A Warrior's Prayer: How to Pray When Satan Attacks

A Warrior's Prayer: How to Pray When Satan Attacks
 
Dr. David Jeremiah
The armor of God is what we use to defend ourselves when Satan attacks. It is the warrior’s uniform given to every Christian. It is composed of supernatural tools He has given us to contend with the rulers of this dark and imperfect world.

 Ephesians 6 lists them as the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the sword of the Spirit, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, and the shoes of peace. Without these pieces we are sitting ducks—easy targets for the enemy’s attacks. A Christian sidelined by fear, distraction, temptations, unrepented sin, debilitating emotional pain, or frustration is a Christian who has forgotten to utilize his armor. So, what are we to do when spiritual warfare comes to us? The answer is found not only in Ephesians 6, along with the individual pieces of armor, but throughout the entire book of Ephesians as we learn the one component that powers our armor: prayer.

 The Armor of the Believer
Before we go any further, let’s stop here and think about what the armor does for us. They are weapons, but what kind of weapons? The kind that will protect us on all sides? Truly physical weapons that will make the enemy materialize so we can defeat him? No, they are metaphorical and passive weapons, only meant to protect us defensively. Our armor does not protect us from behind; therefore, we are not meant to retreat. We are meant to stand. The armor is metaphorical, spiritual, because the battle being waged for our souls is happening in the spiritual realms beyond our physical eyes—

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:12-13). 

The Power of Jesus' Prayers on Our Behalf
It is the prayers of Jesus on our behalf that connect us to the battle-ready strength God offers us—our armor. In Romans 8, Paul tells us that Christ is risen from the dead and sitting at the right hand of God, making “intercession for us” (verse 34). It is by His prayers on our behalf that we come to surrender our lives to Him. And His prayers go even further in Ephesians 1 as Paul addresses the sanctification process, the process by which we are constantly growing and being transformed through prayer. Specifically, Paul is speaking of how we draw closer to Christ better by praying that He will reveal Himself to us—

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (Ephesians 17-19).

But be warned: knowing God more will make you a target on the enemy’s radar. As I talk about in my new book, Overcomer, the only way to defend yourself is to put on your spiritual armor. 

 Set Up for Battle
So, if our individual pieces of armor are passive and spiritual, how are we supposed to “put on” these weapons of spiritual warfare? How are we meant to defend ourselves and our faith?

The answer: prayer.

Prayer is our one offensive weapon. It is the tool we have that helps us know God better and grow closer to Him. Prayer also helps us get to know ourselves better, including our biggest struggles. These struggles are personalized, the very weapons the enemy uses as he attempts to defeat each of us forever. He wants to render us useless in the fight being waged beyond what our eyes can see. But God desires for us to use our defensive tool—prayer—to put on our armor and stand against the devil himself—not fight, only stand—while we allow God to fight at the front of the battle.

So, we know Christ is always praying for us and God is always protecting us as we come to know Him better. We also know others are praying for us just as Paul prayed for the Ephesian Christians. What else is left? We have to pray for ourselves. We put on our armor by praying it on every day, and constantly returning to our safe place in His arms throughout our day. Occasionally it is brought to my attention that prayer is difficult; I agree, it has its difficult moments. But that is why I like to recite the Warrior’s Prayer, and I have written it below. I pray you read it, perhaps even memorize it, using it as a means of communication with our Savior, asking Him to put your armor on and stand against the wiles of the evil one.

The Warrior's Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Your warrior prepares for battle.
Today I claim victory over Satan by putting on
the whole armor of God!

I put on the Girdle of Truth!
May I stand firm in the truth of Your Word so
I will not be a victim of Satan’s lies.

I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness!
May it guard my heart from evil so I will
remain pure and holy, protected under
the blood of Jesus Christ.

I put on the Shoes of Peace!
May I stand firm in the Good News of the
Gospel so Your peace will shine through me
and be a light to all I encounter.

I take the Shield of Faith!
May I be reader for Satan’s fiery darts of
doubt, denial, and deceit so I will not be
vulnerable to spiritual defeat.

I put on the Helmet of Salvation!
May I keep my mind focused on You so Satan
will not have a stronghold on my thoughts.

I take the Sword of the Spirit!
May the two-edged sword of Your Word
be ready in my hands so I can expose
the tempting words of Satan.

By faith your warrior has
put on the whole armor of God!
I am prepared to live this day in
spiritual victory! Amen.

Request a free, printed copy of The Warrior’s Prayer bookmark from Dr. David Jeremiah. Be reminded every day to pray on the armor of God and wield the power Christ has given you as an Overcomer!

Dr. David Jeremiah is one of America’s most trusted Bible teachers. For more than 36 years he has helped millions deepen their understanding of the Bible through 8,761 daily Turning Point Radio releases and a weekly Turning Point Television program that reaches millions of people weekly.
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