Avoid rusty spiritual armor
Posted by The Skyliner on September 23rd, 2009Rachel Ham
Staff Writer
Most Christians have heard about the spiritual armor listed in Ephesians 6. Even if you did not grow up in church, odds are you have heard a chapel message about the armor of God while here at North Greenville. But many Christians today have let one important weapon become rusty with disuse.
Prayer may not always be thought of as part of the spiritual armor, but in reality it is one of the most important tools God has given us.
Last week I had the privilege to attend part of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Reconnect Prayer Conference at Taylors First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C. One of the guest speakers was Dr. James Walker, pastor of First Baptist Alpharetta in Alpharetta, Ga.
He specifically mentioned that he sees many Christians in churches today putting prayer on the back burner.
There is nothing wrong with being involved and staying busy, but sacrificing time spent talking to God is not what He intended Christians to do.
At the conference, Walker mainly referenced Nehemiah 4:16-18. The men that were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem were equipped with armor and weapons; they were prepared for a fight.
The point Walker made from this passage was that prayer can be an offensive weapon. In fact, it is one of our most valuable weapons against Satan’s attacks.
Walker challenged those at the meeting to take up their spiritual weapons and join the fight. But he also stated that before Christians join the fight against Satan, they need to be prepared to go into battle.
Having a consistent prayer life is the one of best ways we can prepare for a spiritual battle. Walker advised that our prayers should be proactive, not just coming during bad circumstances.
Our prayer lives should follow the same pattern. If we go through our entire day without asking for God’s protection and blessing, how do we expect to receive them?
We leave ourselves vulnerable to Satan if we do not prepare ahead of time by asking for God to “lead us not into temptation,” as Matthew 6:13 says.
God has given us a way to talk to Him on a daily basis about anything and everything. Why would we not want to take advantage of the gift He has given us?
After attending the prayer conference, I was challenged to change some things about my prayer life. I hope you will simply take inventory of your time spent talking to God and see if you could be putting more effort into it.
Tags: Fall 2009, Vol. 109 - Issue 3