Praying Warrior, Team Alert!

Ephesians 6:18 (NLT) “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

As a military warrior, you are part of a team – an integral part upon whom the lives of others depend. The same is true as a Warrior of Christ. We are each a critical part of the whole Body and, as such, must always be in tune with that Body to be able to offer it support as needed.

2 Corinthians 12:13-14, 27 (NLT) “Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts , not just one part… All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”

Since we are a team, our team Spirit leads us in how to support one another. That support may not always look the way you think it would or should. There are many times when I have desired to jump in and “help” a fellow warrior when it wasn’t really what the Lord wanted me to do. I was interfering with His good plans and inhibiting His refining of that fellow warrior or possibly robbing someone else of a blessing who was supposed to be a help in that situation. Through the school of hard knocks and hurt feelings, Holy Spirit continues to teach me to rely on Him for direction as to when to act and when not to act. He also is teaching me to “wait upon the Lord” – lessons in patience and trusting Him.

A very important way of supporting the Body of Christ, our team, is through prayer. We are to ALWAYS be ready to pray. How do we do that? The answer is by abiding in Christ and walking daily in the Spirit. Many times during the day, Holy Spirit interrupts me with a prayer alert. At night, it is not uncommon for Him to keep me awake or to wake me from sleep with a call to intercede in prayer for someone or a situation. During those times, I press into Him and draw all my attention to what He is calling me to pray. It may be declaring a Scripture over someone, or a specific prayer Holy Spirit gives me to pray. Often, I don’t even know the person or situation for which I am praying – the only thing that matters is being obedient to act as the Spirit leads.

For many decades of my life, I stifled the Holy Spirit in me by embracing a fear of tongues – a form of the manifestation of the indwelling Spirit that I had been taught “was only for the early Church”. Oh, how that teaching robbed me of walking in the power of the Holy Spirit! When I understood that I had quenched the Holy Spirit in me, I began crying out for a “prayer language”, a form of tongues that is a very intimate means of praying in the Spirit. The morning I awoke speaking to Abba Father in my prayer language was joyous! When my Spirit man is praying, I don’t know what is being said. However, I am confident that it speaks what the Lord desires and accomplishes His will. I am a vessel to be used in partnering with Him in prayer in whatever way it pleases Him to do so.

Warrior, I encourage you to embrace ALL that God, through His indwelling Holy Spirit, has for you. Support your team by walking in and with the Spirit and praying powerful intercessory prayers for other Warriors of Christ as the Spirit directs.

Galatians 5:25 (NLT) “Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”