The Daniel Prayer (4)

Battling in Prayer

This morning we are going to be back in the Book of Daniel looking at the Daniel Prayer.

I have enjoyed looking at this kind of different perspective on prayer.

We seen in our first study a few weeks back how Daniel prepared to pray and I hope that you really took that to heart and realized that we really need to make preparation to pray.

We not going to go back over everything I just wanted to remind you what we learned about preparing to pray.

Daniel 6:10 KJV 1900

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

We saw where Daniel had a prepared place to pray and that was his house in his chamber.

A prepared Time to pray, Which his was 3 times a day.

A prepared atmosphere. His windows was open towards Jerusalem.

and a prepared attitude to pray. That was on his knees bowing his heart before God.

The next week we looked at Daniel’s prompting in prayer.

Remember prompting in prayer is being compelled to pray. Once again I know we are to pray without ceasing and we are to do that all day long through out our day.

But we are talking about a Daniel prayer and that is a time, a place, an atmosphere and an attitude of prayer.

We saw where Daniel was having many issues in his life personally, his country Jerusalem had been attacked for the 3rd time and the Babylonians burned the city, killed a bunch of his people and took the rest captive.

So that is what prompted Daniel to pray this prayer we are calling the Daniel Prayer.

So we have seen how Daniel prepared to pray and how Daniel was prompted and compelled to pray because of the circumstances.

Then last week we looked at Daniels prevailing in prayer.

What does prevailing mean ? To continue in, effectual, fervent, to be effective.

Daniel’s prayer was answered immediately, he was then given the ultimate answer and then it was answered specifically.

So this morning we are going to talk about battling in prayer.

Why is it that prayer is so hard to do? Especially when we look at praying like Daniel prayed.

Don’t you find it much easier just to talk with God throughout the day, the praying without ceasing than really getting serious with our prayers.

It is hard, its hard for me and it is hard for you.

As soon as I start to get serious with prayer, my mind goes straight to something else I should be doing.

What I am going to say many times, all kinds of things begin running through my mind and I am sure your.

It is probably one of the biggest fights of our life. Prayer is not preparation for the battle it is the battle.

I want us to understand that this morning that if prayer is a battle for you and I know it is. There is nothing wrong with you.

We are in a spiritual battle with the evil forces of this world and that is satan and his demons.

Prayer is a powerful weapon against satan and believe me he knows it that is why he don’t want you doing it.

When you and I come to prayer we can focus on what the problem we may be facing is. Such as sickness, med test, finances, relationship problems etc.

But that is just the surface of what is happening underneath that is where the problem lies.

In Daniel 10 which is right after Daniel’s wonderful prayer we studied last week in Chapter 9 where God answered immediately, ultimately and specifically

Now we are going to see where there is a delay when Daniel is praying this time more like a 3 week delay.

He gets no kind of answer whatsoever.

As we look at this I want us to look at some things in the battle that we face in prayer.

The battle is serious and it is spiritual.

Here a messenger is coming to Daniel.

Daniel 10:11 KJV 1900

And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.

The messenger is telling Daniel here give me your attention pay attention to what I am telling you.

Because you have entered into a battle, we have an enemy, we have an adversary the devil.

The devil is an angel of light and the prince of darkness and we begin to seriously pray we go into battle.

Satan was one of God highest ranking angels, but then one day he decided he wanted to be God. He wanted to unseat God. So him and his angels were cast out of heaven.

So now he is on the earth where he rules.

We have to be on guard.

1 Peter 5:8 KJV 1900

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Satan tries to discourage us to never begin praying, but then when we do that is when the battle really begins.

God has given us the armor to fight of satan.

We done a whole study on this a few months back.

Ephesians 6:10–18 KJV 1900

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

So this first peace of Armor we are going to have to put on is the belt of truth.

For a Roman soldier the belt of truth was a belt. In our culture today we don’t always wear a belt. We see a lot of people that should be wearing one.

But for the Roman soldier the belt was a necessity especially in warfare. These soldiers wore these robes Tunics and if they went into battle with it just free flowing all around then the enemy could grab hold of it and control the soldier a lot easier.

Or the soldier himself may even trip over the tunic which would also be dangerous. So he would take the loose parts of his tunic and tuck it into the leather belt.

So Paul uses the belt as an example here of the armor we should be putting on. We all have these free flowing thoughts that go through our minds.

Thoughts that if we are not careful can give the enemy an advantage over us. Thoughts that can even trip us up in our personal walk with God.

So if we are going to be successful in our battle with satan plan to destroy us we have to know what to do with these thoughts that come into our minds.

that is to fight them off with the truth.

Then Paul talks about the breastplate of righteousness.

So what is the breast plate of righteousness? This piece of Armor was essential for the Roman Guard. It was a large piece of metal that they wore on their chest to protect their vital organs. Heart, liver, lungs, etc.

We have to understand that he term righteousness is not our good works that we do it is not self righteousness.

The righteousness Paul is talking about here is the righteousness that only God gives us when we are saved.

Right now Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God making intercession for us constantly. But we know we also have the adversary the devil. If you are saved satan knows he can’t have you ever in hell with him. So if he can’t have that he wants to destroy everything important to you.

If we are going to have victory we have to put on the full armor of God.

So when Paul is talking about putting on the breast plate of Righteousness he is talking about obedience.

Make sure that when you go into prayer that you are in the right standing with God, all sins confessed that you are in complete obedience to him.

You also need to have everything right with other people. If you are going into prayer with unforgiveness you are not in right standing with God.

Then there is

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Here Paul is telling us that we should be putting on the right spiritual boots. The boots of the gospel of peace is simply our ability and our willingness to share the gospel with others.

How does that help us, it gives us stability in our lives just like the boots gave the Roman Soilder stability when he was in battle.

It protects us from our enemy it provides fulfillment in our lives.

When we are doing God’s business and not our business. When we take the focus off of us, when we deny ourselves, it helps us make some key choices in our lives.

It will help us choose purity over immorality in our lives.

It will help us choose generosity over greed.

We can avoid satan’s pitfall’s by making God’s business our business.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

A soldier would never think about going into battle without his helmet on. Same with us we need to make sure we have our helmet on and Paul tells us that is the Helmet of Salvation.

Remember our mind is where satan enters our lives and many times when we are in the heat of battle with satan many times he attacks our mind trying to make us doubt our salvation.

We have to put on the assurance of our salvation. Paul is saying be assured of our salvations.

There is now way to go into battle in prayer if we are doubting our salvation. We have to put on the helmet of salvation.

Sword of the Spirit – The sword of the spirit is simply the word of God. Remember when Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by satan.

How did he say know to satan he responded by quoting scripture to satan that delt with the specific temptation he was dealing with.

He didn’t just quote any verse. He quoted a scripture that was relevant to the temptation.

Remember he didn’t quote scripture to benefit satan or to make him flee he quoted scripture to benefit him and encourage him to fight of the temptation.

Then look how Paul finished up talking about putting on the armor.

Ephesians 6:18 KJV 1900

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Now back to Daniel in chapter 10 there is silence. Daniel then began to think he was no longer important enough, maybe didn’t use the right words.

Daniel 10:12 KJV 1900

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

Daniel 10:13 KJV 1900

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.