February 23, 2025
They Key to Victory
Ephesians 6:18-20
It was an unprovoked attack. The children of Israel were camped at Rephidim when the Amalekites came to destroy them. To stop their enemy, Moses called upon Joshua to stand against their enemy, the Amalekites. Moses gave Joshua his orders and Joshua equipped himself with all the gear that he would need for the fight. Following his orders, he headed out on the battlefield to fight their enemy. This was not all that Joshua would need to find victory over his enemy. Prayer would be his key to victory. Moses went to the battlefield as well, but he was not armed with a sword or a spear, instead he intended to fight the battle with prayer. We are told that he lifted his arms, which was an act that was synonymous with prayer on Moses’ day (Exodus 9:29-30). As his arms were lifted in prayer, Joshua and the army of Israel would be successful on the battlefield. But when he lowered his arms and stopped praying, the army would suffer in battle. The army of Israel would be victorious because the Lord was lifted and sought as the one who gave them power and gave them victory over their enemy.
Last week we saw the very last piece of gear that God has given us for our battle against the enemy. We now understand all the equipment that we will need for the battle. We’ve even been given our orders for the battle — to stand against the enemy, and to make disciples through the sharing of the Gospel of Peace. It seems that we have everything we need to be victorious in our spiritual battles against the enemy, but just like Joshua, there is still a vital piece that is required, and that is prayer. We have been commanded and shown why we need to put on the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit. To see victory we must do the same thing that Moses did. We must bathe the entire battle in prayer. That’s exactly how Paul closes his letter to the church at Ephesus, he speaks on prayer, its application, and its power in our spiritual battles. So this morning I want to focus on prayer and how we are going to use it effectively in the spiritual battles we find ourselves in every day.
We must be Praying in the Spirit. - V18
And pray in the Spirit…
When Paul begins to close out this section of his letter concerning spiritual war, he drops the metaphor that he had been using since verse 10. He had been comparing the pieces of armor and weapons that God supplies us for spiritual warfare with that of a Roman Soldier. Instead, he speaks directly about how prayer must be used in the battle. In these few verses, numerous items must take place in our prayers for them to be the most effective in our spiritual battle. The first thing that Paul shares with us is that our prayers must be prayed in the Spirit. Now when we, as Baptists read this, we might get a little nervous. To understand what Paul is talking about with this command we need to understand the word that Paul uses for “pray in” here in verse 18. “Pray in” can have a few different meanings in Greek, but all of them give the same picture. They give us a picture of praying with “the help of”. This command to pray in the Spirit is not concerning the words we speak, but rather what we seek after with our prayers. So what are we to seek in our prayers? We are to seek the will of God. It’s what Jesus tells us when His disciples ask Him how to pray. He says we are to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It’s what John speaks of in 1 John 5 when he tells us what to ask for in our prayers. This is also what Paul speaks of in Romans 8:26 when he says that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. When we don’t know how or what to pray, the Holy Spirit will lead us in our prayers. Paul is telling us that in the battle we must pray for the will of God to be done. But how can we pray for that? There are a few different answers to this question. The easiest concerns the weapon that we talked about last week when we spoke about the importance of the Sword of the Spirit. We have seen that the Word of God is alive and God-breathed. Therefore we know that when we pray what He has commanded us in His Word, we are praying in the Spirit because the Word of God is empowered and given by the Holy Spirit and directs us to God’s will. How do we need to pray in the Spirit concerning spiritual warfare? Well, we go back to the first of this sermon series to see what God calls us to do. We need to pray that we do not rely on our strength but operate in God’s strength. We need to pray that we can stand by putting on the WHOLE armor of God and not try to swap out any of the pieces with the cheap substitutes that Satan offers. When we pray for the things that God has commanded us to do, we will never be praying for selfish and ungodly things. Instead, we are focused and praying in the Spirit because we are praying for the will of God over our battles.
