The Seventh Piece
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.
Ephesians 6:18
It’s amazing how the Scripture calls us to pray in the Spirit on all occasions. Prayer is one of the most powerful ways to grow closer in intimacy with God, so that means God is calling us to do the very thing that develops the most real and intimate relationship with him. The call to pray in the Spirit on all occasions could also be understood as an invitation to experience constant fellowship and communion with God.
Prayer is a conversation with God. In prayer, we can adore him, thank him, confess our sins to him, experience his loving and cleansing touch, hear his voice, make requests and so much more. Just as any deep conversation and time spent between loved ones would cause the relationship to deepen, God desires that our love for him would grow and deepen through our conversations and time spent with him.
“On all occasions” means that believers are not only to have their set aside prayer times, but to also have a lifestyle change where they are alert, and their hearts and minds are fixed upon Jesus. All believers are invited to live in prayerful fellowship with him. This is possible through the power of God’s grace, and the believer being obedient to God to guard their thoughts and set their minds and hearts on who he is and what he’s done.
Finally, believers are entrusted with the great privilege and responsibility to keep on praying for all other believers. God gives us the privilege of being a part of a story that is greater than ourselves, and as we pray through his will and heart, he can use us to make an eternal difference.
We personally regard prayer in the Spirit on all occasions as the seventh piece of the armor of God.
So beloved family, along with truth, righteousness, readiness, faith and salvation, put on Christ, who is the Word of God, and pray in the Spirit on all occasions.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11