Read  Ephesians 6:10-24.

Introduction⤒🔗

Pastor Mark Howard of the Good Shepherd Community Church and Mr. Tom Harris, the headmaster of the Christian school in Deacons’ Corner, found themselves in the law office of Attorney Wayne Corrigan; they were seeking his legal help. The two explained to Mr. Corrigan that a lawsuit had been filed against Tom and the Christian school.

A little ten-year-old girl who had just recently started attending the school had proven to be a seriously disruptive problem: in the classroom she was a discipline problem, on the playground she sought to teach the other children occult practices, and she even gave evidence of being demon-possessed. The Christian school officials had been forced to take disciplinary action against the girl, including corporeal punishment, which was in accordance with their beliefs and was clearly specified in the parent/student manual. But now they found themselves the defendants in a lawsuit brought against the headmaster and the school by the irate mother of the little girl.

The lawsuit was being prosecuted by the local chapter of the A.C.L.U. It was well-financed, and it threatened the very existence of this little Christian school. Poor Mr. Corrigan, the attorney, knew he was greatly overmatched in such a case and wondered half aloud, “Why are such things happening to these descent, God-fearing people and their school?” A few pages later, the veil that conceals the spiritual realm from the physical is drawn back: hordes of demons are swarming all around like vile, stinging bees. The intensity of the onslaught is shocking.

The preceding account, presented in slightly adapted form, is one writer’s conception of the very real spiritual conflict in which we find ourselves engaged.¹

We must never lose sight of the fact that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood but...against the spiritual hosts of evil.” Because our foes are none other than the spiritual hosts of darkness, we must equip ourselves with the spiritual measures enumerated in Ephesians 6:10-22.

Be Strong in the Lord←⤒🔗

Verse eleven informs us that as Christians we are facing “the schemes of the devil.” These “schemes” refer to the tricks or stratagems of the devil that are intended to ensnare and deceive. We find our first parents being confronted by these demonic schemes in the Garden of Eden:

The serpent, (as he is employed by the devil), is described as being “more subtle than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made” (3:1).

The first thing the devil did was seek to disorient Eve and throw her into confusion. The LORD’s command is very clear and straightforward: “From every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷but you shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). But the devil’s initial question to Eve is very vague and elusive: “Now the serpent said to the woman, ’Indeed, has God said, You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?’” (Gen. 3:1)

Next, the devil sought to discredit God. He said to the woman, “You shall not surely die; ⁵for God knows that in the day you eat the fruit of that tree your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:4-5). The devil defied God’s word and actually charged God with lying. He then proceeded to imply that man is independent of God our Creator. According to the devil, God may declare that you will surely die as a consequence of disobeying His Word, but such is not the case. You have an existence that is independent from God, and God is not able to carry out His threat, He can’t touch you. But in contrast to the devil’s lie, the Apostle Paul testifies to the Athenians, “in [God] we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

The devil then proceeded to accuse God of seeking to deny man any personal self-fulfillment out of a divine selfishness and petty jealousy. God does not want you to become like Him: He does not want you to realize your potential, He does not want to share with you what He has. God is like a self-centered parent who does not want his child to ever grow up and have an independent life of his own. But contrast the devil’s insinuation with Genesis 2:16-17a, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘From every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷but you shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” The LORD God is willing to share His entire creation with man, but man must acknowledge that God is Lord and Master over all.

Having slandered God, and having portrayed Him as being both petty and impotent, the devil now invited Eve to indulge her desires: “the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired [or, coveted] as a means of making one wise” (Gen. 3:6a). Eve found the forbidden fruit to be desirable, attractive, and promising, holding the potential of introducing her to new vistas of experience and fulfillment and adventure.

The question may be asked, Where was Adam all this while? Genesis 3:6b indicates that Adam was right at his wife’s side, allowing her to dialogue with the serpent and following her into sin: “she took of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband with her [i.e. who was present with her], and he ate it.”

Whereas Eve sinned by commission, Adam had already sinned by omission. He had failed to be the guardian and protector of God’s garden (cp. Gen. 2:15); and he had failed to provide godly leadership for his wife. Adam had failed to discern or defend against the anomaly of an animal speaking, and speaking against the LORD God. According to Genesis 2:19-20, no animal was able to communicate with Adam on his level; but now in Genesis 3:1, here is the serpent communicating on a human level, and doing so in defiance of God.

The account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eve is the first instance of mankind encountering “the schemes of the devil.” If you carefully consider whatever temptation or trial you may face, you will find yourself being confronted with the same demonic schemes.

