God gives every Christian spiritual armor, but it’s important for us to put on every piece with prayer. Prayer is the energy that enables the warrior to wear the armor and wield the sword.

No matter how talented we might be, if we try to fight the spiritual battle Paul described in Ephesians 6 in the energy of the flesh, we can never be victorious. That’s why the apostle ended his discussion of spiritual armor by saying, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).

This is one of the Bible’s greatest verses about prayer because it tells us how warriors pray — their persistence, possibilities, petitions, power, precision, perseverance, and purpose.

The persistence of the warrior’s prayer:  Praying always. Like soldiers, we must keep our two-way radios constantly on, keep the line open, be in continual contact with our Commander-in-Chief. It’s natural for the prayer warrior to be talking to God all day and all night as the needs or thoughts arise.

The possibilities of the warrior’s prayer: Praying always with all prayer. According to this verse, we can pray on any occasion, in any location, in any situation, and for any supplication. We can write our prayers, sing our prayers, and make prayer an exciting adventure.

The petition of the warrior’s prayer:  Praying always with all prayer and supplication. This word “supplication” means asking God for what you need. James warned that we have not because we ask not. We keep prayer lists and share our prayer requests with others. Asking is the rule of the kingdom, for God has the resources to meet our needs.

The power of the warrior’s prayer: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit means we pour over the Word of God to discover what the Holy Spirit wants for our lives. As we read the Bible, we discern the will of God, and the Holy Spirit interprets it in our hearts. Then we pray that back to God.

The precision of the warrior’s prayer: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end. The word “watchful” actually means to stay awake. The warrior guards his time, plans his schedule, watches for everything that feeds the prayer life, and guards against anything that will distract from praying. Reading a chapter from a book about prayer each day helps prepare my heart for praying.

The perseverance of the warrior’s prayer: ...being watchful to this end with all perseverance. Sometimes we don’t win the spiritual victory because we give up too soon. Never stop praying no matter how dark and hopeless your case may seem.

The purpose of the warrior’s prayer: ...being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. We don’t have to fight this battle alone. The purpose of our praying is to pray for others, and Paul gave us a hint of how we should pray...and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known...the Gospel.

He didn’t ask them to pray for his release from prison but that he would speak the message boldly. We must pray in particulars, not just for physical comforts, but for spiritual power to accomplish His work.

Throughout Scripture are illustrations of the power of prayer in the midst of battle. Whenever Israel fought in her own strength, she was defeated; when she cast herself on the Lord and trusted in the strength of prayer, she was victorious.

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. We must put on the armor with prayer. Don’t go to war in your own human strength, but do it on your knees. And claim the victory over Satan by putting on the whole armor of God — piece by piece — prayerfully preparing to triumph in Christ day by day.

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Dr. Jeremiah is the founder and host of Turning Point for God and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California. For more information on Turning Point, go to www.DavidJeremiah.org.

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