What should you do when Satan is pressuring you on every side? How should you respond when oppression and depression close in on you, or the forces of darkness attack you, your family, your church, or your community?
Use your God-given weapons and put the enemy on the run!
If you’ve had much instruction in prayer, that may seem so obvious that you might wonder why I bother to mention it. You might think, Hey, I’ve read Ephesians 6:10 – 18! I know all about putting on my spiritual armor and using my weapons.
I’m sure you do. So do I.
But in recent times, the Holy Spirit has reminded me that it’s not enough for us to know about the weapons God has put at our disposal. It’s not enough for us to understand them. It’s not even enough for us to have faith in them.
It’s what we do with them that makes the difference.
This may sound simple but we must always remember that we don’t win victories just by having the Word in our hearts. We don’t win them just by believing in the power of the blood of Jesus. The Devil is not defeated by our resolutions and good intentions.
It’s the Word of God that we thrust at the enemy in the power of the Spirit with an unashamed, bold, “It is written …” and “Thus saith the Lord …” that stops Satan in his tracks. The forces of evil are bound on earth when we open our mouths and bind them in the name of Jesus. The holy powers of heaven are released in earthly situations when we take our God-given authority in prayer and loose them.
Victories are won by picking up the weapons of our warfare and using them. They are won when we strap on the sword of the Spirit and fight!
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6:10 – 18
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”