Prayer, Planted, and Prepared Leads To Victory In The Christian Life

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).

The Apostle Paul makes it clear in his epistle to the Church at Ephesus that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. It’s not against people with political differences, opposing countries, or social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram. The enemy is a spiritual foe, Satan; for he is the ultimate adversary and the one we should be fighting against.

Tug of War In The Spiritual Realm

Have you ever played the game, Tug of war? It’s a sport that puts two teams against each other in a test of strength. Each team uses all their power together to pull on the opposite ends of a rope. The goal, of course, is to pull as much of the rope as you can until the other side is pulled across the dividing line and loses.

This is what Satan wants to do with humanity. He wants us to be on opposite teams, pulling against each other rather than joining the same side. He knows that if we all join together, and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our midst, we will have the power to overcome the powers of this dark world in the heavenly realms.

Prayer, Planted, and Prepared

So then, how do we join the same side? Through prayer. James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins and pray for one another. When we keep ourselves accountable in prayer and devote energy towards pulling together in our sanctification–this will lead to a valiant warfare that leads to victory in the Christian life.

Moreover, we fight best against Satan when we are planted in God’s house. Acts 2:42 states that the early church devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer. Just like a tree can’t grow without sunlight, good soil, water, and strong roots–neither can we grow in God without “assembling” together in one accord.

Finally, we fight best against Satan when we are prepared for his attacks. The best way to prepare is by knowing Scripture. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he would quote Scripture out of context, and Jesus was always prepared to respond with another verse that corresponded to God’s truth.

For example, the devil tempted the Son of God to jump from the temple and quoted Psalm 91:11 to justify it: “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” However, Jesus replied with a verse from Deuteronomy 6:16: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Conclusion

Prayer is what will give us victory in the Christian life. It is this type of valiant warfare that pleases God. For we are not to fight in the physical realm; rather, we are to battle in the spiritual realm against the spiritual forces and philosophical ideas that are contrary to the word of God. And our success comes from praying often, being planted in God’s house, and memorizing Scripture to be prepared for the enemy’s attacks. I hope this message was helpful. Have a great day!

Article written by Chad A. Damitz (M.Div)