praying effectively: Be Strong in the Lord (Eph.6:10-20)

(Ephesians 6:10-20)  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Reminder:  "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will.  When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!

It is God's will:

- that we put on the full armor of God to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (6:11)

- that we have salvation (6:17)

- that we read, know and use the Bible (6:17)

- that we build up our faith (6:16)

- that we are strong in the Lord and rely on His power (6:10-13)

- that we remain steadfast, standing firm in God's truth (6:14)

- that we practice righteousness (6:14)

- that we are living out and are always ready to share the gospel of peace (6:15)

- that we pray for the Lord to give us the words in order to share the gospel with boldness (6:19-20)

- that we are always praying in the Spirit, praying in God's will (6:18)

- that we are on the alert to continuously pray for all believers (6:18)

Today's prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for saving us from sin, and for protecting us from darkness.  Help us do as we should in order to remain steadfast in Your peace, strength and truth.  Remind us to ask for Your guidance and strength in everything we do.  Give us the desire to know You and Your word better, in order to increase our faith in You.  

Help all Your children to realize that You are not a religion of do's and don'ts, but that You want us to have a close relationship with You.  You want us to rely on You for everything, giving You the honor and glory, not just on Sunday mornings, but all of the time.  Wherever we go, help us to be ready to share the good news as You give us opportunities.  Give us the courage, and the right words to say.  Guide us with humble hearts, so that we remain living out Your will, always in Your almighty power.  Amen.