Spiritual Warfare - Warfare Praying

When a friend urgently texted Florida mom Stacey Philpot about a Facebook post she just had to see, she wasn’t sure what to expect. The post showed a teenaged boy standing alone at the flagpole and it seemed as if everyone had something to say about him. And that’s when it hit Stacey — she was looking at her son!

As a blogger, Stacey Philpot spends a good amount of time online. So, she decided to take a little break from Facebook. But then a friend sent her an urgent text about a post Stacey “wouldn’t want to miss.”

The post showed a boy standing alone at the flagpole praying as part of See You At The Pole Day. This yearly event encourages students everywhere to gather at their school’s flagpole to pray for their school, friends, families, churches, and communities. Usually the event draws a crowd. But at Minneola High School, only one young man turned up. The brave boy stood all alone, praying by himself.

A passerby was so touched, they snapped a photo and posted it to Facebook, saying:

“I commend the young man that stood alone at Lake Minneola High School’s ‘See You at the Pole Day.’ I weld up [sic] with tears, happy tears, proud tears. I honestly didn’t know that it was today until after I had left and heard it on the radio.

Please take a moment today to pray for our children, school, teachers, and administrators. Pray for protection over them, guidance, wisdom, and a wonderfully blessed year.”

Comments poured in, praising this young man for his courage and his parents for instilling such good values. Even folks who professed no faith commended this boy for standing up for his.

At first Stacey couldn’t understand why her friend insisted she break her Facebook hiatus for this picture of a boy standing alone at the flag pole. Then she realized she recognized the boy everyone was talking about. That was her son!

“The little boy I'd rocked to sleep in blue airplane pajamas when he was sick. The toddler who loved Elmo and couldn't go to sleep without holding his Veggie Tales characters in his hands had captured the attention of our community by standing alone, by doing everything we'd ever taught him, everything we'd ever hoped he would do,” Stacey said. “I was completely undone.”

Stacey immediately texted her son, Hayden, and told him how proud she was of him. But what he revealed when he got home was even more incredible.

Hayden was just as surprised at all of the attention as his mom. He’d originally thought he’d just pray until someone else came along. But when no one else did, he asked God to use Him.

“He told me with sheer amazement in his voice that as he stood alone and prayed the cry of his heart had been, ‘God, as people drive by, let them wonder, let their hearts be pricked.’ “

And boy did God answer that prayer!

There are people out there that don’t understand why we pray. They see it as wasted effort. But Hayden proved just how powerful prayer truly is! And his proud mom says her son’s story is a big reminder for us all.

“Wherever it is in your life you stand alone. . . God sees, He knows, and He can do big things.” - Mel Johnson, September 28, 2017, Godupdates.com

Unbelief

Story of Israel

Faith to call out to God

Took a long time to accept Moses as God’s deliverer

Constant grumbling after leaving Egypt

Culminating in their failure at the river Jordan

Scripture text

Jesus waits until the situation is impossible

People believe if He had been there, He could have healed him

They believe he will be resurrected at the last day

The DO NOT believe Jesus can do anything for him now

God’s attitude toward unbelief

Unbelief In God’s promises is unbelief in God

Unbelief is responsible for prayer-less Christians

Unbelief is responsible for weak and anemic Christians

Unbelief is responsible for failure to accomplish the will of God

Faith

Luke 18:1–8 KJV 1900

1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Our faith does not stand in answered prayers

Our faith does not stand in the measure of faith we possess

The object of our faith is Jesus Christ

Ephesians 6:18 KJV 1900

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

1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV 1900

17 Pray without ceasing.

Application

Warfare praying is direct and specific

Warfare praying exercises the power and authority God has given us

Warfare praying is violent

Warfare praying is exhausting

Warfare praying is effective

James 5:16 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.

Mark 11:24 KJV 1900

24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Conclusion

We must be practiced and comfortable in battle

We must never forget and always remember who we are in Jesus Christ

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