Prayer Warrior The Armor of God and Prayer (Part 1) Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Prayer Warrior ----------------------- Date: 05/07/1999 Keywords: "prayer" "Spirit" "sword" "word" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. The following is one of 42 studies on the "armor of God" as it relates to resisting Web porn. Some of the studies will examine Ephesians chapter six, which is famous for the armor theme. Some of the other studies, however, will examine how the armor pieces are discussed elsewhere in Scripture. All 42 studies are listed in the three-minute study index for the dates April 1 through May 12, 1999. Feel free to study and/or download the entire set. We welcome your feedback to this thematic approach in the three-minute studies. Passage: Ephesians 6:12-18 (especially verse 18)* 12. 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. 13. 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. 14. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15. and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18. 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 saints. Question What does it mean to "pray in the Spirit" (verse 18)?   Practical help The admonition to "pray in the Spirit" (verse 18) comes right after the advice to use the Spirit's sword — the word of God (verse 17). Is there a connection between these two activities? And how does any connection help porn strugglers? As the verses above indicate, God's Spirit has a hand in both prayer and Scripture. What's more, the two activities function in unison: Prayer sharpens our vigilance in battle ("be alert"), and the Scripture — verse 18 itself, for example — tells us what to be vigilant in prayer for ("all the saints"). The combination is a good strategy for people fighting porn temptation: Be alert, and pray for fellow strugglers. So ask: What porn temptations are beckoning right now? And who needs prayer right now? Then be a prayer warrior: Pray, and "keep on praying." eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 1999 by eXXit *Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version, © copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.