Not only are we opposed by a powerful spiritual foe, but one who is extremely cunning, ruthless, and completely anti-moral. With regard to the devil and his character, the Lord Jesus testifies, “the devil...was a murderer from the beginning and is not established in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he is speaking in accordance with his own [nature], because he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn. 8:44).

Verse twelve reminds us that our struggle is “not against flesh and blood.” Human systems of thought, (false philosophies that lead to destructive ends), and human beings themselves play a role in this spiritual warfare; but there resides a far more sinister being behind the human dimension: the devil himself. Revelation 13:1,2b is a passage of Scripture that reveals the spiritual presence and power behind the human governments and systems of this present world: “And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns, and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy...and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority.” In this passage of Revelation, the “beast” represents the worldly empire of man with all of its power and worldview, while “the dragon” represents the devil, the spiritual power behind the kingdom of the world, which energizes it and directs it.

As Christians, our struggle is really against spiritual foes; foes that are described in the following terms:

• “the powers;” literally, “ruling powers;” here is a reference to those unholy spiritual beings who exercise spiritual power for evil; here is a reference to the whole host of demonic beings who hold ranks and jurisdictions over the world mankind inhabits.
   
• “the authorities;” the devil and his legions exercise spiritual power and authority in this present world; in rejecting God’s divine lordship, Adam was accepting the devil’s lordship: he allowed the devil to tell him how to think, how to interpret life, and what decisions to make. Adam rejected God’s word and accepted the devil’s word.
   
• “the world-rulers of this [present] darkness;” the devil and his legions exercise a rule of darkness and evil over this present world; note 1 John 5:19b, “the whole world lies in [the grip of] the evil one.”
   
• “the spiritual hosts of evil in the heavenly realms;” here is a glimpse into the mysteriousness and awesomeness of this spiritual warfare: evil beings are actually permitted access to the heavenly courts of God; the Lord Jesus informs Peter of the petition the devil made before the throne of God: “Simon, Simon, Listen, Satan asked to have you, so that he might sift you like wheat.” (Lk. 22:31)

If we are to survive spiritually, we must correctly identify the enemy: the spiritual hosts of wickedness. We must not underestimate the enemy of our souls; the Apostle Peter cautions us, “Be [spiritually] sober. Be alert. Your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion, is prowling around, looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). The devil has set himself as the adversary of our souls, he is compared to a roaring lion, he is on the prowl, and he seeks to devour our spiritual life, our very soul.

But, let us never forget the One before whom the devil and all his legions must bow, our Lord Jesus Christ: “All the people were astonished, so much so that they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this? [Here is] a new teaching! With authority he even commands the unclean spirits, and they obey him!” (Mk. 1:27) This was the reaction of the people when they witnessed the Lord Jesus casting out a demon. In this very epistle to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul informs us that God the Father raised “[Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every title that can be given, not only in this present age but also in the coming age. ²²And he put all things in subjection under his feet” (Eph. 1:20­-22a). We must place our confidence in Christ, take refuge in Christ, and never stray from Him who is the Shepherd of our souls.

If we are to survive in this spiritual conflict, we must rely upon the strength of the Lord: “Be strong in the Lord” (vs. 10). The command, “Be strong in the Lord,” reminds us that we have no strength in ourselves to combat and to conquer the enemy of our souls. Martin Luther’s great hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, reminds us of our need to rely upon the Lord Jesus Christ in our encounters with the devil:

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing;
Were not the right man on our side,
the man of God’s own choosing.
You ask whom that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he.

The command, “Be strong in the Lord,” reminds us that we must avail ourselves of Christ’s divine power and victory. Recall the apostle’s prayer recorded in Ephesians 1:18-19; he prayed that Christians would know, (or, experience), the awesome power of God available to us, a divine power we access by means of placing our faith in the Lord Jesus. One purpose of this divine power, which is offered to us, is to enable us to withstand the assaults of the devil, to stand up under spiritual pressure, and to stand faithful to Christ.

Put on the Whole Armor of God←⤒🔗

The Christian is called upon to stand “with truth wrapped around your waist [like a belt].” The New International Version gives the translation, “Buckle the belt of truth around your waist.” When the loose-fitting tunic was gathered up around the waist and held fast with a belt, the soldier was ready for battle. The “belt” that holds the Christian’s “tunic” in place and prepares us for spiritual warfare is “truth.”

