By the Spirit 6—He Is a Warrior
June 2 and the Worldwide Prodigal Prayer Day will be here in a few weeks. Those of us who love and pray for prodigals prepare our hearts to bring our wandering loved ones and the thousands on the “pray-for” list to the throne of grace. This year our theme will be By the Spirit and this week we look at our Warrior in the battle. You are welcome to join us.
Our theme verse is Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit…
”Dear Lover of Prodigals,
The night our prodigal came to Christ two additional events of great significance occurred.
First, God poured His love for him into me, assuring me I would need it. Yes, that was an understatement.
Second, that began three sleepless nights engaged in fierce battle with the powers and principalities of the prince of the air—the devil himself.My understanding was that the evil one had always assumed this boy was his. His heritage and early life put him undeniably in Satan’s domain. So when prayers were answered and he said yes to Jesus, the devil was not happy.
Perhaps he thought if he could defeat me he would have control over our son. If I had been battling on my own, I would surely have lost. But no. I had a far more powerful Warrior on my side—the Spirit Himself.
He was my defense—and also this boy’s defense, shielding us from the fiery darts sent our way. And he was on the attack, giving me words of truth, courage, fearlessness, wisdom—whatever I needed in the battle.
An ongoing battle
That part of the battle lasted for three nights, and then I was given rest. But the battle has been ongoing.
Many tears and fears revealed my weakness, but unceasing prayer and supernatural strength and wisdom from the Spirit enabled me to stand in the gap for my son. And still, for our enemy is relentless.
The Holy Spirit was and is always with me and in me. He was the warrior I needed in this ongoing spiritual war. And as He fought for and through me, He was also the warrior my son needed. And He still is.You, too, are in a battle, as is the prodigal you love and pray for.
Unfortunately, we too often try to win the war on our own. We forget that we are completely outmatched—in the struggle for our loved ones and in all the other ways the evil ones seeks to defeat us and our wanderers.
We cannot do it alone
Gratefully our loving Father and beloved Savior have sent the Spirit to be in us and with us. To fight beside us, for us, through us—and He is far greater than our enemy.
See how God keeps His promise
"You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)
"This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's." (2 Chronicles 20:15)
And our theme verse this year: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts." (Zechariah. 4:6)
We face a defeated but still powerful enemy. It’s important to remember that we are still in the battle.So God Himself has provided the required armor. We just need to remember to wear it.
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.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." (Ephesians 6:11-18)
What does God give us for this battle?
These are our weapons: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God, prayer. Not our own strength or wisdom, not anger or retribution or revenge, not our cleverness nor our power.
And most important, He gives us His Spirit, a warrior to fight for us in the battle for the souls of our loved ones.
By the Spirit,
Judy
What about you? Are you using your power source in the battle?
c2017 Judy Douglass
If you would be interested in requesting prayer for a prodigal loved one, or being a part of our wonderful praying community, respond in comments or write to me at PrayerforProdigals at gmaildotcom.