The Prayer Warrior

 

Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸ 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 6:16-18

Prayer warriors are the most powerful world changing beings on earth. They know who they are. They’re the children of God, and they act like it! They never wonder about the future because they are too busy creating it through their faith in God.

Paul wrote:

and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, Ephesians 1:19-20

If you are Christian, there’s power accompanying your life that’s greater than great! It’s not human power, but the actual “greatness of God’s power,” “the strength of His might. Think about it: The immeasurable power of God Almighty is attached to your prayer life! The power of God’s might is His resurrection power. What does resurrection mean? It means that things which look dead, smell dead, act dead can be touched by God and raised to life!

This was the might power that was released when God raised Christ from the dead and exalted Him to the place of highest honour and supreme authority in the heavenly realm.

²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 

Ephesians 1:20

Right now, you have resurrection power attached to your life that can absolutely speak to things that are dead and call forth eternal life! The power in us is the same potency God demonstrated when He raised Jesus out of the grave, His resurrection power. Our mission is to bring resurrection life to situations that are dead.

If the devil challenges your prayer, remind him that you’re seated with Christ, “and He is exalted as first above every ruler, authority, government, and realm of power in existence! He is gloriously enthroned over every name that is praised, not only in this age but in the age to coming!

²¹ far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come Ephesians 1:21

Christ’s authority is final. For not only has the Father put “everything beneath His authority.” But He “has given Him the highest rank above all others. And now we, his church, are His body on the earth and that which fills him who is being filled by it!”

²² And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:22-23

This is a most profound understanding of our role. What Christ has attained; we carry out here on the earth. God has positioned the church as the living bridge between the terrible conditions on earth and the wonderful solutions from heaven! AS we truly, passionately, and accurately submit to Christ in prayer, the Kingdom of heaven steadily enters our world! As we receive the revelation, join our prayers with the world, and persevere in prayer, we will see the future conformed to God’s will here on earth!

Jesus told a parable:

¹ One day Jesus taught the apostles to keep praying and never stop or lose hope. He shared with them this illustration:
² “In a certain town there was a civil judge, a thick-skinned and godless man who had no fear of others’ opinions. ³ And there was a poor widow in that town who kept pleading with the judge, ‘Grant me justice and protect me against my oppressor!’
^4–5 “He ignored her pleas for quite some time, but she kept asking. Eventually he said to himself, ‘This widow keeps annoying me, demanding her rights, and I’m tired of listening to her. Even though I’m not a religious man and don’t care about the opinions of others, I’ll just get her off my back by answering her claims for justice and I’ll rule in her favour. Then she’ll leave me alone.’”
⁶ The Lord continued, “Did you hear what the ungodly judge said—that he would answer her persistent request? ⁷ Don’t you know that God, the true judge, will grant justice to all of his chosen ones who cry out to him night and day? He will pour out his Spirit upon them. He will not delay to answer you and give you what you ask for. ⁸ God will give swift justice to those who don’t give up. So be ever praying, ever expecting, just like the widow was with the judge. Yet when the Son of Man comes back, will he find this kind of persistent faithfulness in his people?” Luke 18:1-8

Never stop praying or lose hope. In other words,

If you’re not praying, you will lose heart. For most of the things we pray about, we must persevere and pray though to get the answer. Prayer anchors us in God’s strength for each battle in life we face. We know that it works just by the very fact that we were converted. We were saved because someone went to battle for us! AS we look on our own miracle of conversion, we can gain confidence in God’s help to transform others.

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

Under that banner, we pray and believe God. The Holy Spirit ever lives to make intercession. All we need to do is open our hearts to Him and allow Him to fill us with overflowing faith. Then we must watch as the impossible becomes possible.

Look at the terrible issues of our world right now. Every need we see is where God wants us to release prayer to see His outcome for that situation. God shows us what’s wrong so we can pray for things to be made right. Why waste energy criticizing what’s wrong when our prayers can change it? The Lord our God, who is in the midst of us , is mighty. Our weapons of warfare (The Word of God and prayers of faith) are might to pull down the strongholds. Stop thinking of yourself as unable to pray. That’s a lie out of hell. You were destined to pray mighty prayers!

 

MADE STRONG IN OUR WEAKNESS

 

For although we live in the natural realm we don’t wage a military campaign employing human weapons, using manipliation to achieve our aims. Instead, our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defences behind which people hide. We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and breaks through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Many try to move heaven without touching heaven with a devotional life in God. But the Lord is looking for intimate lovers, not just warriors. A life of intimate devotion and seeking the Father’s heart daily is necessary for our prayers to be effective and potent. To forget about this is to forget that you have an enemy who will take advantage of every weakness. Jehoshaphat’s strategy for warfare was to worship out of weakness.

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:
“Praise the LORD,
For His mercy endures forever.” 2 Chronicles 20:21

When we’re weak, we’re strong.

⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

True power for warfare is not because we are gifted, experienced, or clever. It’s because we have a great King and God who lives within us in battle.

Unless we believers appreciate our weaknesses, we will be deceived. Our blind spots become targets. Our strengths will become places where pride leads us astray. We commit a fatal blunder when we think we are beyond the control or manipulation of an evil spirit. When a child of God becomes “spiritual”

My beloved friends, if you see a believer who is overtaken with a fault, may the one who overflows with the Spirit seek to restore him. Win him over with gentle words, which will open his heart to you and will keep you from exalting yourself over him. Galatians 6:1

We are all subject to the influence of the supernatural world. This is why Paul first mentions the need to be “strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” before instructing us of our armour.

¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, Ephesians 3:16

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10

¹⁰ Now my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through you. Ephesians 6:10 (TPT)

If you think the armour is our strength, we’ll fail. His mighty power living in us wins the battle in prayer.

