United in Prayer: Day 17

“Finally, 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. 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. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

Ephesians 6:10-20

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Spiritual warfare is a reality for every follower of Christ, and pastors and church leaders are prime targets of the enemy. There’s a lot that goes into running a church. There’s a beautiful diversity that exists between its members as everyone comes together with their unique gifts to life the name of Jesus up. However, with all of those differences, there are challenges that can arise. Differences of opinion on how to run things. Prioritizing different aspects of the church over others. The list goes on and on. 

If we’re not careful, these challenges can become a dividing force in our churches. Satan desires to divide and destroy the church, and he would love nothing better than to destroy and separate those who God has called to be united! When issues and conflicts arise in the church, we need to remember that we wrestle not with each other, but with our common enemy. In the face of circumstances which threaten to divide us, we must be vigilant to put on the armor of God and fight against the enemy’s lies. This must be our focus as we come against the one who is a thief that desires to steal, kill and destroy. This is a spiritual battle that every believer needs to engage in!

Before you pray today, take time to clothe yourself for battle by praying over every piece of the armor of God described in the Scripture passage. Ask God to buckle the belt of truth around your waist and guard your heart with the breastplate of righteousness. Ask that God would help you to recognize the real battle as you continue to grow and strengthen your church.

Prayer for Strengthening Churches: 
Holy God, we thank you and praise you for providing everything we need to engage in battle with the enemy, because we do not war in the flesh but in the Spirit. In our own strength, we are no match for the enemy. But clothed for battle through the power of the risen Christ, we can overcome the attacks that would bring us down and destroy the unity of our churches.

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If you've enjoyed this excerpt from our United in Prayer guide and would like to join us for our 21 Days of Prayer, we invite you, your church leaders, pastors, staff and congregation to unite with us. To access all of our resources and let us know that you are praying with us, click here: converge.org/21-days-united-in-prayer