“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” ~ Ephesians 6:12
Some battles cannot be fought on a physical level. And some weapons are not ones we wield—they’re ones we yield.
As author Mark Hitchcock notes, a Christian’s defense (and arguably his offense, as well) is prayer. Not anything we can do with our own minds or strength, but rather an utter reliance on the One who has already secured victory at Calvary.
So we understand that prayer is crucial in our struggle against evil. The task, then, is understanding what spiritual warfare prayer looks like on a practical level. Hitchcock offers an overview of six basic facets of such prayer, based on Ephesians 6:18, which reads…
“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”
6 Aspects of Spiritual Warfare Prayer
Excerpted from 101 Answers to Questions About Satan, Demons, and Spiritual Warfare
1. Varied Prayer “With all prayer and petition.” The word “prayer” refers to general requests, while “petition” refers to specific ones. The use of both words indicates that all kinds of prayer are in view.
2. Continual Prayer “Pray at all times.” Every believer should have set times each day to pray. But prayer should be carried forward throughout the day. Praying at all times means we live in a state of continual God-consciousness.
3. Spirit-Directed Prayer “In the Spirit.” Praying in the Spirit does not mean praying in tongues or some kind of prayer language or ecstatic utterance. Praying in the Spirit is praying with His help and guidance (see Romans 8:26-27; Jude 20).
4. Vigilant Prayer “And with this in view, be on the alert.” Vigilant prayer is awake and alert, with eyes wide open. Don’t just go through the motions.
5. Persistent Prayer “With all perseverance and petition.” Warfare prayer is persistent. Keep on praying. Don’t quit. On the battlefield of life we must be constantly in touch with our Commander.
6. Intercessory Prayer “For all the saints.” Prayer is to be made for all the saints. Believers in other nations. Persecuted saints. Suffering Christians. Isolated believers. Christians in positions of power. We need to pray for all the saints. But we also need to pray specifically for one another.
What is spiritual warfare? Who is Satan? This book takes you to the ultimate resource for guidance—God’s Word, which provides you with all you need to know to experience victory in spiritual warfare.
Click on the cover to learn more!
Like Mark says, “On the battlefield of life we must be constantly in touch with our Commander. He speaks to us through His Word, and we speak to Him in prayer.” Now that we’ve discussed prayer, get six tips for memorizing Scripture—God’s communication to us—in Terry Glaspey and Kathleen Kerr’s August post.