After Jesus gave Hi disciples the power and the authority to cast out demons and heal the sick.

​¹ Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. ² He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ³ And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. Luke 9:1-3

He gave them one parting word:

³ “Take nothing extra on your journey. Just go as you are. Don’t carry a staff, a backpack, food, money, not even a change of clothes Luke 9:3

Why would He tell them to take nothing? Because He had given them all they needed! His power and authority, and nothing else, must be our strength.

Grace is enough to take with us on our prayer journey. We need only the realization that it’s God plus nothing. When we’re content to be the nothing, God can and will flow through us in prayer.

And in a similar way, the Holy Spirit takes hold of us in our human frailty to empower us in our weakness. For example, at times we don’t even know how to pray, or know the best things to ask for. But the Holy Spirit rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words. 

Romans 8:26

It's not that we take no “things” with us; it’s that we realize that what we have in grace is more than sufficient to sustain us.

When grace makes us strong, passion keeps us faithful. To be passionate is to be awakened to the mission of brining Christ into our environment. I believe that every believer must be passionate, or they will sink into passivity. Nothing can give more ground to the enemy in your life than a passive spirit! Always remember your authority, and never back down! Remember that you’re seated in the heavenly realm and in the throne room when you pray. 

So P.U.S.H.: Pray Until Something Happens!

Mighty is the one who is in you! There’s an English word for what happens if you don’t resist the enemy- it’s called depression! Your muscles will grow stronger as you battle the adversary and push back. You will no longer be depressed; you’ll be energized to pray, knowing that your prayers are weapons in God’s hands.

³² It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
³³ He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.
³⁴ He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵ You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great.
³⁶ You enlarged my path under me,
So my feet did not slip.
³⁷ I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
³⁸ I have wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen under my feet.
³⁹ For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
⁴⁰ You have also given me the necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.
⁴¹ They cried out, but there was none to save;
Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.
⁴² Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;
I cast them out like dirt in the streets.
⁴³ You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;
You have made me the head of the nations;
A people I have not known shall serve me.
⁴⁴ As soon as they hear of me they obey me;
The foreigners submit to me.
⁴⁵ The foreigners fade away,
And come frightened from their hideouts. Psalms 18:32-45

 

PREPARING AN AREA FRO BREAKTHOUGH

 

Jesus sent out seventy disciples to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and cast out demons. Miracle-working power was released through the disciples pulling down strongholds in heaven and breaking open the way for Christ to follow!

After this, the Lord Jesus formed thirty- five teams among the other disciples. Each team was two disciples, seventy in all, and he commissioned them to go ahead of him into every town he was about to visit. He released them with these instructions: "The harvest is huge and ripe. But there are not enough harvesters to bring it all in. As you go, plead with the Owner of the Harvest to drive out into His harvest fields many more workers.”

¹ After this, the Lord Jesus formed thirty-five teams among the other disciples. Each team was two disciples, seventy in all, and he commissioned them to go ahead of him into every town he was about to visit. ² He released them with these instructions:
“The harvest is huge and ripe. But there are not enough harvesters to bring it all in. As you go, plead with the Owner of the Harvest to drive out into his harvest fields many more workers. Luke 10:1-2

Jesus sent His disciples ahead to the very places that He Himself was about to go to release His miracle ministry. The release of the seventy was not just sending out preachers; it was the release of a highly anointed and strategic takeover of the demonic influence over a region. This strategy would precede the personal appearance of Jesus Himself in these specific cities.

The famous revivalist Charles Finney used this same strategy. He would always send Father

Nash into town. And Nash would gather a team of two or three to covenant their hearts together, and, with throne room prayer, they would release  heaven in each region. After they had prepared the way, Finney would go in and preach the gospel,  reaping a great harvest of souls. It was the same way that Jesus operated. It was as though the seventy were the "breakers".

The one who breaks open will come up before them;
They will break out,
Pass through the gate,
And go out by it;
Their king will pass before them,
With the LORD at their head.” Micah 2:13

They opened the way, and Jesus came behind to completely mop up the enemy's camp. But of course, Jesus was the real breaker, working in tandem with His disciples, His prayer partners! As they were sent, they were given the task of interceding for "labourers" to be sent into the harvest. Jesus was giving them an example of a strategy that could be repeated by a massive and coordinated spiritual assault in a region of apostolic ministry. And could it be that the labourers" are really those released in battle formation like the seventy? This is an example of a strategically released force of "labourers" into a region. They'll be those that have spent time in the throne room and have been anointed to break the network of power over the area: men and women who are anointed as sent ones to prepare the way of the Lord and bring in the harvest! There is a golden bowl of prayer in the heavenly realm that the church must fill:

And when the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures saw the Lamb had taken the scroll, they fell facedown at the feet of the Lamb and worshiped him. Each of them had a harp and golden bowls brimming full of sweet fragrant incense-which are the prayers of God's holy lovers. (Rev 5:8)

Then the eighth angel with a golden incense burner came and took his place at the incense altar. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer up, consisting of the prayers of God's holy people, upon the golden altar that is before the throne. And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the holy ones billowed up before God from the hand of the angel. (Rev 8:3-4)

 

Every time the saints gather to intercede, the golden bowl of incense begins to fill. As this bowl runs over and is poured out, revival power begins to flow. God waits until the bowl is full before He picks it up in His hand and pours it out. Every church has a bowl to fill. Are you actively filling your bowl of intercession? Your prayers are a sweet incense to Jesus. Let Him inhale it!

Pray this today:

Lord Jesus, I delight to spend time in prayer with you. I find my strength in you. I take the whole armour of God and place it on my mind and my spirit today. I will face the enemy unafraid, for I am robed in your splendor. I will be your prayer warrior today and win every battle in the name of my God. Amen.

 

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