“If you wish for peace, prepare for war”
~ Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus

How to Prepare for Spiritual Warfare
by Winfield Bevins
(Guest Blog)

“If you would endeavor, like men of courage, to stand in the battle, surely we would feel the favorable assistance of God from heaven. For who He giveth us occasion to fight, to the end we may get the victory, is ready succor those that fight manfully, and do trust in His grace.” — Thomas à Kempis

Pray Always

Paul tells us to pray “at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18). We must develop a lifestyle of prayer. Even when we aren’t praying out loud, we can still be in a state of union and intimacy with the Lord.

Be Watchful

Paul goes on to say that we need to be watchful. This means that we must be aware of what is going on around us spiritually. God calls us to be watchmen and watchwomen who will guard against the devil. In the Bible, a watchman would stay awake at night to make sure that the enemy didn’t attack while everyone was sleeping. It is our responsibility to be watchful in prayer.

Have Perseverance

Our prayers should be made with all perseverance. God doesn’t like weak, powerless prayers; rather he desires for us to persevere in prayer. James tells us, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power” (James 5:16). We need to be fervent and energetic in our prayer life. Don’t give up until your prayer is answered!

Pray in the Spirit

The only way that our prayers will ever have power is if they are in the Spirit. The Spirit intercedes for us and reveals the will of God to us (Rom. 8:26). The Holy Spirit gives fire to the incense of our prayer. Jude says that we should build ourselves in the most holy faith by praying in the Spirit (Jude 1:20). The Spirit will build us up, guide us in truth, and give us the strength to pray as we should.

This post originally appeared here.