Ever Interceding

BECAUSE WE PRAYED

written by Diana Brown, www.faithfitlife.net

One of my favorite passages in Scripture is on the armor of God found in Ephesians. I enjoy reading it in various translations to glean from each of them. Let’s study it for a few minutes in two different versions of the Scriptures.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 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 Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:10- 11, NIV)

I use the Message Bible to meditate and pray over Scripture from time to time. The first time I read Ephesians 6 in The Message translation it hit me strongly in many ways. Let’s read it:

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. (Ephesians 6: 13-18 MSG)

When you read that passage, what stood out to you?

The Message Bible titles this section of Scripture a “Fight to the Finish.” Ladies, are we not in a fight to finish what the Lord has for us? We need to put our armor on daily to deal with all that our enemy, the devil, sends at us. We need to use wisely the spiritual weapons the Lord has given us so that when the battle is over and we are shouting praise to God for all He has done, “exceedingly and abundantly above all that we” asked or thought, we will still be on our feet. (Ephesians 3:21 NKJV)

Look again at the beginning of that Scripture passage in the Message: “Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.” Think about the words “truth,” “righteousness,” and “peace”. These are not empty words. As it says in the NIV translation of Ephesians 6:10-11, they are our God-given weapons. We need to utilize them in our walk through all of life, for our whole life. God’s Word is essential, living and powerful in our life.

In the last section of this passage in Ephesians, Paul speaks about prayer as a vital weapon in this ongoing battle in our spiritual life. “In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.” Paul encourages us to keep our eyes open to what is going on around us. We must be ever interceding, or supporting each other in prayer, in order to encourage and lift each other up “so that no one falls behind or drops out.” (MSG)

Imagine going to a sporting event to support a child of yours. As they are playing, you are on the sidelines cheering them on, “Go Tommy, GO!’ or “Come on, Susie, you got this! Go!” You are cheering on and encouraging your child so that they don’t fall behind or want to drop out. In the same manner, we ladies, as sisters in Christ, need to be cheering on and encouraging each other from the sidelines.

My dear, precious sisters, we need to be ever interceding for each other so that we each can fight to the finish!

Heavenly Father,

Thank you that you do not leave us to fight alone but you give us the tools to encourage and cheer each other on. Father, bring to our mind those who we need to encourage. Thank you for those that pray daily for us so we don’t fall behind or drop out. Remind us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions.” Cause us to be alert and always praying for each other.

In the matchless name of Jesus,

Amen.