Adventures in Prayer

Tag: Lord’s Prayer

  • Deliver us from evil.

    Spiritual Warfare

    Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.   Ephesians 6:10-12 

    Deliver usfrom EVIL

    Satan occurs 27 times in the Old Testament and 36 times in the New Testament, sometimes translated as “adversary”.  Jesus interacted with Satan and evil in preparation for His ministry, He spent more than a month in the desert battling Satan. That’s serious. God spent much less time creating the earth!  During His years of ministry, Christ healed the sick, sometimes casting out demons.  Demons spoke. During the Lord’s Supper, Jesus warned Peter that he’d be tried by Satan and Peter, in turn, warned the early Christians that they should, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.Resist him, standing firm in the faith,”  1 Peter 5:8-9.

      a) Acknowledge that evil exists.

    Belief that Satan exists is essential for the Christ follower.   Satan is not just a Saturday Night Live comedy sketch.  Here are some Old Testament references which describe Satan’s origin and some of his works:

    Isaiah 14:12-15

    Job 1:6-12

    Ezekiel 28:12-19

    Zechariah 3  

    “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.”    C.S. Lewis.

      b) Face the fight, rather than avoiding the battle.  Sometimes it’s easier to, like Dory, “Just keep swimming!”, ignoring the fight.   In the long run, with Christ’s help, you will spend less effort facing Satan, than you spend in fear and frustration.

      c) Do not be afraid.  The battle is won, not by you, but in heaven.  Allow Christ’s death bring it’s full result on earth. (Romans 8:31-39) We are delivered this way everyday without our even knowing it!

    There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)

      d) Distinguish between the spirits. Distinguishing between spirits is in the list of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:10) .  In  2 Kings 6:11-20  Elisha prays that his servant’s eyes would be opened to see angels that were there to fight for Israel.  God is not into guessing games.  If we ask for clarification, He will give it to us.

      d) Recognize evil. Evil often masquerades as normal.  Normal for others may not be normal for us.  It’s important to know God’s best for you.

    DELIVER us from evil.

    Acknowledges that we need help. 

      a)  We depend upon God for dependence on God.  God is on our side and wants us to depend upon Him.  When we rely on Him for the ability to trust Him, He is faithful.  Hebrews 12:2 explains that God is the AUTHOR and PERFECTER of our faith.  Remember, the Spirit prays for us when we are weak or don’t know how to pray. (Romans 8:26-27)  Philippians 2: 13 reads, “For it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

      b)  We are delivered through the test, with Him on our side, strengthening our faith that God is on our side and increasing our ability to, with the grace of God, endure evil (1 Peter 3:3-9).  Admitting that our need of God is often the first step toward freedom.

     c)  Bind Satan.  As Christ’s ambassadors we’ve been given this ability. (Matthew 18:18)  At first, it may feel very strange.  Say something like, “In Jesus’ name, I bind you. Because of the cross of Jesus, you must leave.”

     d)  “Spiritual warfare tends not to be meek and mild, but forceful, assertive, and authoritative. It is sometimes accompanied by fasting and generally requires perseverance and careful spiritual discernment.”  Pete Greig

    Again, no fear here.  God is with you and will never forsake you.

     e)  Stand your ground.  The victory is already won.  In the moment it seems like all is lost.  Not so.  Christ died.  It’s done.  Stand your ground.

    Deliver US from evil.

    Acknowledges that need to be delivered

      a)  Pray for a deeper understanding of the authority we have in Christ:  The power that overcame death on the cross is ours. (Ephesians 1:17-23)  The authority over evil is Christ’s.  It is important to note that as we humble ourselves, ask for help in the battle, Christ fights for us. (James 4:6-10)  As we recognize Christ’s strength, we also understand our own weakness.  (Acts 19: 11- 19).

      b)  What are the promises in the Bible?  The armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18) includes one offensive weapon, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”   When you are aware of something that needs spiritual warfare, go to the bible to find promises that back you up.  Jesus combatted Satan in the wilderness using scripture.

