#27 - Prayer as a Weapon in Spiritual Battles

0:04 Welcome to the show. I am glad you're here at the Minded Faith Matters podcast. I'm the host, Dr. Corey Potter. Today we're talking about prayer as a weapon in spiritual warfare. And when I say that, I mean the unseen battle between God's truth and the enemy's lies. The enemy meaning the devil. In the Bible, Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12, We're reminded that our struggle is not against flesh and blood or other people, but against rulers, authorities, and unseen powers working against God. That means prayer is not some background noise in the Christian life.

0:50 It is central to how we remain strong, oppose the enemy's lies, and live in God's strength. Have you noticed moments? when prayer felt more essential and powerful than just part of your daily routine, like you needed it for battle. I want to start by looking at some models that are out there and how some respected Christian leaders describe prayer in spiritual warfare. Pastor John Piper sees prayer as a wartime walkie -talkie with a focus on staying in constant communication with God for the mission of advancing the gospel or the good news by calling in God's help. In this image I can't help but thinking of the person, the soldier that just tries to do it on their own and doesn't listen to the chain of command and in this case the creator of the universe is giving us direct communication with him to call in God's help. How incredible is that? Next Dr. Tony Evans sees prayer as a weapon of warfare with a focus on putting on the full armor of God through prayer. So when Dr. Evans talks about prayer as a weapon he often ties it to the armor

2:22 of God described in Ephesians chapter 6. Prayer is the power. that makes this whole armor work in our daily lives. And that passage uses military imagery to show how Christians can stand firm against temptation in this imagery. For example, truth is pictured as a belt and righteousness as a breastplate, faith as a shield, and salvation as a helmet. I love that, so when I get my thinking on God and my thinking right and I understand who I am and that I am saved from the consequences of my sin, I have my helmet on in the battle.

3:15 And prayer, interestingly, is not pictured as a piece of the armor, but it is presented as the power that activates all of it. So Tony Evans emphasizes that Prayer connects us to God's strength, making the armor effective in real life. And the third person I want to look at is Priscilla Shrier. She frames prayer as a strategic counter attack against the enemy's schemes. In her book, Fervent, she highlights 10 areas where the enemy often attacks and shows how to pray Scripture -based, focused prayers for each area, keeping this prayer as a regular part of our battle until God breaks through to fight the enemy as part of our daily life. And I would add that praying in Jesus' name points us to His authority and to our dependence on Him. It means we ask under Christ's Lordship. and seek what aligns with his character and his will. So Priscilla Shrier gives us a practical way to focus our prayers.

4:36 Her book Fervent means passionate and wholehearted. That word. I love that because this is how we should approach prayer. She calls prayer a focused way to fight back. against the enemy's tricks and lies, and her approach is simple but deeply effective. Here's her process. Number one, she says you should identify where the enemy is attacking you. Be aware of it. We can know his schemes. Next, she wants us to write out and pray scripture -based prayers that speak directly to that attack.

5:21 And she wants us to be persistent, to keep praying, even when it takes time until God brings breakthrough in that struggle. So here's the 10 identified strategic areas for prayer. What about our passion? See, when your fire for God feels like it's dim, it may be something that you're doing, but it certainly could be the enemy. trying to convince you that God's not that important. So you can pray something like this, Lord restore my first love for you and renew my joy in your presence.

6:05 The Bible says in Revelation 2 verses 4 and 5 to return to our first love. Some of us struggle with our focus and identity. So when lies about who you are start to cloud your mind, you get confused about being a son or daughter of God. I'd say pray something like this, Father remind me that I'm chosen, redeemed, and secure in Christ. 1st Peter chapter 2 verse 9 says we are a chosen people. Set apart to declare his praises as believers We can't forget that and the enemy would love us to think of ourselves as anything but that You know the next area that gets attacked Sometimes the enemy loves to attack the family so when tension or division shows up in your home You should pray something like Joshua 24 verse 15 declares, I would say not only pray that but

7:38 teach your kids and your spouse that we want to keep our unity and serve the Lord together and not let something get between us. or someone. So what about your past? When your past guilt and regrets weigh on you, even though you might have taken care of them and asked for forgiveness, you should pray something like this. Thank you Jesus that I am forgiven. Help me walk in the freedom of your grace. Second Corinthians 517 says, In Christ we are a new creation. Let's not go back. There's no turning back. Let's go forward with God and with Jesus as our Lord.

