Prayer Cards - Pray In The Spirit

Ephesians 6:18

 Pray in The Spirit at all times, 

with every kind of prayer and petition.

To this end, stay alert

with all perseverance in your prayers

for all the saints.

Jude 1:20-21

But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in The Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life. 

Romans 8:26

Likewise The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but The Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 

Galatians 4:4-7

But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God sent The Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God.

    To pray "in The Spirit" is to have the right desires within us, which can only be put there by The Spirit. It is to pray first for one's self, that the strength of The Lord would be given us to overcome what we are battling. Second, it is to pray--intercede, stand in the gap--for other Christians who are fighting their battles, that they would stand strong against the wiles--the sneakiness--of the enemy, maintain their witness, sharpen their testimony and in so doing overcome the enemy which they are fighting against. 

    Yes, the battle does indeed belong to The Lord, but we must be fully equipped nonetheless that we might disengage ourselves from worldly principles and embrace the spiritual foundation--Jesus Christ--upon which we have built our life. This passage in Ephesians 6:10-18 discusses the armor which the Christian, the born-again believer, must always have on. And praying in The Spirit is part of that armor. 

    It must be used not only daily, but wielded in the right way. When we pray for ourselves, it is that we pray for strength to endure, wisdom to persevere, knowledge and understanding to retain The Word within us. We pray for The Spirit of Excellence (Daniel 6:3) to fill us daily, as life is lived day by day and not all at once. Sometimes we just won't know how to pray for ourselves: it is then that The Spirit of God intervenes for us and speaks to God Himself. 

    When we pray for other Christians, we pray as The Spirit leads us. Sometimes He wakes us up to pray for each other because of some tumultuous battle the other is going through. So, we get up and pray. And when the battle's over, we usually fall back asleep. Sometimes, we pray for each other at the altar, where worship takes place and The Spirit moves freely among God's people, touching first one, then another, to go and pray for this man or that woman, this daughter or that son. 

    Random strangers will cross our paths: sometimes a child of God, most of the time someone seeking God: The Spirit will lead us to pray with that person, if they are so inclined. Some will even ask for prayer. Always be ready to pray. 

    Sometimes the call for urgent prayer lasts all night long, as in Daniel 2:17-23, when the need for both dream and interpretation needed to come from God.  Another excellent example is found in John 17. Jesus praying in the night first, for Himself; then, for His disciples and third, for us who would believe what His disciples had to say concerning Himself. 

   Arm yourselves. The battle is coming and has even now commenced for many. Pray for yourselves. Pray for other Christians. Pray 

*for your families (even the generations to come) 

*for the strangers among you

*for your enemies: for the people who don't like you, who hate you and swear at you, who curse you, who make fun of you for being a Christian, 

 to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He is God's only begotten Son. Pray that they, too, would know the joy of The Lord and be filled with His Holy Spirit.  Pray that they would be ready. 

BY YOUR SPIRIT 

MY GOSPEL

    

I Am Christian's Closet

 

ROMANS 13:14

But put on The Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

    I am Christian's closet and I am empty. For everything Christian needs to clothe himself or herself is already on the body. It is a conscious decision to choose to clothe one's self in Christ. 

    It is a daily commitment to be arrayed in the salvation of Jesus Christ as outlined in Ephesians 6:10-20. For every piece of armor and equipment is on the body and in the hand. 

    My head covering is a helmet of salvation and I am wearing multiple crowns; not golden crowns, for one gold crown is heavy enough in itself. Christian wears the crowns of victory which are light and fragrant. These crowns do not sit in Christian's closet but on Christian's head:

One crown is imperishable (1 Corinthians 9:25).

One crown is eternal life (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10).

One crown is God's Lovingkindness (Psalm 103:4)

One crown is the anointing oil reserved for the high priest who could enter the holy of holies (Leviticus 21:12).

One crown is God-given glory and honor (Psalm 8:4,5).

One crown is  knowledge given to the wise/prudent (Proverbs 14:18).

One crown is righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8).

One crown is souls won for Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:1; Proverbs 11:30, Jude 3, Ephesians 6:12).

One crown is beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3). 

    I am Christian and my garments are many. 

    The garment which covers my skin is the righteousness of Christ Jesus. This goes on before any other pieces of clothing. Without the blood of The Lamb of God covering Christian's nakedness all other attempts to clothe one's self are vain and destructive. 

Therefore, as Paul writes in his letter to the church in Rome, "Put on The Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the lusts/desires of the flesh." In other words deliberately and with careful thought pursue a life of holiness, following The Spirit where He leads us as we keep near to our Lord and Savior. 

    Atop this garment of righteousness Christian places his vestment of love and righteousness. It is akin to a thick leather tunic,  which protects Christian both on the front and the back. A belt of Truth holds the tunic in place and keeps Christian on balance, unwavering. 

    Knowing that The Word of God is The LORD Jesus Christ we see that Christian has both Sword and Shield, two items one might not ordinarily deem articles of clothing. But since we know that Christian is dressed in Christ, then we now know that Christian's hands are the hands of Christ, as well. When Christian raises his hands, he raises Christ up and God is glorified. When Christian pushes his hands out in front of him, it is Christ defending Christian, it is as if the blood of Christ were pushing back against whatever and whoever is coming against Christian. 

    I am Christian and I wear a garment of praise. I have traded it for the garment of despair I used to wear before the moniker Christian was given to me (Isaiah 61:3). This garment is like a cloak, covering all of me from the neck to the ankle. It is protection in and of itself to me, for in this garment of praise is my GOD. This I know because The Word tells me that GOD inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). There are hundreds of verses throughout the Holy Bible and Scriptures which remind us that we are to Praise The Lord God not just every day but throughout our day and even our nights. 

