Super Natural

Pray. Fast. Anoint.

Ephesians 6:10-20  The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

What a month this has been as Pastor started with this verse and the unseen cosmic battle that we are not against flesh and blood, but against the enemy of our souls.  We learned of angels who are messengers and worshipers that have specific task over the believer like protection, direction, and minister over us.  We have heard of demons that ultimately glorify God and the power the Saints have over them through the Holy Spirit.

It's a supernatural battle, but what do we do in it?

 ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 

¹⁸ praying 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, ¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

The supernatural Power that ties together the entire armor.  You want to have on the belt of truth.  Pray.  You need the breastplate of righteousness.  Pray.  You need shoes for your feet physically or spiritually.  Pray.

Prayer is the language that we have to commune with a supernatural God.

And we use like the spare wheel of our cars.  It’s there, and if we need it, we will pull it out…

I might show up early to church to pray and I might not.  And we wonder why our worlds fall apart when prayer was never meant to be the spare tire but rather the steering wheel of our lives.

James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

I love the example of Jesus in that he often set apart time to pray….

-To prepare for a major task Luke 4:1-2, 14-15. After Jesus was baptized He spent 40 days praying in the wilderness. After this He was tempted by Satan and then began His public ministry.

-To recharge after hard work Mark 6:30-32. Jesus sent the 12 disciples out to do ministry. When they returned He encouraged them to separate from the people who were following them to rest.

-To work through grief Matthew 14:1-13. After Jesus learned that his cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded, He went away by Himself. Yes, even the Son of God grieves.

-Before making an important decision Luke 6:12-13. Early in His ministry Jesus spent the whole night alone in prayer. The next day He chose his 12 disciples.

-In a time of distress Luke 22:39-44. Hours before Jesus was arrested He went to the Mt. of Olives and went a short distance away from His disciples to pray. He was in great emotional agony knowing what he was about to face.

-To focus on prayer Luke 5:16. Many times in Jesus’ ministry He spent time alone in prayer.

Prayer must be the pattern of our lives.

Matthew 17:14-21 (Amp)

¹⁴ When they approached the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, kneeling before Him and saying, ¹⁵ “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic (moonstruck) and suffers terribly; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. ¹⁶ And I brought him to Your disciples, and they were not able to heal him.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” ¹⁸ Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed at once.

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why could we not drive it out?” ²⁰ He answered, “Because of your little faith [your lack of trust and confidence in the power of God]; for I assure you and most solemnly say to you, ^[c]if you have [living] faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and [if it is God’s will] it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. ^21 [d][But this kind of demon does not go out except by prayer and fasting.]”

This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.--The words imply degrees in the intensity of the forms of evil ascribed to demons amounting to a generic difference. Some might yield before the energy of a human will, and the power of the divine Name, and the prayers even of a weak faith. Some, like that which comes before us here, required a greater intensity of the spiritual life, to be gained by the "prayer and fasting" of which our Lord speaks.

Verse 21. - This kind can mean only this kind of evil spirit, or demons generally. But the latter interpretation is excluded by the fact that the apostles had already exercised successfully their power over devils without special prayer or fasting. The words point to a truth in the spiritual world, that there are different degrees in the Satanic hierarchy (comp. Matthew 12:45); some demons are more malignant than others, and have greater power over the souls of men. In the present case the possession was of long standing; it revolved a terrible bodily malady; it was of an intense and unusual character. The mere word of exorcism, or the name of Jesus, spoken with little spiritual faith, could net overcome the mighty enemy. The exorcist needed special preparation; he must inspire and augment his faith by prayer and self-discipline.

Prayer invokes the aid of God, and puts one's self unreservedly in his hands; fasting subdues the flesh, arouses the soul's energies, brings into exercise the higher parts of man's nature. Thus equipped, a man is open to receive power from on high, and can quell the assaults of the evil one.

When the battle is intense, we need to up the measure of our prayer.

There is praying for 15 minutes in the morning and praying for hours during prayer times.

There is thinking on a thing and putting it before the Lord, but it is a whole other matter to pound the gates of heaven with not only our prayers, but also our fasting. (ex. El Salvador)

Our specific prayers and fasting.

But when you take up the habit of fasting, also take up the task of anointing.

The practice of anointing with oil transfers over from the Old Testament to the New Testament. David was anointed with oil.  The temple and the things in the temple was anointed and consecrated.  Jesus encourages his followers to anoint themselves with oil whenever they take up the practice of fasting (Matthew 6:17). And to pour oil on the sick as part of the healing process (Mark 6:13).

Frequently, especially in the Old Testament, we see anointing of oil as an important practice in the Bible. In fact, one of the most quoted chapters of Scripture, Psalm 23, includes the phrase, “You anointed my head with oil.”  In essence, when someone consecrated and sanctifies something with oil, they set it apart for God’s use.  You set apart that house, that car, that kid’s room, that boss, that school, that husband/wife, that problem, that concern, that problem after problem, that generational curse that has plagued your family. It’s the Lords. 

We must Pray. Fast. Anoint.