Winfield Bevins » Systematic Theology Biblical Theology Prayer Doctrine

Prayer series: Click | View Series "If you would endeavor, like men of courage, to stand in the battle, surely we would feel the favorable assistance of God from heaven. For who He giveth us occasion to fight, to the end we may get the victory, is ready succor those that fight manfully, and do trust in His grace."—Thomas à Kempis One of the most important aspects of prayer is spiritual warfare. The Bible tells us that we are in the midst of a spiritual battle, and our adversary, the devil, is like a roaring lion seeking to destroy our lives. Paul says, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). Satan and his forces of darkness are trying to destroy your life and it is imperative that we learn to pray against these forces of darkness in order to gain victory in our lives. There are several things that the Bible tells us about spiritual warfare.

The Lowdown on Spiritual Warfare

• We are in a real spiritual battle (2 Corinthians. 10:4; 1 Timothy 1:18)
• We are to resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9)
• We are to take authority over powers of darkness (Matthew 16:19)
• We are to cast out demons (Mark 16:17)
• We are to use spiritual weapons to overcome darkness (2 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:10-20)

The Bible tells us about great individuals who were victorious in spiritual warfare, all of which are lessons for us today. In Exodus 17, Israel fought against the Amalekites in Rephidim. Moses went up on the mountain to intercede for the people who were fighting the battle below. Whenever his hands were lifted up, Israel would prevail, but when his hands grew tired and dropped, the Amalekites would prevail. It is the same way in our lives: whenever we lift our hands in prayer we will prevail, but when we stop praying, we lose. Don't grow weary in prayer, but allow the Lord to help you pray for victory in every area of your life. In 2 Chronicles 20, Moab and Amon came to battle against Judah, and King Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast in the land. 2 Chronicles 20:4 says, "And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD." The first thing to do when you are in spiritual warfare is to ask help from the Lord. The Lord reminded them, "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's" (2 Chronicles 20:15). God wants to fight our battles for us. All we have to do is go to him in prayer and ask for his help. To be continued.