The way you prepare yourself for the assaults of the devil and guard yourself against those assaults is by having a firm connection to the truth of God; knowing the truth and building your life upon it. The devil’s strategy is as follows: First, he tempts men to depart from God’s truth and then encourages them to seek truth (and moral standards) apart from God; commitment to God’s absolute truth is abandoned in favor of a “search for truth.” Then, in the course of time men come to realize that their “search for truth” is futile; at the time of Jesus’ trial, “Pilate said to him, ‘What is truth?’” (Jn. 18:38) Now the search is abandoned in favor of relativism, the belief that there are no absolutes, or at least none that can be known.

In the Western world today, the question is no longer, “Are you measuring up to the Standard?” rather, the question is, “What is your personal standard?” If you have no, “Thus saith the LORD,” to guide you and upon which to stand, then what happens? Everything deteriorates into confusion, compromise and apathetic complacency. Everything degenerates: men give themselves to base immorality in an effort to experience gratification, to seek escape, or to seek fulfillment. Men give themselves to the State for identity, belonging, definition of values, meaning and purpose; the State becomes a substitute “god” dictating morality and defining existence for the individual. Men give themselves to the demonic in a desperate effort to fulfill their need for connection with the spiritual.

As Christians, we have the divine resource to stand firm in the midst of the destructive relativism of the age: the Truth of God. In His prayer to His heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus testified, “Your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17b).

Next, the Christian is exhorted to put on “the breastplate of righteousness.” As the N.T. theologian, Charles Hodge, expresses it:

What is that righteousness, which in the spiritual armor answers to the [breastplate]? Many say it is our own righteousness, integrity, or rectitude of mind. But this is no protection. It cannot resist the accusations of conscience, the whispers of despondency, the power of temptation, much less the severity of the law, or the assaults of Satan. What Paul desired for himself was not to have on his own righteousness, but the righteousness that is of God by faith (Phil. 3:8-9). And this, doubtless, is the righteousness that he here urges believers to put on as a breastplate. It is an infinitely perfect righteousness, consisting in the obedience and suffering of the Son of God, which satisfies all the demands of the divine law and justice; and which is a sure defense against all assaults, whether from within or without.²

We are to clothe ourselves with, to put our trust in, the perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. His perfect righteousness, credited to our account, answers the devil’s charge when he would point to our own lack of personal righteousness and, consequently, our personal inability to stand in the presence of our holy God.

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him... ³Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. ⁴The angel said to those who were standing before him, Take off his filthy clothes. Then he said to Joshua, See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you. Zech. 3:1,3-4

In this prophetic vision, the “rich garments” represent the perfect righteousness of Jesus the Messiah that is placed upon us when we put our trust in Him.

I rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul exults in my God; because he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, like a bridegroom adorns his head with a turban [like a priest] and like a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isa. 61:10

Positively, we are clothed with “the breastplate of righteousness;” our Lord Jesus Christ has supplied His perfect righteousness on our behalf. But what about the sins we have committed? With regard to the demands of the law as they pertain to the satisfaction of divine justice, we resort to the next piece of armor.

As Christians, we are to cover our feet with “the equipment of the gospel of peace.” The Roman soldier needed footwear that would protect him from the poisonous stakes planted by the enemy. For the Christian, that necessary footwear is “the gospel of peace.” We are to be found resting and relying upon the comforting truth of the gospel: Christ died for my sins to insure peace with God:

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. ²Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and announce to her that her affliction has come to an end, that her iniquity has been pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. Isa. 40:1-2

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus... ³¹What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all; how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died, more than that, who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Rom. 8:1,31-34

In addition to all this, the Christian is to carry “the shield of faith.” The Roman soldier’s shield was very large, measuring 4 feet by 2¹/2 feet; the Greek term translated “shield” (θυρεοs) is related to the word for “door” (θυρα). However, the shield was also portable; with it the soldier could ward off the flaming arrows of the enemy. For the Christian, that protective shield is our faith, our confidence in the power and the promises of God: “You will keep him in perfect peace, he whose mind is set on you; because he trusts in you. ⁴Trust in the LORD forever; for the LORD, the LORD himself, is an everlasting rock” (Isa. 26:3-4).

