Thursday - Pray Like This (Lead Us and Deliver Us)

Welcome to daily prayer. Today we are focusing on the call to stand against evil with the strength of the Lord and the armor that he provides. 

As we begin our time together, let’s take a few deep breaths and quiet our hearts and minds before the Lord. 

Praise:

Father, I come to you today as your beloved child. I worship you, and I give you praise; You are worthy to receive all the glory and honor and praise. I celebrate your strength and mighty power. You have loved me and made me more than a conqueror through Christ. 

A Scripture reading from Ephesians 6:10-13, 19-20:

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 

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 Lord’s people. 

A Time to Rejoice in the Lord:

Lord Jesus, I rejoice in your great love and goodness. You loved us and gave yourself for us. You have overcome and I’ve been given a place in your family and in your story. I have not been disqualified because of my failures. 

I rejoice that you have provided me with the armor of light and all the grace I need to stand against darkness. 

A Time to Acknowledge Our Needs:

Lord, I acknowledge that I have not been on guard against the devil’s schemes. 

In my struggles, I have only paid attention to the flesh and blood realities and I have not taken seriously the spiritual battle taking place. 

Forgive me. 

Lord, this is about your kingdom and will been done. Teach us to pray. To stand. To contend. 

Holy Spirit, I ask that you would give us strength to stand and persevere in faith, hope, and love.

 Give us power not to waver in the hope that we profess. You’re faithful Lord. Keep us from being overcome. 

We especially pray for our students and student leaders as they prepare to take a retreat this weekend. Lord, give our leaders grace and strength. We pray that you would fill our students with great hope. 

Give them an undivided heart and great love for you. Fill them with your Spirit. Give them dreams and a settled confidence in their identity, their purpose as part of your family.

Let’s take a minute to pray in the Spirit with whatever kind of prayer we need to pray for those we know who are battling temptation and difficulty. 

Lord, help us fight the good fight of faith and not give up.

Let’s listen to the passage again:

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. 

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 Lord’s people.

Yield:

Lord, you have given me a firm place to stand and I take my stand in you, my rock and my redeemer. I yield myself to you and receive your power and grace today to walk in love. 

We close with a prayer based on Ephesians 6 from our friends at 24-7 Prayer:

“Today, I renew my allegiance to You, Jesus – my Savior, my Friend, my Lord and my King. I thank You for saving me Jesus, and for the forgiveness of sins through the victory of the cross and resurrection. 

Thank You that You triumphed over all principalities and powers and made a show of them openly. I stand in that victory today believing that no weapon formed against me can prosper.

I put on the armor of God today.

I put on the belt of truth – I believe You are the Truth, Jesus. Your words are true and I am in You.

I put on the shoes of the gospel of peace. By faith I stand, firm-footed, in Your ‘Calvary-love’ that forgives my sins, and I walk forward today in confidence to share this good news with others.

I put on the breastplate of righteousness. Protect my heart. I am a new creation and I have received the righteousness of Christ. I choose to ‘die to self’ again today and display Your righteousness through my words and actions.

I put on the helmet of salvation. Renew my mind afresh today. I declare my mind set apart for you and therefore I reject the insinuations, the accusations and lies of Satan. 

You have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

I lift up the shield of faith to resist all the fiery darts of the enemy.

Deliver me from evil and work in my life that there be no ground to give Satan a foothold against me.

I take up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, and in the victory of Jesus I advance today knowing that the weapons of my warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God to the pulling down of strongholds, to the casting down of

imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,

and to bring every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. 

I break the strongholds of Satan formed against my body, soul and spirit today, and choose to make godly decisions today, by the grace of God.

Finally, I rejoice in You today Jesus; may your joy be my strength as Your grace and mercy follow me (all the days of my life).

Jesus, You are my Vision.”

https://downloads.24-7prayer.com/prayer_course/2019/resources/pdfs/27 Warfare Prayer.pdf