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Author – Dr. N. Olade
PRAYER can be defined in a simple way as the weapon that believers use in fighting their spiritual and mundane battles. It is virtual in the sense that when you pray and your request is granted by God our Father, you will know that something supernatural has taken place. A sword is a sharp instrument that is symbolic of violent death or martyrdom. It serves as an emblem of a believer of Christ. The word of God serves as the “Sword of the Spirit”. When you pray, you obey the word of God and while in prayer you apply the scriptures to stir up your faith. The Bible as the sword of the Spirit, has been given to us as a fighting sword to overcome our enemies. Let’s go into the scriptures to see some of the many things mentioned about prayer.
Philippians 4 : 6 – “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
In the Apostle of Paul to the Ephesians, 6th chapter and verse 11, Paul admonished them to put on the whole armor of God, that they might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. With our faith before us, we can put on this huge armor of God against the whims and caprices of the enemy represented by principalities, contrary powers, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places.
The Sword of the Lord is part of the whole full armor of God that we are commanded to put on for victory. We need to put on this armor always in order to become a mighty force for God in this world that we are in. As the Word of God stands for the Sword of the spirit, the word of God that we utter during prayer, serves as a sword that will scatter and discomfit our enemies. Prayer is the weapon of battle for Christians and it also serves as our Shield and our Sword.
In Judges 7 : 9-25, God made it known to Gideon(Jerubbaal) in a dream (Judges 7 : 7-9) how He had delivered the hosts of Midianites into his hand. After Gideon heard a testimony from a man that had a dream as a confirmation to what the Lord revealed to him, (Judges 7 : 13-15), he made haste to mobilize his 300 warriors for the battle. Hence their slogan, “The Sword of the Lord, and of Gideon”.! Isaiah 66 : 16 states ; “For by fire and by His Sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain shall be many.” Saints of the Lord, let us start using the Sword of the Lord against the workers of iniquity, territorial spirits, haters and household wickedness. When we call unto our God, he shall answer and show us great and mighty things that we do not know.!