“ALL” Eph. 6:18
FBCF – 8/24/22 REFRESH
Jon Daniels
Bill Elliff – “ALL in!” last night of revival – What does that mean to you?
- Completely on board
- Not holding anything back
- 100% committed
- No turning back – no looking back
“Burn the ships” – 1518 – Hernan Cortez landed on shores of Mexico to explore this new land. Burned the ships to make sure that his men followed him & could not turn back.
If we are going to truly be “all in”, we’ve got to burn the ships.
Take a look at word “all” tonight, specifically how it relates to prayer.
Ephesians 6:18 – End of passage about the armor of God that we need to stand strong in the midst of spiritual attacks.
“What would you say if I told you that every problem in your life is a direct result of the spiritual war I’ve been describing? Indeed, discouragement, divorce, addiction, uncontrolled anger, debt – all are a direct result of the duel in the hearts & souls of individuals. Not one of us is immune to the consequences of spiritual warfare. And although the players fight in an invisible realm, we all face the effects of their conflict every day in our lives: it shows up as pain, struggle, defeat, & heartache.” (Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Study Bible, p. 1403)
Belt – breastplate – shoes – shield – helmet – all defensive items.
- Designed for protection
- Designed to prepare you to get ready to use your offensive weapons
- The sword & Prayer – offensive
- These are the 2 weapons that you grab when enemy storms in
- Most of us have guns ready in case someone tries to come into our home & harm us or our family
- Locks, lights, alarm systems, gates – all defensive
- But there are those times when we have to go offensive to stop him
Quick word about the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”
- “rhema” not “logos”
- Rhema is the spoken word – lit “an utterance”
- NEVER in opposition to the written Word
- But GOD DOES STILL SPEAK TO HIS CHILDREN! Don’t doubt that. Don’t second-guess that.
- John 8:47 – “Whoever is of God hears the words of God…” – rhema
- He will tell you what you need to know at the time you need to know it – may be at 3:25 AM or may be driving down the road or may be right now as I’m speaking.
- God’s speaks by His Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, & the church.
Then there’s our PRAYER WEAPON – “WAR ROOM” sign
Eph. 6:18 – “In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare…” (MSG)
The 4 “ALL’S” OF PRAYER:
1. “praying at ALL times in the Spirit”
Important to have those “set” times to pray
- When is yours? Where is yours?
But we need to be praying at “ALL times in the Spirit.” Prayer is our most important powerful resource b/c, through it, we are connected & communing w/ the most powerful Being in the universe! Why would we NOT pray at all times when this is true?
How do you pray at all times?
- Stay close to God – 1 Peter 1:15-16; Heb 12:14
- Stay clean before God through confession & repentance – Whenever children of Israel in OT had success in battle, it’s b/c they were praying & had repented & turned to God. When they turned away from Him, they were constantly defeated & prayer life was nonexistent.
- Stay committed to God – So many ways the enemy will pull you away from your commitment to Him – Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, & the pride of life (1 John 2:16)
- Stay conscious of God’s work – Keep looking & listening. If you’re walking w/ the Lord, you’ll KNOW when He’s working. That’s what “in the Spirit” is all about – He enables us to pray & enables us to see God at work
2. “with ALL prayer & supplication”
“prayer” – proseuche – praying earnestly to God
“supplication” – deeseos – a need, a seeking, asking, entreating
“asking for all kinds of prayers & requests” (NIV) – Just ask God for all that you need
Asking is what we do as a part of the Kingdom of God
- Matt 7:7-11
Asking is what we do as part of the Church
- 1 Thess 5:17 – “without ceasing”
- James 4:2b – “You have not b/c you ask not”
- 1 John 3:22 – “Whatever we ask we receive from Him, b/c we keep His commandments & do what pleases Him”
3. “keep alert with ALL perseverance”
“alert” – agrypneo – to stay awake, be attentive, be ready
“perseverance” – proskartaresis – only place used in NT
Def – steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
ALL perseverance – Every ounce of perseverance you’ve got – every ounce of dedication, determination, endurance, grit, moxie, persistence, spunk, stamina, steadfastness, tenacity you’ve got
4. “making supplication for ALL the saints”
“saints” – Those God has called to be His own people – every true Christian in the world – all of your brothers & sisters in Christ.
Prayer should permeate the atmosphere of our church every time we gather.
- When you’re talking to someone at church on Sun or Wed, if they mention a need or a struggle they’re having, stop right then & pray for them.
CONCLUSION: If we are going to be an “ALL IN” Church – if you & I are going to be “ALL IN” Christ-followers, then we will need to cultivate “praying at ALL times in the Spirit, w/ all prayer & supplication. To that end, keep alert w/ ALL perseverance, making supplication for ALL the saints.”
