only do we know who and what he is, we also know that we have fail-proof, impenetrable spiritual armor. We can’t fight a spiritual war with weapons of the flesh. Ephesians 6:12(NLT) tells us, “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.

Many of us are struggling against issues and problems that we can’t seem to get beyond. We reach a certain level of success, and then it feels like we’re blocked from going any further. It is an unexplainable and invisible resistance, and so many are scratching their heads because they can’t understand it. The resistance comes from the devil’s kingdom, and God has given us a weapon to defeat this demonic attack. Heavenly Father tells us in Ephesians 6:13-18(NLT):
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.

Again, as Christians, we’re not fighting against a visible, flesh and blood, enemy. Our enemies are evil rulers and authorities of the unseen kingdom of satan. We need not cower in a corner, shaking in fear, for God did not give us a spirit of fear. He gave us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. He has also given us seven powerful, spiritual weapons, and they are more than enough to resist the enemy and stand strong in the strength of God’s might. In Ephesians 6:13-18, God lists our spiritual weaponry as 1) the belt of truth, 2) the breastplate of righteousness, 3) shoes made of the peace of the good news, 4) the shield of faith to stop the devil’s dart, 5) the helmet of salvation, and 6) the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word. The last and I dare say most potent weapon is that of prayer. Verse 18 tells us to pray in the Spirit at ALL times and on EVERY occasion.

The weapon of prayer ought to demonstrate for us how powerful our dialogue, communication, and communion with God through the indwelling Holy Spirit really is. When we pray to God in earnest, and back up our prayers with the faith of Jesus Christ, something supernatural happens. We position ourselves in the victory that Christ has already obtained for us. We take it by the force and discipline of a prayer life that is centered on the Word of God. With the weapons that God has provided, there is no way that we can lose. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.