8:28 We can remind the devil where we stand on that and we can remind ourselves too. What about your fears? That's another area where we're attacked when worry or anxiety just rises up. You can pray something like this, God I trust you with my tomorrow. God I trust you with my moment right now. Calm my heart with your peace that your word says surpasses understanding. Philippians chapter 4 verses 6 and 7 promises his peace will guard our hearts and minds. You don't know how many times I need this throughout my day. Wow The next area is purity Some people struggle with temptation when it comes against your mind or your body Pray something like this Lord guard my eyes my heart And my steps Help me to honor you with holiness Psalm 119 verses 9 through 11 reminds us that We keep our way pure by hiding His Word, the Bible, in our hearts. Reading His Word, memorizing it, studying it, that's how we keep pure. We can pray for it, but we have to take some action, by the way, and read and study and put His Word in our hearts. I'm guilty

10:03 on this next one. This is where the devil gets me and I get myself. Pressures. when life feels too heavy or busy or burdened down, pray something like this, Father teach me to rest in you and order my steps by your wisdom. Matthew chapter 11 verses 28 through 30 invites us to come to Jesus when we are weary and he promises rest. Oh I need rest a lot. Some of us struggle with hurts. You just can't shake free and so when past wounds keep resurfacing I want you to prepare a prayer something like this. Heal my heart Lord.

10:53 Help me release bitterness and walk in forgiveness. Ephesians 4 verses 31 and 32 calls us to be kind and forgiving just as God forgave us. I see it so many times when a grown person hasn't dealt with some of the challenges of their childhood and their past hurts and they can't be the friend they need to be to others. They can't be the spouse that they need to be and really they can't even be the parent they need to be until they've experienced some healing and that's why I got into mental health and my faith together as an idea because I'm saying, oh my goodness, we need healthy minds because our minds matter and healthy faith. I love what I get to do, but I still experience these struggles that the enemy puts me through.

11:58 How about relationships? You know when conflict or distance shows up? With others that you're trying to be close to you could pray something like this Unite us in your spirit Lord Let love and patience guide my words and actions John 13 verses 34 and 35 reminds us that our love for one another points the world to Christ I said it last week in my special episode, episode 26 on prayer, that we're not gonna argue people into becoming believers and we're not gonna show them anything but gentleness and kindness and love and that's how they'll know whose we are and that's what will attract them to us. Them meaning unbelievers. You know, there's another area that Satan loves to attack. It's our calling.

13:00 and when you feel distant and distracted from God's purpose, pray something like, Lord keep me steady in your calling and faithful to the work you've set before me. 2 Timothy chapter 1 verses 6 and 7 encourages you to develop and grow the gifts that God has given you and live with power, love, and self -control. Which of these 10 areas feels closest to home for you right now? I want you to take a moment to name it and even write it down if you can. And that gives you a clear place to start and focus your prayers. So in closing today, I want to share that James chapter 5 verse 16 says that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

13:54 That is a promise we can carry with us every single moment of every single day. So here's the challenge this week. Choose one area in your life where the enemy is pressing in. Take a verse of scripture. Find one, if you don't know. Look one up that speaks to it. Maybe more than one. And write a prayer you can return to each day. Trust. Now I want you to trust that God is at work. as you pray faithfully. So as you go through your week, keep focused on praying with honesty and persistence. I want you to know that God hears you and he strengthens you as you pray for the battles that you're facing. Thank you for joining me today on Mind & Faith Matters.

14:48 My hope is that your conversations with God this week bring you peace and a deeper awareness of His presence. As you pray, stay humble and dependent, remembering that our authority comes from Christ and we seek to honor Him in all we do. So until next time, God bless and have a wonderful week!