Praying on all Occasions. - V18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions …
Paul continues his command to pray in the Spirit with the added phrase “on all occasions”. This simple command consists of 3 separate components and Paul refers to each of them in a few different places through these 3 verses we are looking at this morning. The first piece is a call for consistent prayer. It’s a call to pray when the times are hard, and you don’t know what to do. It’s a call to pray when times are great, and you don’t feel a need to pray. We are called to always be wearing the armor that God has supplied, and we are also called to always communicate with God as well. Can you imagine having a good relationship with a loved one if the only time you talked to them was when you needed something or were in trouble? We must always pray. The second piece of this command is to pray with sincerity. This is something Jesus spoke of in Matthew 6:7 when He said we don’t need to pray with worthless repetition but pray to God with heartfelt prayers. We do this by understanding the awesomeness of the One we are talking to and the awesome privilege of having His ear. We need to pray like we have an audience before the most powerful person in the entire universe because that’s exactly what we have. However, it’s not like we begged for an audience before the King of Kings, but rather it’s Him who initiated this and made a way through Jesus Christ so that we can approach His throne whenever we want. He wants to hear from us and hear what is in our hearts. We must talk to Him with honesty. The final thing we see in this phrase is a call for urgency in our prayers. This is the same urgency that Jesus spoke of when He spoke to the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. He told them to wake up be alert and pray because danger was coming. Because we are always at war, we must understand the urgency to be in constant communication with our Father. John Wesley summed up the idea of praying on all occasions perfectly when he said, “Their heart is ever lifted to God, always and in all places. In this, he is never hindered, much less interrupted, by any person or thing. In retirement or company, in leisure, business, or conversation, his heart is ever with the Lord. Whether he lies down or rises, God is in all his thoughts; he walks with God continually, having the loving eye of his mind still fixed upon Him, and everywhere “seeing him that is invisible”.”
Praying with all kinds of Prayers. - V18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
When we talk to God, our prayers can come in different shapes and sizes according to Scripture. Sometimes our prayers will just contain one type of prayer and other times they can contain many. However, when Paul continues with his command of prayer, the idea he is trying to communicate is that when we pray our prayers in battle, they need to contain not just one type of prayer, but to contain all the elements of prayer that we see throughout Scripture. The type of prayer that is usually the easiest for us is a prayer of petition. These are the prayers that we pray when we ask God for something. We already referred to these types of prayers when we spoke of praying in the Spirit, asking God for strength, for the power to stand in His might, etc. We also see prayers of thanksgiving throughout Scripture, especially in the Psalms. These are the prayers that come when we remember all God has done for us and thank God for not only all that He has done but also all that He has promised to do. Prayers of Thanksgiving are great prayers to combat specific attacks from Satan. When Satan makes us doubt God’s goodness and His faithfulness or wants to put worry into our minds, we must stop and pray prayers of thanksgiving, when we do. We are embracing the truth of Philippians 4:6 and will be able to stand against our enemy and resist his attacks. Another type of prayer is that of praise and adoration. Again this is something that we see throughout the Psalms. It’s a prayer to thank and acknowledge God for who He is. Acknowledge His holiness, His goodness, His greatness, acknowledge Him for all He is. This prayer is very effective in battle because it helps us to realize the truth of 1 John 4:4 which tells us that “Greater is He that is in me, than He that is in the world.” You are not facing anything or will ever face anything bigger than God. When you acknowledge that it also brings humility into our lives which is needed in the battle. Therefore, remember we are not to fight in our power but rather in the strength of Christ alone.
Pray for Others. V18
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.
There is another type of prayer I didn’t mention before because Paul addresses it specifically here at the end of verse 18 — intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer is simply put as praying for another person. It’s not hard and doesn’t take a special gift to pray an intercessory prayer. The best way to pray for someone else is to ask them how you can pray for them. When you are out at a restaurant, ask your server how you can pray for them today since you are about to pray and thank God for your food. Ask the cashier who is checking you out at the store how you can pray for them. The person you pray for doesn’t have to be anyone you know. Pick a town on a map, google the staff of the First Baptist Church in that town, and pray for one of those staff members who usually doesn’t get a lot of prayer. Bookkeepers, secretaries, nursery, and children directors. They are the unsung heroes of the church and very rarely do people stop and pray for them. They need prayer just as much as the rest of us because they are under just as much of an attack as we are. This doesn’t just have to be in America, the church is worldwide, and we need to pray for all our brothers and sisters in faith. Pray for peace, faith, strength, guidance, and victory. Pray exactly what you would want others to pray for you about. Pray that they will be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil.
Pray for your Leaders. v19-20
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
The last aspect of the command Paul makes about prayer is to pray for spiritual leaders. Paul asks them to pray for boldness during battle to proclaim the Gospel. It’s a prayer that asks God for opportunities for them to speak the truth into places that their present situations might not naturally present. This call is not just a call to pray for your spiritual leaders in your local church, but for other spiritual leaders who preach the Gospel and stand upon the Word of God. Pray for them during the battle, pray for boldness, pray for opportunities, and pray most of all that God would be glorified in all that they do.
Prayer is a powerful tool and a desperate need in our battle if we are going to see victory. It’s been said that men may reject our message, oppose our arguments, and despise our persons - but they are helpless against our prayers. Prayers, when used properly, can be so powerful that they can bring world rulers to their knees. Mary, Queen of Scots once said, “I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.” Prayers like that are powerful not because of the one who is praying to them, but because of the one who receives the prayers. It’s something that we must incorporate as a major part of our Spiritual Warfare battle plan. It’s not something we need to talk about anymore this morning, but it’s something we need to do right now with urgency.
