armor of God
Praying for the Nation Week 11
States I have either dirt from, or a picture of a jar of dirt.
As we move into the 11th week of praying over our jars of dirt on behalf of our nation, I wanted to take a moment to remind us to pray for the other intercessors along on this journey. Each state will have its own territorial spirits, its own assigned strong men; we contend not only with them on a national level, but also state. Let us lift each other up to strengthen, encourage, edify and cover.
If we believe we have come up against a territorial spirit, let us enlist help and wait for the Holy Spirit to lead us into battle. We are not try to tackle this on our own, or outside of the Spirit’s timing.
As I traveled back home from Virginia last week with dirt from both Washington DC and Maryland and placed it in the cabinet with the other jars, I realized how careful I must be. My house is currently home to 14 jars of dirt from across the country, and one of them is the seat of our great nation, with more dirt on its way. Darkness cannot abide where light is and my home is a place where God resides, yet this will not stop darkness from trying to encroach. We have stirred up and ticked off our adversary, and while we may not yet see fruit or answers to our prayers in the natural, we have begun to cause a shift in the spiritual. I am asking for help praying for DC. We each are covering our respective states, but I am asking for support in praying for our nation’s capitol. I am sensing a lot of push-back in the spirit realm and cannot do this on my own.
Let us pray:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for this great nation, for Your great grace, Your great mercy, Your great love! Thank You for counting us worthy of this calling and for equipping us to stand strong, stand firm and stand in faith, praying heaven into earth! Thank You for the covering of Your Shadow and the shelter of Your Wings, for we know we find rest there. We stand before You now, lifting up our Brothers and Sisters who have picked up the mantle of intercession for our nation, who are following Your prophetic act of speaking life and love over a jar of dirt; we ask for Your hand of blessing and favor over each of the intercessors – blessings of refreshment, revival, and renewal; blessings of stamina, endurance and strength; blessings of discernment, wisdom and strategic insight, and most importantly, the blessing of Your Presence. We understand there is no distance in the Spirit, may we be united in prayer for this nation, may we have wisdom in knowing the times and seasons, and may we connect with each other in the Spirit. There is no one like You, Father, and we know that what You have given us, it is for our benefit. So, as we lift up our shields of Faith, proudly and boldly wearing our helmets of salvation, breastplates of righteousness and belts of truth, knowing our feet are shod with the sandals of the Gospel of Peace and we are armed with the Sword of the Spirit, we stand firm and shout “Grace, Grace to it!”. We give You all glory, all honor, all praise and all worship. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN!
This week’s directives:
- Speak blessing, not cursing over your jar, remembering to tell it how much you love it and how much God loves it.
- Speak healing over the land and agricultural areas.
- Speak life and blessing over the children of your state. Generations to come must be covered.
- For states getting hit hard with major weather patterns, Isaiah 59:19 came to mind today, as well as Mark 4:39. Pray for no loss of life, for missing to be found, and for angelic hosts to minister in those areas as needed.
- Declare God’s righteous government within your state, for Christians to rise up and realize ministry is not only within “church” buildings, but also in political arenas, schools, legal fields, etc. Let us pray for a new definition of “ministry”!
Blessings, Hugs and Love!
Shalom,
Prudence 🙂
Prepare For Battle
PREPARE FOR BATTLE
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:10-18 New King James Version).
How strong our armor is depends on whether or not we’ve reinforced it lately. We must make sure our belt of Truth is cinched tightly and placed correctly, since the belt mainly holds the sword. Our sword, the sword of the Spirit, is the Word of God. It’s important we be thoroughly grounded in God’s Word so we can adequately wield the sword. The breastplate of righteousness protects our heart and internal organs. When our heart is fully devoted to God, we wear our breastplate correctly. We must have proper footwear on our feet; improper footwear causes fatigue. Have you ever tried walking in bad shoes? It’s neither easy, nor fun, and our feet get so sore and tired we need to sit down and rest them. The terrain we walk as Christians is very rocky and sharp at times and we can slip easily without the correct shoes. Wearing the gospel of peace on our feet indicates we are following Jesus and continuing to be His example on this earth; it also ensures a proper fit so we are able stand. At last, we cannot forget our head protection, the helmet of salvation. The helmet protects the head; when we accepted the gift of salvation, we became new creations. The enemy will always try to attack us in our minds. Holding tight to the fact Jesus has given us new life and we are not who we used to be is the helmet is protecting us.
