Ephesians (W12D4) Be Alert And Keep Praying

Week 12. Thursday: Be Alert and Keep Praying

PRAY: Ask God to speak to you from His Word.

READ: Ephesians 6:17-18

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 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.

UNDERSTAND: get a deeper understanding of the key words

• Helmet of Salvation (Greek: perikephalaia sōtērios): the assurance of salvation

• The helmet protects the brain which is the command center for the body.

• The renewing of our minds drives what we do (Romans 12:2).

• Sword of the Spirit (Greek: machaira pneuma): an offensive and defensive weapon

• Most of the armor of God is defensive to protect against evil.

• The Word of God is offensive and is guaranteed to work (Isaiah 55:11-12).

• Pray in the Spirit (Greek: proseuchomai en pneuma): pray in tune with the Spirit

• This is not about praying in some unique tone or language.

• We are to pray in Christ’s name, in accordance with His Word and will.

• Be Alert (Greek: agrypneō): to keep watch, keep awake, be attentive, be ready

• Keep On Praying For All the Lord’s People:

• Our prayers are usually focused on what we need and want.

• Paul says we should also be praying for others.

APPLY: What is this passage calling me to do?

In what ways can you be more committed to God’s Word?

How often do we pray without selfish motives?

Make a list of what you need to be praying for. Commit to pray daily for that list.

PRAY: Ask God to help you be more committed to spending time with Him.