Unseen Armor of God

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The Most powerful weapon we have has yet to be mentioned.

It behind the scenes

It deadly

It always works

It has the stamp approval of the all powerful might God

It’s prayer

Power Of Prayer - How powerful is it? The power of prayer should not be underestimated.

James 5:16–18 KJV 1900

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

james 5.

God most definitely listens to prayers, answers prayers, and moves in response to prayers. Jesus taught, "…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" ().

2 Corinthians 10:4–5 KJV 1900

4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

The Bible urges us, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" ().

Power Of Prayer - How do I tap into it? The power of prayer is not the result of the person praying. Rather, the power resides in the God who is being prayed to.

1 John 5:14–15 KJV 1900

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

1 john 5.

No matter the person praying, the passion behind the prayer, or the purpose of the prayer - God answers prayers that are in agreement with His will. His answers are not always yes, but are always in our best interest. When our desires line up with His will, we will come to understand that in time. When we pray passionately and purposefully, according to God's will, God responds powerfully! We cannot access powerful prayer by using "magic formulas." Our prayers being answered is not based on the eloquence of our prayers.

We don't have to use certain words or phrases to get God to answer our prayers. In fact, Jesus rebukes those who pray using repetitions,

Matthew 6:7–8 KJV 1900

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Prayer is communicating with God. All you have to do is ask God for His help.

Psalm 107:28–30 KJV 1900

28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, And he bringeth them out of their distresses. 29 He maketh the storm a calm, So that the waves thereof are still. 30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; So he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

The Word of God is full of accounts describing the power of prayer in various situations.:

Prayer is communicating with God. All you have to do is ask God for His help. reminds us, "Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven." There is power in prayer!

reminds us, "Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven." There is power in prayer!

Power Of Prayer - For what kind of things should I pray? God's help through the power of prayer is available for all kinds of requests and issues. tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." If you need an example of a prayer, read . These verses are known as the Lord's prayer. The Lord's prayer is not a prayer we are supposed to memorize and simply recite to God. It is only an example of how to pray and the things that should go into a prayer - worship, trust in God, requests, confession, protection, etc. Pray for these kinds of things, but speak to God using your own words. The Word of God is full of accounts describing the power of prayer in various situations. The power of prayer has overcome enemies (), conquered death (), brought healing (), and defeated demons (). God, through prayer, opens eyes, changes hearts, heals wounds, and grants wisdom (). The power of prayer should never be underestimated because it draws on the glory and might of the infinitely powerful God of the universe! proclaims, "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done?'"

The power of prayer has overcome enemies (),

Conquered death (),

Brought healing (),

Defeated demons ().

God, through prayer, opens eyes, changes hearts, heals wounds, and grants wisdom ().

So with that in mind lets look at the unseen weapon

Learn More About Prayer!

I Warring (6:18a)

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”

The fact that a child of God is appealing to the almighty Father is what causes Satan to fear.

Satan does not fear eloquence in prayer either.

He does not fear perseverance. (Quite often prayer is the most spasmodic and disjointed of our activities.)

He does not fear our understanding of the way prayer works.

No, he fears the simple fact that a needy child of God is at the mighty throne of God.

Satan harnesses all his minions to bar the way to the throne of God. But no demon, no angel-prince, no fallen angel can face the Spirit’s flaming Sword. The Word of God clears the way to the throne of God for the child of God.

When we pray we enter three realms.

1)Hidden Place – the first step and battle

you have to find a place....

First we enter the hidden place where we are alone with God. It may be a bedroom, a barn, a cathedral, or a car. It can be a busy street or a bus seat. The place doesn’t matter, as long as we can withdraw from the restless world around us and lift our hearts to God. Jesus recommended a “closet”—a quiet place (). He often sought mountain solitudes, a garden, or the wilderness.

In the hidden place, all else is shut out and we are shut in with God.

2) Heavenly Place - the second step and battle

The second realm is the heavenly place, the sphere mentioned in Ephesians where our blessings and battles are.

In the “heavenlies” evil spirits swarm to hinder, harass, distract, and discourage. This is where we need the whole armor of God. This is where we need the Spirit’s mighty Sword. This is where prayer is a battle.

Several minutes later I realize that I haven’t been praying; I have been daydreaming. The enemy has been busy.

We also battle wicked thoughts when we pray. From the subconscious mind he dredges up filth that is lying stagnant and rotten on the ocean floor of the soul.

What can we do to win the battle? We can try praying aloud. We can try using more of God’s Word in prayer. We can recognize the source of these distractions and put the enemy to rout with the Sword of the Spirit.

3) Holy Place – the resting place

The third realm is the holy place. At last we find ourselves inside the veil.

