Pray Continually



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 Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18

Pray. Pray. And pray some more. Prayer is one of the most potent weapons in our arsenal to protect those we love and fight back the forces of the enemy. That’s why Paul urged the Christians in Ephesus not just to pray, but to pray in the Spirit (step five). Let’s use an example of one spouse praying for another. Instead of praying bland generalized prayers like “help him have a good day” or “help her to be happy,” walking in the Spirit will give you insight into the specific attacks coming after them (step one). The Spirit (step five) might tell you that your husband is wrestling with a deep hurt or wound from his childhood or that your wife may be crippled by fear and anxiety. So when you pray warfare prayers (step nine), you begin to utilize the specific word of God (step eight) to fight alongside them in the spiritual world. For the husband with a deep childhood wound, your prayer might be, “Jesus, I know my husband is hurting from a deep wound. Your words says in Isaiah 61 'He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.’ I thank you for binding his broken heart and releasing him from darkness.”

For the wife crippled by fear and anxiety, your prayer of intercession might be, “Jesus, I know my wife struggles with fear and anxiety, but your word says in 2 Timothy that ‘the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.’ I rebuke the spirit of fear in her and ask that the Spirit of power would rest mightily on her.”

Don’t just pray for those you love, pray strategically, pray with power, pray the Word of God over them.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. Whom has God laid on your heart to pray for? What specific situations are they walking through? How are they being attacked? What Scriptures speak to their needs?

2. Utilizing the lines below, write a list of the people God is calling you to pray for by name to continually cover them in protective prayer. (Don’t make the list too long and cumbersome but include those in your family and those God has called you to protect through spiritual warfare).

NEXT STEP

The next step in praying continually is actually what you’ve been doing for twenty-seven days now. The warfare prayer to God is your opportunity to write out a prayer of faith, of obedience, of warfare on behalf of someone you love. Utilize the lines below to speak to your Heavenly Father and conduct warfare for yourself or intercede for someone you love.


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