How do we wield our sword and engage the enemy? Prayer, praise, worship and studying God’s word. Prayer keeps us connected to God, keeps us watchful, holds the enemy back and helps to keep the armor strong and whole. Prayer is not complicated and it’s not only for pastors and church leaders on Sunday mornings. Prayer is available to, and should be practiced by everyone. Prayer only costs the time and effort you put into it. Praise keeps our eyes focused on God, no matter what we go through, no matter what type of situation the enemy throws at us, with attitudes of praise we are telling God we trust Him to fight on our behalf. As Christians, our lives and lifestyle should be considered worship to God. All we do, all we say, all we are is for the glory of God. Studying and reading the Bible will reveal more and more of God’s character and His will for our lives, making it easier to discern spiritual attacks and stand firm against them.
Take time today to reevaluate your armor. Are there pieces of armor that have grown weak and dingy? Do you need a complete armor overhaul? Do you even wear your armor or are you standing behind someone else to fight your battles for you?
Let’s Pray: Dear Lord, thank You for blessing us with another beautiful day. It is a gift and we offer all we do today for Your glory and honor. May you accept our acts of worship and our sacrifices of praise, and may they be a sweet aroma to You. Lord, we ask that our armor be fortified. Reveal to us any holes or dings that need patching and strengthening. Show us how to wear it correctly and to properly wield the weapons You have given us. Grant those of us that are already engaged in battle strength and endurance to make it through, protect us from any sneak attacks of the enemy and grant us discernment to know what warnings are from You and what the enemy is trying to fool us with. Please grant us watchful eyes, and may we heed the warnings from the watchman. May You raise up Your watchman and grant them discernment and boldness to speak Your warnings and Your word. Let us not grow complacent and compromising in the midst of battle, pinch us when we begin to become weary, and reinforce us when we become weak. We give all glory and honor to You, our worship and praise our Yours. In Your name, Jesus, Amen.
Today’s Attitude of Worship: If you find that your armor is slack and weak, strengthen it. Spend time in prayer, sing along with some praise songs, make a mental note to offer all that you do today as worship to God, and begin reading His Word.
Additional Scriptures: Matthew 4:1-11; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Shalom,
Prudence
The Right Equipment
THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6: 11-13 New King James Version).
Due to the nature of the company I work for, I am required to attend mandatory safety training annually. Yesterday was my turn to go. We discussed a variety of topics, including the importance of proper footwear and correct techniques for heavy lifting, as well as new safety guidelines. As I have been reflecting on the class, my mind wondered how this impacts my walk with Christ. When it comes to proper footwear at work, women are discouraged from wearing high heels and flip flops as the capacity for slips, trips and falls becomes greater in certain areas of the building and lot. Shoes that are flat-soled and non-skid are preferable since the dealership environment has various floor and lot conditions which are not high heel or flip-flop friendly. Most people know the potential for back injuries is greatest when we do not lift items using our knees while properly aligning our bodies.
As Christians, Jesus gave us the right equipment to stand and serve. It is called the armor of God – it includes the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, the shoes of the gospel of peace and the sword of the Spirit. We must clothe ourselves in this daily to resist the devil and be strong against his attacks. When we don’t, we risk becoming weary and battle-worn from the constant barrage of spiritual attacks, which manifest themselves in a myriad of ways. Our battle is not fought in this tangible realm, yet we feel the effects of the battle here. Prayer and praise help us to wear the armor of the Lord while strengthening our arms to wield the sword of the Spirit. When we don’t put our armor on, we can easily succumb to slips, trips and falls along our path. The devil places hidden traps of temptation, oil slicks of deception, and various other cunning ruses to cause us to stumble and fall. With the proper equipment, we are able to avoid each of these and more. So, suit up!
Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for a brand new day, filled with new mercies and Your great faithfulness! Thank You for Your armor, may we put it on daily and wear it proudly. May we have discernment to know the traps of our enemy, and may You grant us grace sufficient for this day. Father, we love You and glorify You, adore and honor You, we lift our hands in praise and bow our hearts in worship. We come before You in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Today’s Attitude of Worship: Do you have the right equipment to face your day?
Additional Scriptures: Ephesians 6: 14-18
Shalom,
Prudence