Believers needed to be alert and ready to fight, standing against "the powers of this dark world." This is Paul's plea for the church to stay strong in their fight against the "devil's schemes." After many years of faithful service, Paul knew first-hand that the enemy was always working to undermine the people of God, and that his methods were crafty. Verse 10 begins the last main section of the book. From the middle of chapter 5 through the first 9 verses of chapter 6, Paul addresses specific members of households, including husbands, wives, and children. Next, Paul turns to stressing how members of the body of Christ need to show love and respect for each other. The next three chapters are a quick but compelling reminder of what believers have received through Christ, and the heritage they share. Paul starts the book of Ephesians with greetings and praise for God's blessings to believers. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.Īnd pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Let's read this Scripture using the New International Version translation: The armor of God list is found in the book of Ephesians. Armor of God Scripture: Ephesians 6:13-20 He ends the section with a reminder to pray, and a request that the churches would lift up his need for boldness as he speaks out for God. Then, Paul begins to list the individual pieces of armor and the use of each in this battle Christians must face. Paul explains that our struggle is less a physical one than a spiritual one, against our true enemy, the devil. Paul first compels his readers to stand firm for God, with His strength, not our own. The "Armor of God" passage is located in Ephesians 6:10-20. I'm more able to meet daily challenges while keeping my peace. This portrayal of a soldier has taught me practical ways of guarding my faith and resisting the enemy. But I've discovered that Paul's message is based solidly on earlier Bible verses. This passage has always intrigued me because it seemed to come out of nowhere. The urgency in his tone makes it a call to action for all believers, both of his day and ours. Paul was not the first to use this analogy, so he knew most people could relate to the picture he painted. In it, he names pieces of the actual mail worn by fighting men of the day, and repurposes them for use in spiritual warfare. Prov.Of all the images meant to encourage believers, one of the most vivid is found in "The Armor of God," a passage written by the Apostle Paul in his book of Ephesians. Here it is and I will also email it to you:Ĩ. Here it is and I will also email it to you: Thanks for asking about my prayer strategy, Patti. Pray for accident victims when I see an accident Pray with family member before anyone leaves our house Pray before I get out of bed in the morning All other things listed are daily prayers.Ĩ. I have a divider in my prayer notebook for each category and pray for those people on that day of the week. Wednesday: my business contacts/members/team I do one verse in this album every day.ħ. Children/grandchildren: I Sam 12:23 I have an album of 24 pages with each page listing a different verse to pray for my kids/grandkids. Major requests for my husband and children: I Sam 12:23 (Same as above – page for each person with requests listed in a column)Ħ. I pray through these every day and add more as I think of them. Personal growth for me: Phil 4:6 ( I have a section in my prayer notebook with requests listed for me in a column. Confession: create in me a clean heart Psalm 5:10Ĥ. 147: 1 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving.ģ. 12:28 Let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe. I use the book Face to Face that is all scripture divided into daily portions: Thanks for asking about my prayer strategy.
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