Ephesians, Chapter 6

​“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devils’ schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10-11, NIV)

A Prayer for My Daughter

​Oh God, help my child learn to obey and honor us so that she may be blessed. May she obey and serve You with all her heart, mind, soul, and strength. ...

​May she be strong in You and in Your power. Protect her, God with Your full armor so that she may stand firm against Satan. Clothe her with the belt of Truth, secure on the breastplate of righteousness, and shoe her feet with peace. Extinguish the Enemy’s fiery arrows against her. Teach her how to take and use the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit to intercede with prayer in the Spirit. Help my daughter fearlessly and courageously proclaim Your Gospel Truth.

​“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:17-18, NIV)

​Have you ever experienced an epiphany, blinding in its brilliance? I did, today, reading this very passage. I, like most of you, am well acquainted with the armor of God. However, tonight, I saw a part of this passage in a way I never had before. For the first time, I began to see each piece of armor in the light of prayer. Prayer serves a vital role in binding the six spiritual components together into a formidable holy armor. Although prayer is its own distinct weapon, it struck me how each of these protective components lend themselves as powerful tools in prayer.

Take the belt of Truth. As just preached in my church service this past Sunday, the belt served as an essential part of the soldier’s uniform in both modern and ancient warfare. In ancient times, the belt served to connect critical components of the soldier’s armor together (such as the breastplate). It also served as a core piece of the soldier’s uniform in that essential weapons or items necessary for battle are attached to the belt, like the sword for the Roman soldier, and the canteens or ammunition on the utility belt for the modern-day soldier.

The belt's central location in the soldier’s gear is what Truth is like to the message of the gospel. For any defense to stand, it must first be grounded and steeped in God’s Truth.

​How central a role God’s Truth is in our prayers as we claim God’s promises and stand upon God’s Truth! God’s Truth gives us a handle to grasp and lift to Him in prayerful reminder of what He has done, what He has promised to do, and thank Him for what He will do. God’s Truth allows us to pray with confidence and power, because we are assured of His goodness, grace, and mercy.

​Protecting one’s heart is of the utmost importance. The breastplate of righteousness served to protect not just the heart of the ancient soldier, but his vital organs as well. Many attribute the soul to that of the heart, believing they are either one and the same or that one resides with the other and bares influence. Regardless, engaging the heart and soul while we pray plays an integral role with our intercession. Praying monotonously without spirit or heart might be like offering up empty sacrifices to the Lord. But what fragrant offerings our prayers must be when we engage with fullness of heart, alive with fire and passion!

​Shoeing our feet with the readiness of peace holds new significance for me as I recently finished reading Philippians 4. We are told in verses 6 and 7 of Philippians 4 that when we present our prayers with thanksgiving to the Lord, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. What encouraging words! God promises to grant us not just a small portion of peace, but a peace that passes all understanding. Wow! Who knew peace was such a formidable part of God’s holy armor? It not only grounds the soldier’s feet in peaceful readiness, but also guards our hearts and minds in insurmountable measure.

​The shield of faith extinguishes the enemy’s fiery arrows. How critical a role this shield of faith serves as it protects us from direct enemy attack. How much more does consistent, persistent, and faithful prayer act as a protective covering and shield over us during difficult, trying, and dangerous times? Just as the Roman soldier held up his shield to block the enemy’s attacks by sword, spear, or fiery arrow, so we too hold up persistent prayers. We are empowered through God’s Word and Truth, His righteousness and peace, our faith and salvation, and the Holy Spirit to ward off Satan’s lies and deceitful attacks.

Something I never saw until tonight is how the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit appear to be paired together, distinct from the shield of faith. Absorbing this new nugget, I analyzed the verse closely, noting how the pairing of these 2 pieces of armor lend themselves uniquely to prayer. Look closely. What part of the body does the helmet of salvation protect?

​It guards the brain, our powerhouse for all cognitive processing and where thought originates. Our brain, also referred to as our ‘mind’, formulates words to communicate to ourselves, with other people, or to God. Our minds find and identify the words we use to pray and the words we need for prayer. We also use our minds to remember scripture and God’s Truth, an ever-present help when we find ourselves ensconced in a battle. The Holy Spirit speaks to both our minds and our spirits, which frees us to formulate and express ourselves through prayer.

Now let’s examine the sword of the spirit. This verse states that the sword of the spirit is the Word of God, which we access through reading our Bible. Then it hit me like a lightning bolt. God paired the mind and the Word of God together because when we combine the word of God in the communication of our minds and thoughts together in prayer, we can pray with greater strength and power.

​When we use the Scripture to form our prayers, we pray more deeply and more passionately. Why? I believe it is because when we read God's Word, we engages and stir up the Holy Spirit, for one is part of the other. Not only do God and the Holy Spirit make up two parts of the Trinity with Jesus Christ, but this scripture verse distinctly declares their oneness. “Take the sword of the spirit (the Holy Spirit, which IS the Word of God…” Over many years, I have heard that the sword of the spirit is a double-edged sword because it can be used both offensively and defensively in battle. However, not until today did I realize that it is also a double-edged sword in that one edge is the Holy Spirit and the other edge of the sword is the Word of God; distinct in their piercing blades, yet part of the same sword. Both cut and penetrate the Enemy in their oneness, but they're used in different ways to accomplish the same end.

​I get excited just thinking about the Word of God working together with the Holy Spirit in our prayers. Moreover, the Holy Spirit resides in us, for access to him is given to those who place their faith in Christ. Likewise, when we use Scripture in our prayers, it also engages the Holy Spirit
who resides within us, so that we are stirred to pray more deeply, with greater depth and passion of heart. What a formidable pairing the mind and scripture form against the Enemy when utilized together in prayer!

​Now for the exciting part! This is exactly what we are doing right now, right here for our children – we are engaging our hearts, minds, and souls with God’s Truths, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to pray offensively, rather than defensively, for our children. In other words, we are praying scripture over our children! We are actively using the armor of God to lethally wound the enemy as he seeks to prowl against our little ones. So, keep praying, parents! Keep guarding your child, yourself, and your family with peace, shielding them by faith, and arming them with the Word of God and His holy armor. Let us commit to engage our minds, hearts, and spirits in scripture inspired prayers over our children and our loved ones.

A Prayer for Myself

​Dear Lord,
May you strengthen me through Your Holy Spirit and Your Word, oh God. Help me not to aggravate my little one but bring her up in your training and instruction. Help me to find time to be in Your word and to pray over my family. Show me how to become a powerful prayer warrior and to use each piece of armor effectively and to its full measure.