How to PraySample

 Spiritual Authority : The armour of God

Yesterday we unpacked what it looks like to pray with authority against evil. Today, we’ll look at how our actions and lives can bring Christ’s goodness into our world. 

When 24-7 Prayer sent its first missionaries to Ibiza, Europe’s party capital, some well-meaning people warned us about the rampant hedonism for which it had become notorious. They quoted the Bible verse about fleeing immorality, and seemed certain that we would inevitably be affected or even infected by all the sin. But we believed something different. We believed that God in us is greater than the gods of this world (1 John 4:4), and so the team committed themselves to radical levels of integrity and accountability in Ibiza, while celebrating the island’s God-given beauty and the creativity of its culture. As a result, they managed to live closer to Jesus in a place tagged ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’ by the media than they might have done back home. It was an act of spiritual defiance on the field of battle, a demonstration of the truth of a simple biblical reality, that in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us’ (Romans 8:37)

As Christians, we are light-bringers not just through our persistent prayers or defiant worship, but by living counter-culturally in the midst of the darkness. Whether we are called to serve in a challenging mission field; work in a difficult office or spend time with negative people, we can all step into the armour Christ gives us to be people of light wherever we go. 

We defy the Enemy best by wielding the Word of God humbly, proclaiming the gospel of peace courageously, and living holy lives faithfully in a hostile world.’ 

Begin today by asking God, ‘Where have you called me to bring light in the darkness?’ Then, think of one practical action or behaviour you can model today, an ‘act of spiritual defiance on the field of battle’. 

Father God, thank you that I can step with authority into the places you’ve called me. Help me to understand how to bring your light and goodness into the darkness.