Previously, we discussed why the church needs to pray and conveyed the message that the church is fundamentally the house of prayer. Following this, we highlighted the position of Jesus, our Lord, on the use of the temple space and encouraged church leaders to work towards reviving and/or maintaining this function.
With specific regards to church leaders, we pushed for pastors to take charge of prayer meetings in their churches rather than delegating this essential responsibility to others. This was not to say delegating prayer meetings was wrong as deputizing is a key aspect of effective leadership. Rather, our aim was to urge church leaders to fully participate, closely monitor or promote the prayer culture in their churches. Indeed, a church that prays together, stays united! Now, we all know the importance of unity, don’t we?
In this edition, we are going to look at the significance of prayer for the believer. Believer here covers anyone who identifies with the name of Jesus Christ. We will focus on two areas of the art of spiritual warfare: defense and attack. These are very direct components of combat; later, we may take a closer look and address more subtle parts like strategy.
Let’s get on with it!
Most Christians do not seem to know or understand the enemy we are dealing with. Satan, our number one enemy, is strong and intelligent. He is very clever at varying his schemes—he is not a pushover. Sadly, our attitude and disposition towards the enemy clearly suggests that he’s a simpleton; on the contrary, the enemy is strong!
We must not take chances when it comes to dealing with the enemy.
As believers, we cannot afford to underestimate the strength and intelligence of the enemy by being prayerless Christians. We must not take chances when it comes to dealing with the enemy. It is dangerous and risky to be prayerless. The enemy enjoys it when Christians underrate him and is able to take advantage of us when we misjudge his strength and intelligence.
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:6 (New International Version)
In the above verse, Jesus instructs His disciples on prayer. The Lord taught his disciples about prayer as one of the basic assets they must deploy. His expectation was for us to pray! I can imagine that when we don’t pray, it grieves Him because He sees all that we could have but miss out on. Indeed, prayer offers us the opportunity to tap into heaven’s resources.
Football (Soccer for my American friends) is one of the games I enjoy very much and José Mourinho is my favorite manager of all time. I learn a lot from this great football manager. I like his football philosophy which is to have a solid defense first and then attack the opposing team. Through this philosophy, José has won many titles across many countries. He sets up his teams to be solid in defense and also to take advantage of the opponent’s weakest points in attack. Many have said that his style of play is not so attractive. Playing attractive football is not synonymous to winning or getting the needed results: attractive football is no guarantee for success.
When we are not practical and we show disrespect to our opponent without recognizing that the adversary has some strengths, then we are in danger of losing the battle against the enemy.
The most important things I’ve learnt from José are pragmatism and showing a great deal of respect to the opposing team. Pragmatism gives us the opportunity to adjust or adapt when necessary. When we are not practical and we show disrespect to our opponent without recognizing that the adversary has some strengths, then we are in danger of losing the battle against the enemy. Simply put, we don’t have to make light of the strength of the enemy.
When you pray consistently, you are able to defensively position yourself against any attack from the enemy while you destroy the works of Satan aimed at you or anything you hold dear.
As you may have guessed, I enjoy playing football and I’m greatly influenced by José’s approach. I have a mindset to keep it tight in defense while attacking the opposing team. I usually tell my teammates: “let’s make it hard for the opposing team to score” because in any game of football, you cannot win without being able to effectively defend, and switch between defense and offense almost instantaneously. At this point, I’m sure you’ll agree with me that it’s a very good idea to attack from a defensive position.
When you pray consistently, you are able to defensively position yourself against any attack from the enemy while you destroy the works of Satan aimed at you or anything you hold dear. You see, earnest prayers includes galvanizing yourself with the Word of God which by itself is a double-edged sword. This is a whole discussion for another time. For now, I must admit, from where I stand, I see no reason for prayerlessness. In fact, with all that is going on in the world, there is no better time to start or build on your prayer life!
Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.
Luke 21:36 (New International Version)
In the above verse, Jesus emphasizes to His disciples the need to always pray. We must learn to pray all the time. That means, whether we are in church or outside the church, we must continue in prayer. We cannot choose to wait until we go to church to pray. Personal prayers must be the defense that forms the basis of our attack on the enemy. Note that any attack on the enemy through corporate prayers without personal prayers is a risk. Pastors must constantly encourage members to always pray on their own.
Personal prayers must be the defense that forms the basis of our attack on the enemy.
What is this preacher saying? To keep the enemy at bay, we have to learn to combine corporate prayers with personal prayers. I believe that the beginning for every attack on the enemy must be a strong defense in the form of personal prayers.
Be encouraged to pray earnestly always and let’s keep the fire burning until the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Co-authored with Ferdinand.
We must pray at all times I order to battle the enemy!
Prayer is a necessity for daily victory.
We can’t do much for God if we don’t have the backing of the Holy Spirit through effective personal prayers.
God bless you Mr. Charles Amponsah