Ephesians Chapter 6 Verse 17

· Finally, we get to the offensive part of the armor…, the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit…, counter to the flesh, opposite of this world system, and yet immutable, undefeated and even inexhaustible! The more you spend in the Word of God the more you learn and see and discern and the more that is revealed! The Word of God is the codification of Jesus Christ, of God Himself and as you take in and apply the Word of God, you see the efficacy of God not only in your own life and the lives of others but even in the world and in the spirit. Think of it this way, the Word of God is how the Spirit of God wars FOR you in in your life!

Ephesians Chapter 6 Verse 18

· Finally, the secret super kryptonite of Satan. The prayers of the saints! Welcoming, calling upon the work of the heaven in the realm of the earth. Praying not to conform God to your will but to conform to God’s will. This is the privilege of the child of God, along with the armor of God, secured and provided by the love of God through Jesus Christ!

· And Paul says, “praying always!” What’s the right way to pray? Eyes closed? Eyes open? Alone in your prayer closet or corporately with others? Hands together, knees bent or hands to the sky, standing on your feet? Written, pre-prepared prayers or real-time off the cuff conversation with God? The simple answer is YES! Paul says, the Bible tells us, to pray ALL WAYS! Just pray! Do what you want to do and what connects your heart to the mission of God through communion with Jesus!

· There is only one way to pray that is ineffective and disgusting to God and that is holding hands! HA! Just kidding! That’s just creepy in the flesh, totally acceptable to God, HA! Actually, though there is a manner of prayer that God detests and we find it in Matthew 6:5-8. “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”

· Hypocritical, dramatic, vain prayers, prayers to be seen and heard by others rather than to be disassembled and undone before God. God already knows what’s up. He can see right into the intent of the heart. And prayer is personal. So, when we make it about only our own conveniences or comforts (speaking badly about others and such), well, that’s not prayer, that’s just conversation with your ego. Jesus goes on in Matthew 5 and gives a manner, a formula if you will for purity in prayer and He says in Matthew 6:9, “In this manner, therefore, pray, ‘Our Father in heaven,” remember whom you are addressing. Not just your Father but “our Father.” Not just concerned with your stuff, your well-being, your needs but equally concerned with those things for all others as well. In heaven, not on earth, so the cares of this world, the temporaries of this place, God is above all of that. Perfect, complete knowledge of the entirety of the people and situation…

· “Hallowed be Your name.” Holy and above all and any of the drama. Perfect and good and righteous and impartial. One for us to call upon for His perspective because He is holy and not to force our perspective as correct. Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” I’m praying not to protect, establish or forward my cause but calling upon God to establish, forward and perfect His cause in my situation. Prayer in the Spirit is underminded by a heart-please to God of, “Bring heaven to earth through me…”

· Matthew 6:11, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Finally, we get to a request. So often, most times, my prayers are only requests and Jesus gives us this model and instructs us to spend the first moments or the first portion of my prayer time on focusing on the Person and goodness and mission of God rather than jumping right to my needs. And the request is not to be flooded with resources but for God to give me just enough to fit my needs as He sees it and to grow my faith! There is a faith request in this statement! Today is enough, give me faith to pray again and trust You again for tomorrow!

· Matthew 6:12, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Notice, before we talk about others, we address ourselves! Man do I fall short in this one all the time! Something is going on, there’s a circumstance, a problem, and of course the problem is THEM! HA, duh! But God says look, when did you ascend the throne of holiness? HA! Begin with asking God to reveal and to teach and to correct and to capacitate ME before I ask for the incapacitation of them! And there’s this embedded command…, your prayers turn right to hypocrisy if you aren’t willing to humble yourself and forgive. Forgive me, but I won’t forgive them…, that just simply doesn’t work. That’s pharisaical, dramatic, hypocritical, vanity!

· Matthew 6:13, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” That’s it! Here’s the offensive kryptonite weaponry, that whatever the enemy has wrought, whatever the flesh has brought, what the world has taught, throw a beacon up, a flare, a lighthouse in the middle of that haze, that fog, that storm and I’ll come to shore. I’ll shore all that up as You God lead me and as I row into port, I trust in Your protection.

· To follow my feelings, to get even, to hold the grudge, to be their judge, all of that appears to be the smart thing to do, but Your Word and Your Spirit tell me differently. Against my own fallen nature and in alignment with the cross of Calvary…, I’m going to choose to trust You! What more can the enemy do at that point? Ima bring pain. I trust God over my pain. Ima bring discomfort. I trust God over my discomfort. Ima bring inconvenience and Ima bring accusation…, you’re a fool for not hurting them like they hurt you! Well then, I’m a fool for Christ’s sake! He is God, I am not and His ways are perfect. His beacon will get me to shore, my boat out here is going to sink… And the enemy flees… why? Because you just reminded him of what he wasn’t willing to do himself… You’re stronger.

· It’s been said that a prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian and that the enemy fears the weakest Christian as they pray! The Lord in you is stronger than all of his power because you just chose to serve the Lord over serving yourself which is exactly what got Lucifer fired, kicked out of heaven and what keeps him even today entirely unsettled, unhappy, unsatisfied. You just reminded him of his defeat and scared him away. That is the sword of the spirit and the power of prayer! “For YOURS is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. AMEN.”

· Do you see that final statement? It’s in complete alignment with Ephesians 6. The enemy wanted the kingdom, he ascended to power and demands the glory…, but this prayer, this weaponry unveiled by Jesus in Matthew 6…, it’s the recipe, man. The secret sauce to quenching all of the fiery darts of the evil one and standing and withstanding in the evil day!

Ephesians Chapter 6 Verses 19 – 20

· You know, just a note of encouragement. Paul calls himself an ambassador in chains, which is not an optimal position to be in at all. And Jesus is described by the church as the “chain breaker,” and He is… But Paul prays and asks us to pray that God would use him even from within his chains, and I find that encouraging. Anyone here perfected? Anyone here arrived? Anyone here sinless? The fact is, even all that I am in the Lord, I’m still carrying some chains. And God is working on me, with me, in me, just like He is in you. But it was Oswald Chambers that said, “Our righteousness is in Christ’s Christian perfection. Our Christian perfection is not perfection of performance but perfection of relationship.”

Ephesians Chapter 6 Verses 21 – 22

· I love Paul’s heart for the comfort and service and endorsement of others. Here he is in captivity and yet his heart is for the comfort of others.

Ephesians Chapter 6 Verses 23 – 24

· Paul ends the letter with outstanding love and encouragement but this is also a very sharp statement. Grace, peace, love to all those who hold to what God has said, because that proves that I love and trust Jesus Christ as Lord and he throws in these two very very sharp words, “in sincerity.”

· The word “sincerity” is derived from the Latin roots of the word sincere. Sine, meaning without and cera meaning wax. According to oral history, dishonest sculptors in Greece and Rome would cover flaws in their work by using wax. If the sculpture was chipped, cracked or damaged, the dishonest sculptors would melt wax in the marble dust, using it to conceal the flaw or imperfection. It would look perfect, and full price would be assigned to the piece. But the issue is, first hot day, or first prolonged period of sun exposure…, you see there would be no consistency of quality.

· That’s what the word/phrase means here in the original language. Grace is going to flow upon you, through you, in you…, peace is going to be your personage, love will be your legacy…, and even all six chapters of this book will be quite naturally who you are as you simply set your own identity, will and reason as a man or a woman that has chosen to and faithful in responding to God’s love for you by simply loving Him back…