    

    In Christian's closet is an empty shoebox. For on Christian's feet are the only shoes he will ever need to wear: the preparation of the gospel of peace. These shoes strap on to the foot first, then over the ankle and up the calf. To hold the straps in place is a leather greeve which will protect the shin and calf. Now Christian is fully dressed and ready to greet the day. 

    Wherever Christian steps he steps on the lies of Satan. Though the sting of death came through Satan's actions, the victory over death comes only by the death and resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ. Christian has this victory. Christian will only taste death for death will have no power over him. And so the folly of Christian's antagonist(s) becomes their undoing. For the power of The Living Word of God, which is strapped to Christian's feet and legs has overcome and  destroyed that which has tried to destroy him. 

 

    I am Christian and my closet is empty because I am fully clothed in the garments which my Lord God has given me.  

JESUS MY RIGHTEOUSNESS - John Mark Pantana

COVERED - Planetshakers

OIL OF YOUR SPIRIT - Lindell Cooley

GARMENTS OF PRAISE - Robin Mark

UNDER MY FEET - Zach Williams

YOUR LOVE DEFENDS ME - Matt Maher

Weaponized

 

2 Corinthians 10:4

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Jeremiah 23:29

"Is not MY WORD like fire," declares the LORD, "and like a hammer that smashes a rock?"

Ephesians 6:10-18

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. 

Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.

Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious].

So stand firm and hold your ground, HAVING TIGHTENED THE WIDE BAND OF TRUTH (personal integrity, moral courage) AROUND YOUR WAIST and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (an upright heart),

and having strapped on YOUR FEET THE GOSPEL OF PEACE IN PREPARATION [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news].

Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the WORD OF GOD.

With all PRAYER AND PETITION PRAY [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] IN THE SPIRIT, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.

Our weapon is the WORD OF GOD, not our opinion. We think THE WORD when we contemplate It, when we study It, when we meditate on It. We breathe THE WORD when we speak it aloud, not just in our hearing, but in the presence of others. 

We live THE WORD when we believe THE WORD. Our actions and our speech define who we are and where we stand. 

THE WORD OF GOD is JESUS CHRIST. John 1:1-4. 14 He is not only our Savior, Friend and Teacher, He is our Example. He is the FirstFruits: 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.

 THE WORD OF GOD is powerful: Hebrews 4:12 'For THE WORD OF GOD is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.'

Only with THE WORD OF GOD thriving within us will be able to be the people of God we are called to be: Christians, Christ-followers, Word-speakers, Spirit-filled servants of the Most High God. Without Christ we are nothing. But with Christ we are everything because He is our Everything.  

 

 

Stand My Ground

 

STAND MY GROUND
Ephesians 6:13

I take up the full armor of God, 

so that when the day of evil comes,

I am able to stand my ground, 

and having done everything,

to stand.

And just so we know what that full armor looks like, Paul compares it to the armor of the Roman soldier of his time. 

Verse 14 Belt of Truth buckled around the waist

Verse 14 Breastplate of Righteousness arrayed ( put on )

Verse 15 Shoes/Sandals of Peace: Feet bound (wrapped) and ready (firm foundation/prepared) to go out and preach the gospel of Peace

Verse 16 Shield of Faith, which extinguishes all the flaming arrows of the evil one

Verse 17 Helmet of Salvation

Verse 17 Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Zechariah 4:6; John 1:1-14)

Verse 18 Praying in the Spirit at all times, for everything and everyone 

Verse 19 Pray for the delivered persecutors, for wisdom to preach the gospel boldly

Verse 20 Pray for the delivered to speak freely and fearlessly

James 4:7-8

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1 Peter 5:8-9

Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

1 Timothy 6:12

Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession [of faith] in the presence of many witnesses.

While Ephesians 6 outlines most of the armor we put on as Christ's elect, there are others which are woven into the Breastplate of Righteousness: 

1 Thessalonians 5:8

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the Breastplate of Faith and Love, and the Helmet of our Hope of Salvation.

Vibrant Faith-Dressed To Overcome

My FAITH in GOD is Vibrant and Alive and Active.
We know that "Faith Comes From Hearing and Hearing By The Word of GOD" (Romans 10:17) and we know that "Faith is the substance of things Hoped for, the Evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1).

When we apply The Word of God to ourselves, we are covering ourselves with The Word of God, Jesus Christ. We are clothed in Him from head to toe.

Ephesians 6:17 tells the believer to "take (up) the Helmet of Salvation"; in other words, put that helmet on our heads.
And several times we read that we have many crowns: Crown of Life, Crown of Righteousness, Crown of Glory, Crown. We are each other's Crown. We are the Crown of Splendor in The LORD's hand. He is our Crown.

Ephesians 6:13 says we wear Him like armor and goes on to describe what our armor is.
Ephesians 6:14 Belt or Sash of Truth & Breastplate of Righteousness
Ephesians 6:15 Shoes of Peace, not as the world knows peace, but The Preparation of The Gospel of Peace
Ephesians 6:16 The Shield of Faith, which quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked. This shield is actually not held in our hands, but in our hearts. As is
Ephesians 6:17 The Sword of The Spirit, which is The Word of God.

Since we know that The Word of God is Jesus Christ, we learn now that both the Shield and the Sword are articles of clothing. How cool is that?

1 Thessalonians 5:8 also tells us that our Breastplate is not just His Righteousness on us, but His Love, as well.

Are you fully clothed in your Faith before you begin your day? or your night? Or are you dressed like the emperor in his new clothes, who goes out in his birthday suit believing himself to be beautifully clothed, when in fact he is wearing nothing at all.