    References:

    Greig, How to pray: for normal people, pages 187-212

    Jensen Salisbury, Karen, Three Things you Need to Know about Authority over Satan. https://karenjensen.org/media-menu/blog/1602-3-things-you-need-to-know-about-taking-authority-over-satan

  • Thy kingdom come in me.


    Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  Ephesians 1:3


    In Christ, we are blessed with spiritual blessings that we often miss.   C.S. Lewis writes:


    …like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”  C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses

    I am far too easily pleased by mud pies for sure.  My pies are comfort, dissatisfaction (complaining instead of embracing) and laziness.  What are your pies?

    A friend and I were playing dodgeball tag with third and fourth graders.  Memories of basketball welts from “middle school dodgeball gone wild” were utmost in my mind as I struggled to hide behind something bigger than myself.  I didn’t realize that I’d said aloud, “I’m way slower than I used to be.”  A grinning, fiendish fourth grader poised to tag me with his ball, said,  “Well, that’s a scarcity mindset!” ….I agreed.

    While teaching sixth grade, I began the school year with a week of instruction in scarcity versus abundance mindset.  I knew exactly what that fourth grader was saying.  A person operating with a scarcity mindset focuses on the half empty glass, believing that they do not have the necessary skills, knowledge or emotional strength to accomplish their goals.  They are preoccupied with the chance of failure rather than success.

    As a 65 year old woman, no one would blame me for playing dodgeball with a scarcity mindset. But. Do I want to limit myself this early in the game? Even when I have an acceptable excuse to stop.  Should I?   


    “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”  Philippians 1:6 

    While tired, worn down and just plain grumpy it is easy for me to feel okay about limiting God’s good work. Just surviving is realistic. AND. Giving in to exhaustion is a brilliant first step. I can’t fly like an eagle, sting like a bee. Correct. First step. Admit it. Second step:  Ask for help. 

    The opposite of scarcity mindset is growth mindset, which is exactly what it sounds like:  I may be old, slow and out of breath, but I can beat these young whippersnappers using not brawn, but brain!  While I feeling weak I need to remember that God plans to use me until “Christ Jesus returns”.  Which means that I have hope. BUT.  I know my limitations.  I can’t keep this up until Christ returns.  Are you kidding me?  I again return to my Savior.

    I hope this is not just a “turn that frown upside-down” message.  When life throws especially hard basketballs at us, and we don’t have the confidence or stamina to dodge.  Instead of trying to dodge balls, it is important to go to God to ask for understanding.  God is dodgeball tag’s “something big to stand behind”.  Christ has dodged all the balls the world hurled at Him.  He understands our weakness, is present in our weakness and is able to supply us with all spiritual blessings. 

    Your Assignment:

    Look/pray through the list below. As you pray through the list, be honest.  Do you even want this?  Be real during Lent.

    Pray that you will:

    1. understand your calling and have the confidence that God will provide skills to fulfill whatever He asks you to do.
    2. love patiently, kindly, and not envy, boast, or be proud.  You will not be selfish, easily angered, or keep a record of wrongs.  You will not delight in evil, but rejoice in the truth.  Always protect, trust hope and persevere.
    3. abide in Christ in areas that it is easier to take over yourself.
    4. be prepared for spiritual battle be strong and courageous. 
    5. bring burdens to Christ after bringing them for years, seemingly with no answers. 
    6. bear the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. 
    7. for godly wisdom in difficult areas of your life.
    8. control your tongue. 
    9. be faithful in the face of opposition.
    10. truly see the holiness of the Lord and your own sinfulness, and respond in confession and worship.
    11. pursue God with wholehearted devotion, submitting to the will of the Father, whatever that may be.
    12. look for those whom you can help.

    Take your time.  God is working even when we don’t expect it!  Trust Him.  Do what you can and allow Him to do the rest.

    May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13


    Basis for prayer list:  Life.  Love. and Jesus. by Tammie. Twenty ways to pray for yourself. https://www.lifeloveandjesus.com/20-ways-to-pray-for-yourself/