Spiritual warfare occurs when we positively press for the purposes of God and run into usurpers, enemies of God, and prevailing, spiritual conditions called “this present darkness.
Once we have taken the position assigned us, we don God’s armor to stand in the evil day, expand from that secured position, and establish God’s kingdom purposes in that assignment.
Then, we pray “with all kinds of prayer.”
Rick Renner
Rick Renner says, and it is difficult to improve on his comments, so I’ll quote him:
Ephesians 6:18 says, “Praying always with all prayer.…” The first thing I want you to notice is that this verse commands us to pray “always.” As noted in the Sparkling Gem for January 4, the word “always” is taken from the Greek phrase en panti kairo. The word en would be better translated at. The word panti means each and every.
You could say that this word panti is an all-encompassing word that embraces everything, including the smallest and most minute of details. The last word in this Greek phrase is the word kairo, the Greek word for times or seasons.
When all three of these words are used together in one phrase (en panti kairo) as in Ephesians 6:18, they could be more accurately translated at each and every occasion.
But I want you to notice that this verse goes on to say that you are to pray “with all prayer.”
This phrase is taken from the Greek phrase dia pases proseuches and would be better translated “with all kinds of prayer.” To assist the Church in maintaining a victorious position in life, God has given His people various kinds of powerful prayer.
Most people don’t realize there are different kinds of prayer. But according to this verse, God has actually made many forms of prayer available to us to use as needed, such as the prayer of faith, the prayer of intercession, the prayer of consecration, and the prayer of agreement.
The Paradox of Prayer
“Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him,” presents the paradox of prayer. If Father already knows what I need, why do I need to ask Him? Why does He not just give me what I need?
- Prayer does not earn us what we need from Father. That would be an animistic point of view, the worship of idols, or something done to appease God who needs no appeasement to get involved in our lives.
- Prayer is relational, and the relational aspect of prayer maintains the proper roles of Father with the inheritors that share kingdom inheritance with Jesus;
- Asking is a lifestyle flowing from humility, honor, hunger, and holiness. Prayer says, “My only source is God.”
- Prayer maintains the relational bond between Father and inheritor so that the receiving contributes to the gratitude, enhancing humility, honor, hunger, and holiness. Prayer answers both what I receive and why I receive it. Prayer answers to purpose.
- Prayer maintains the priority of spirit necessary to the SpiritFirst lifestyle all kingdom citizens live. Prayer is the most immediate experience of “How Things Really Work in the Spirit” for all believers.
- Prayer is a partnership with Holy Spirit in birthing what Father wants. Prayer moves me past what I want to what I require. Prayer reprioritizes my life to “seek the kingdom” and receive the stuff that pagans seek as a byproduct of finding the rule of God in my life.
- Prayer is the most available point of contact with God’s heart that eclipses my own heart with His passion, purpose, and procedures. Without this point of contact, I become an idol worshiper as I objectify God as a Source for what I want instead of a Father as a Source for what He wants. Prayer reassures me that what Father gives is what Father wants me to have.
