Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints (Ephesians 6:18)
When you take the whole armor of God and pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watch, you shall be able to stand against the whiles of the devil and withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Because if you don’t put on the whole armor of God and don’t pray, you will not be able to stand against the whiles of the devil and withstand in the evil day, but you shall lose every spiritual battle.
Although prayer is not mentioned as a piece of the armor, prayer is mentioned together with the spiritual armor to stand against the whiles of the devil and to stand in the evil day. Because your walk as the new creation on earth depends on your prayer-life.
The prayer-life of the born again Christian
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved Me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee: but I have known Thee, and these have known that thou hast sent Me. And I have declared unto them Thy Name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Mve may be in them, and I in them (John 17:20-26)
Every born again believer is connected in the Spirit with God. When you are born again, the Holy Spirit abides in you, whereby the Father and the Son abide in you. They live in you and you live in Them.
If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour (John 12:26)
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7)
When you are born again, you are seated in Jesus Christ in the heavenly places. This means that you are already there and don’t have to apply all kinds of carnal methods and technics and use natural means to get there.
From your position in Christ, you live and walk after the Spirit in the spiritual armor of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.
The prayer life of Jesus
Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared; Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him; Called of God an High Priest after the order of Melchisedec (Hebrew 5:7-10)
Although Jesus often withdrew Himself physically from the crowd to spend time alone in prayer with the Father, Jesus was connected with His Father in the Spirit and prayed always (a.o. Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Mark 6:46, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12, Luke 9:18, Luke 11:1).
The Father dwelled in Him and He dwelled in the Father by the Holy Spirit and were One (a.o. John 10:30).
While Jesus prayed, He received the Holy Spirit
Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased (Luke 3:21-22)
When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and prayed, Jesus received the Holy Spirit and the witness of the Father, that Jesus is His beloved Son in Whom He is well pleased.
The Father answered the prayer of Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus
Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up His eyes, and said, Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me. And I knew that Thou hearest Me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth (John 11: 41-43)
Just before Lazarus was raised from the dead, Jesus made His connection and unity with the Father known to the crowd by speaking (praying) openly with the Father and the Father heard Him and answered His prayer.
The prayer and supplication of Jesus
The persistent prayer and supplication of Jesus preceded His words and works. Everything Jesus did, derived from His relationship with the Father. Jesus spoke the words of His Father and did what He had seen His Father do (a.o. John 8:38, John 10:32-37).
Because of His persistent prayer and supplication in the Spirit, Jesus was able to stand against the temptations of the devil and Jesus was able to go God’s way (Read also: ‘The battle in the garden‘ and ‘The crucifixion of the soul’)
Jesus stayed obedient to His Father until His death and revealed the love of God for mankind through His work of redemption at the cross and was raised from the dead as Victor (Read also: ‘The true meaning of the cross‘).
Pray always and do not faint!
And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (Luke 18:1)
Jesus set the example and commanded to always pray and not to faint, which means that you should not stop praying but continue and persevere in prayer. As an example, Jesus told the parable of the unrighteous judge (Read also: ‘Shall I find faith on the earth?)
Jesus knew, there would come a time that the people were not able to endure sound doctrine anymore, but would turn unto fables and become lukewarm for Him and the things of God and His Kingdom and not many people would give themselves to prayer.
Jesus knew, that at the end of the latter days, the people would be distracted and be occupied with the cares and the things of this world and have more faith in the world, than God.
Jesus knew, that there would come a time, that the people would not persevere in prayer and supplication and by faith endure until their prayers would be answered, but that they would give up and turn to the world for a solution and seek help in the world.
Therefore, Jesus asked them the question, that when the Son of man returns, will He find faith? A faith that believes God and relies completely on God and perseveres and doesn’t give? A faith that obeys God and Jesus Christ; His Word and stays faithful and under no circumstances compromise, and never leave Him?
Watch and pray
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41, also Mark 14:38)
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36)
Through prayer in the Spirit, you shall stay spiritually awake and watch and prevent from falling asleep spiritually.
When you pray always and stay awake and watch, you shall not enter into temptation but you shall be able to stand against the temptations of the devil and be accounted worthy to escape all the things that shall come to pass and to stand before Jesus Christ.
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you (John 16:12-15)
The Holy Spirit shall guide you into all truth. He shall speak to you, teach you, correct you, chastise you, warn you and show you things to come.
The words of the Holy Spirit shall always be in alignment with the will of the Father and His Word, since the Holy Spirit speaks what He hears and therefore He shall speak the words of Jesus Christ and the Father and make them known to you.
Pray always for the saints
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given Me; for they are Thine. And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them (John 17:9-10)
Jesus didn’t pray for the world, but Jesus prayed for those, whom the Father had given Him. And so His followers should follow His example and always pray for their fellow believers; the saints (Read also: The importance of praying for fellow believers‘)
The apostles followed the example of Jesus and knew the power of prayer and also prayed for the saints (a.o. 2 Corinthians 13:7, Colossians 1:9, Philippians 1:9, 3 John 1:2).
They prayed for the churches and commanded the churches to pray for all the saints, including themselves (a.o. Ephesians 6:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:25, 2 Thessalonians 3:1, Hebrew 13:18).
The armor of God and prayer
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
Without the armor of God and prayer, believers shall not be able to stand against the wiles of the devil and withstand in the evil day and stand and be able to fight the good fight, and finish their course and keep the faith and lay hold on eternal life.
Therefore put on the armor of God, and pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watch with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
