Bringing Out the Big Gun

Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20

Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 6:18

MAYBE YOU BELIEVE that helping non-Christian friends get right with God starts with sharing the good news about Christ. Actually, it begins with prayer. When you share truth, you march into enemy territory. You can’t do that without prayer any more than ground troops can take control of enemy territory without air support.

Prayer is simply talking to God in everyday language about your thoughts, feelings, and concerns. And you can be totally confident that God hears you when you pray. In fact, God eagerly waits for you to come to him in prayer. You are his child, and he values every minute you spend with him.

Why is prayer so great? Some important answers:

1. Prayer helps you focus on God. It helps you plug in to God’s strength (Psalm 105:4). When you take time to pray, you unplug your mind from TV and CDs and plug in to God.
2. Prayer is intimacy with God. As you pray, God becomes a deep, personal friend. As you hang with God in prayer, you stay in tune with his heartbeat for you and the non-Christians he wants to reach through you.
3. Prayer is a vital weapon in spiritual battle. Spiritual conflict is real. And prayer is the biggest evil-blasting bomb in your arsenal. In Ephesians 6:1020, the apostle Paul lists the armor you are to use to fight the spiritual battle. He says to wear your faith as a shield against Satan’s flaming arrows, to put on salvation as your helmet, and to use God’s Word as your sword (verses 16-17). Then Paul tells how prayer works in spiritual warfare (verses 18-20):

Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for Christians everywhere.
Ask God to give you and other Christians the right words.
Pray that Christians will keep on speaking boldly for him, as we should.

When you pray, God acts! Your prayers for your non-Christian friends paralyze Satan as God works in their lives. God prepares your friends to receive the message and he gives you strength to speak up.

God has his mind made up to do some astonishing things on your campus and in your community. When you pray, you get hold of God-and in sync with what he intends to accomplish.

REFLECT: Are you taking advantage of the powerful weapon of prayer? How could your experience of prayer be improved?

PRAY: Ask God to deepen your prayer life.