Connect360: Battle Prayers

• Lesson 13 in the Connect360 unit “The Immeasurable Love of Christ” focuses on Ephesians 6:17-20.

Paul wanted the Ephesian church to remain strong in prayer. He desired for them always to be in communication with God, because God is our source. Consistency builds strength. In any occupation or profession, the more we do something, the better at it we become, whether through experiential tenure, process of elimination or muscle memory. When we pray continually, we grow in our relationship with God. Like with any other relationship, the more you communicate, the more you understand.

This is important, because we are at war with the enemies of God who we cannot see. We have to be on guard against them, so we are not overtaken. God has the best strategy in the universe, and in order to know and understand how to execute that strategy, we have to be intentional and protective of our time talking to God.

A discipline and rhythm of prayer could help those of us who struggle to find times to pray or even find words to pray. Life can certainly get in the way, and before you know it, a day or two or three has passed, and you have not spoken to God. A husband wouldn’t want to hear from his wife every now and then. A parent wouldn’t want to hear from a child only when something is going wrong. A child wouldn’t want to hear from a parent only when things are going well. God desires to hear from us always.

If we are intentional about our communication with God, we develop a plan to talk to God. Waking up, meals, travel and going to sleep are great opportunities to talk to God. But even things like noticing how the birds sing and how the flowers dance are opportunities to let God know how special he is in your life. We are encouraged to talk to God always, regardless of the circumstance (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).

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