The Christian is also called to take “the helmet of salvation.” Again, we cite Charles Hodge:

The most ornamental part of ancient armor, and scarcely less important than the breastplate or the shield, was the helmet. The Christian, therefore, is exhorted to take “the helmet of salvation.” According to the analogy of the preceding expressions, “the breastplate of righteousness” and “the shield of faith,” [which, we might say, are, respectively, the positive and the remedial aspects of salvation], salvation itself is the helmet [i.e. it encompasses the previous two aspects, viewing salvation in its entirety]. That which adorns and protects the Christian, which enables him to hold up his head with confidence and joy, is the fact that he is saved...It is because he is...a partaker of the salvation [offered in] the gospel, that he can face even the most potent enemies with confidence, knowing that he is more than a conqueror through Him that loved him (Rom. 8:37).³

Finally, the Christian is to take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” The Lord Jesus used the Scriptures to successfully combat and defeat the devil when He was tempted in the wilderness (cf. Matt. 4:1-11). We must likewise employ them in our efforts to lead a godly life and advance the cause of Christ in this world.

We need to develop a thorough working knowledge of the Scriptures. We must acquaint ourselves with the teaching of the Word of God as it pertains to salvation, to morality, to the issues of life. The Apostle Paul assures Timothy:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and of what you have become convinced, remembering from whom you learned it; ¹⁵how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise with regard to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. ¹⁶All Scripture, [being] inspired by God, is also profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness; ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:14-17

Let us take heed to God’s commandment, and “put on the whole armor of God.”

Resort to Prayer←⤒🔗

Verse eighteen must actually be connected to verse fourteen, “Stand...[by means of] every [kind of] prayer and petition.” Only those who spend time with God in prayer are able to stand against the devil. Remember how our Lord Jesus prepared Himself for His greatest hour of trial, He resorted to prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray’” (Matt. 26:36).

The combination of the terms “prayer and petition” emphasizes earnest prayer as well as being specific with regard to our prayer requests. We must pray as though our spiritual welfare depended upon it, because it does. Prayer must not be viewed as a last resort; on the contrary, prayer is the essential starting point for victory in spiritual matters. As John Bunyan stated it: “You can do more than pray, after you have prayed. But you cannot do anything until you have prayed.”

We are instructed to pray “on every occasion.” That is to say, we are to pray at all times, under all circumstances, with regard to every matter. If a matter is important enough to be concerned about, it is important enough to pray about. We must pray in preparation for the spiritual conflict as we see it loom before us, we must pray in the midst of the conflict, and we must pray after we have passed through it: praying with thanksgiving for being brought through and praying that the experience will result in spiritual growth and greater fruitfulness. In Colossians 4:2, Paul instructs the church, “Devote yourselves to prayer;” we are exhorted to keep close company with prayer. Just as daily practice assures quality performance on the athletic field, daily access to God in prayer assures an open channel of communication in the hour of trial.

We are instructed to pray “in the [Holy] Spirit.” We must rely upon the Holy Spirit to assist us in prayer, being confident that the Holy Spirit is interceding on our behalf. We are given this assurance in Romans 8:26-27,

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know for what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

We are instructed to pray “with all perseverance.” We must remember our Lord’s admonition, we “ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Lk. 18:1). Bear in mind the experience of Daniel as recorded in Daniel 10:10-14,

Then a hand touched me and set me on my knees and on the palms of my hands. ¹¹He said to me, O Daniel, you are greatly loved. Consider the words I am about to speak to you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you. When he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. ¹²Then he said to me, Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. ¹³But the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood against me for twenty-one days [this is a reference to the devil and his demonic influence in the Persian court]... ¹⁴Now I have come to inform you what will happen to your people in the latter days.

We must not be surprised if, in His sovereign wisdom and for His purposes, the LORD permits the devil to exercise a period of interference between the time our prayers are received by God and the time God responds to them. Daniel was informed that this was the explanation as to why his prayers on behalf of God’s kingdom were not immediately answered.

We must also consider the example of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded in Hebrews 5:7, “During the days of [Jesus’] life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him out of death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” The writer to the Hebrews does not tell us that our Lord was saved “from death,” he explains that our Lord was saved “out of death.” As was true in the case of our Lord Jesus, we must not be surprised to find the LORD answering our prayers by bringing us “through death unto resurrection,” instead of always sparing us from the experience of death-like trials.

Prayer is not merely to be a private matter devoted exclusively to personal needs and requests; we are instructed to pray for “all the saints.” We must remember that as fellow believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we are all members of the same spiritual body: “you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is apart of it” (1 Cor. 12:27).