As Cleland B. McAfee put it:

There is a place of quiet rest,

Near to the heart of God,

Near to the heart of God.

Paul specifically mentioned the aspect of supplication. The Greek word translated “supplication” is deesis, which suggests a petition for a specific personal need.

There is nothing wrong with supplicating the throne for our needs, especially our spiritual needs (although “all prayer” has a much broader scope).

All prayer and supplication, to be effective, must be “in the Spirit.”

The direction of the Holy Spirit is the ultimate solution to wandering, wicked, and worldly thoughts. He gently inclines our thoughts through channels He has in mind. He brings to our minds those passages of Scripture that are most appropriate to the moment. He brings to us the gentle assurance that our prayers are heard and that He controls all the factors of space and time that are involved in the answers to our prayers.

Meeting up with the Holy Spirit, the ranks of the enemy melt away as smoke dissipates in the wind. They flee in terror, for they are desperately afraid of the Holy Spirit of God.

The unseen weapon of prayer helps in

II The Watching (6:18b)

“Watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

The Greek word agrupneō, translated “watching” here, literally means “lying sleepless.” Many of us know firsthand what that’s like. The Lord used the same word when He spoke of His coming:

“Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is” ().

In His discourse on the endtimes Jesus said, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass” ().

We are to “lie sleepless,” watching and praying. Watching sights the enemy; praying fights the enemy. Spiritual warfare is serious business.

Paul told us to persevere in our watching.

We give up too soon, but Satan never gives up. He is tireless, persistent, resourceful, and desperate to delay his doom as long as possible and do as much damage as he can in the meantime. When God sends sleepless nights, let us pray. Let us seize insomnia as a gift from God so that “with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” we can turn the quiet night hours into golden moments of communion with God.

The unseen weapon of prayer helps in

III Witnessing (6:19–20)

Pray for me to have an opportunity

Sharing in a Brother’s Opportunity (6:19)

“And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.”

This is an example of how to employ supplication as a means of smiting the enemy. We can offer supplication for brothers near or far away.

Prayer annihilates distance. Paul was under arrest in Rome and his readers were scattered throughout Asia Minor, but prayer takes no account of distance.

Prayer annihilates dread. Paul was chained to a guard, charged with treason, and expecting to be arraigned before Nero. Yet the prayers of God’s people could help him overcome his fears and cautiousness and enable him to speak boldly.

Prayer annihilates difficulty. There are inherent difficulties in communicating the “mystery” of the gospel. Paul wanted to proclaim this mystery, and man’s dullness of hearing and his inability to comprehend had to be overcome.

That, Paul knew, was the work of the Holy Spirit, but before the Spirit of God could do His work, the human messenger needed his mind to be flooded with divine light and his tongue to be touched with God’s eloquence. Paul also needed hearers whose ears and hearts had been made receptive. These needs could be met through prayer.

Paul realized that his situation in Rome was a golden opportunity. He could win members of the imperial guard to Christ and make converts in caesar’s household. Possibly he would have the privilege of witnessing to Nero and members of the Roman court. There were Christians and churches all over Rome that he could encourage to be bold by being bold himself.

Paul asked his brothers in Christ to share in his opportunities by means of prayer. Their prayers could strengthen his spirit and batter the unseen enemy.

Pray for me as I Am in bonds....

Sharing in a Brother’s Opposition (6:20)

“I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

leg ate

One of the most important officials in the Roman world was the imperial legate. As one of the emperor’s personal representatives, a legate lived in an outpost of the empire and enforced imperial policy. He was directly accountable to the emperor, and lesser officials were responsible to the legate. He was an ambassador.

Paul was Christ’s legate. As Christ’s ambassador Paul had already magnificently represented the throne of Heaven in province after province and city after city throughout the empire. In Athens, Antioch, Paphos, Philippi, Corinth, and Crete, God had used Paul to shake Satan’s kingdom to its very foundations.

Now Satan had him in chains, but Paul was dauntless. He was still Christ’s ambassador; Satan could not change that. Paul was an ambassador in bonds.

Every time Paul moved his arm, his chain rattled, making him aware of the enemy’s opposition.

Through prayer his fellow believers could help him face that opposition to the gospel. They could help bear his chains. They could lighten his load and buoy up his spirits.

We do not understand how prayer works. How a brother praying for me in southern California can lift my spirits as I minister in northern Canada is beyond my understanding. How my prayers in Chicago can bring a fresh surge of victory to a believer in China, I cannot say. You and I only know that when God considers all the aspects of a situation and all the forces that govern the universe, prayer is one of the key factors He takes into account. We know prayer works because God says it does.[1]