“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 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 saints.” — Ephesians 6:13-18
I have often heard this passage about the armor of God and have been quite exposed to many teachings about it.
Most of the message I hear talk a lot about each part of the armor: the belt, breastplate, helmet sandals, shield, sword. Tonight, I read it and it just dawned on me that I may have been leaving one critical part of the armor–prayer.
This is what verse 18 is saying: “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 saints.”
I believe the key words here are “on all occasions” and “always keep on praying”. There is a lot of emphasis on prayer. I know of a lot of Christians who declare the words of Ephesians 6:13-18 to prepare for spiritual battle but neglect the last part. This must never be forgotten. Prayer is very important in every spiritual battle and is actually the primary weapon against the enemy.
Father, may we always be praying on all occasions even as we declare the glory of the armor of God. May Your presence be with us always. In Jesus’ mighty name, amen!