We must recognize that we all undergo the same trials and the same temptations:

Be [spiritually] sober. Be alert. Your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion, is prowling around, looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him by standing firm in the faith, knowing that the same ordeals of suffering are being placed upon your brothers throughout the world. 1 Pet. 5:8-9

Finally, we are especially instructed to pray for God’s servants who are proclaiming the gospel. We are to pray that God would give them “words” (or, “utterance”); that is, the ability to clearly present the Word of God, the grace to say the right thing at the right time. We are to pray that God would give them “boldness.” Note Paul’s repeated request for this grace in verses nineteen and twenty. We are to pray that God would give them “open doors;” that is to say, that God would provide the opportunities to proclaim the gospel, as was the case with Paul’s ministry in the city of Ephesus. He testifies to the Corinthians, “I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost, ⁹[because] a great door for effective ministry has opened to me, and there are many who are opposing me” (1 Cor. 16:8-9). This also means praying that the LORD would open hearts to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, an example of which is presented in Acts 16:14, “One of those listening, was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The LORD opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”

Conclusion←⤒🔗

We must never lose sight of the fact that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but...against the spiritual hosts of evil.”

Because our foes are none other than the spiritual hosts of darkness, we must equip ourselves with the spiritual measures enumerated in Ephesians 6:10-22. Let us be strong in the LORD. Let us put on the whole armor of God. Let us resort to prayer.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. Of what does the Apostle Paul inform us? See Eph. 6:12. Are you cognizant of the spiritual dimension, indeed, the spiritual origin and nature, of our struggle to lead a Christian life and advance the spread of the gospel? Have there been times when you have been acutely aware of this spiritual warfare? Are aware of the serious nature of this spiritual conflict? See 1 Pet. 5:8,

...our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the powers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual hosts of evil in the heavenly realms. Eph. 6:12

Be [spiritually] sober. Be alert. Your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion, is prowling around, looking for someone to devour. 1 Pet. 5:8

2. Despite the present operation of sinister spiritual forces, even in “the heavenly realms,” what assurance do we as Christians have? See Col. 2:15. What further assurance does our Lord give us? See Jn. 17:15, 11b; note Jn. 10:27-30,

Having disarmed the principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by [the cross]. Col. 2:15

Prior to going to the cross, the Lord Jesus prayed to His Father:

I will no longer remain in the world; they are in the world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, [the name] you gave me, so that they may be one just as we [are one]. ¹²While I was with them, I kept them in your name that you gave me.  I guarded them, and not one of them perished, except the son of perdition, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled... ¹⁵I am not asking that you would take them out of the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one. Jn. 17:11-12, 15

The Lord Jesus testifies:

My sheep respond to my voice; I know them and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life; they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one. Jn. 10:27-30

3. In addition to the various pieces of defensive armor, what is the one offensive weapon we have been given? See Eph. 6:17b. Are you daily resorting to this weapon in order to spiritually fortify yourself and successfully combat the assaults of the evil one? What danger do you face if you do not increase your knowledge of the Scriptures? See Eph. 4:14; note Psl. 119:105. Can you join the Psalmist in his testimony? See Psl. 119:11,

Also, take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph. 6:17

...we should no longer be children, being tossed back and forth and being blown about by every wind of doctrine by the cunning of men [working] in craftiness for [the sake of] the deceit [inherent] in error. Eph. 4:14

Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. Psl. 119:105

Your word have I stored up in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psl. 119:11

4. What further exhortation does the Apostle Paul given the church? See Eph. 6:18. What does it means to pray “in the Spirit”? Do you ever get weary, do you find prayer to be hard spiritual work; might you look to the Holy Spirit for strength and grace? Are you at a loss for appropriate, biblical petitions to offer unto the Lord in a given situation; will not the Spirit supply you with the very words of Scripture if you ask Him? What does it mean to keep ourselves in a state of prayerfulness? Can we do so by living in a conscious awareness of the presence of God? Can we do so by making prayer our first resort, rather than our last?

[By means of] every [kind of] prayer and petition, keep praying in the Spirit on every occasion, and in this state keep watch for all the saints with all perseverance and every petition. Eph. 6:18

5. What prayer requests does Paul ask the church to offer up to the Lord on his behalf as a minister of the gospel? See Eph. 6:19-20; also, Col. 4:3. Are you offering up such prayers on behalf of your pastor, evangelists, and missionaries?

Also [pray] for me, that words may be given to me, [together] with boldness, whenever I open my mouth to make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰on behalf of which I am an ambassador in chains, so that I may speak boldly for it as I ought to speak. Eph. 6:19-20

...praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ...Col. 4:3