LESSON 6 // HOW TO PRAY FOR PROTECTION

Prayer makes us strong as believers. We need to pray! Unfortunately, we don’t always know how to pray and our confidence in prayer is often weak. Jesus helped His disciples overcome their prayer challenges. He set the example for them in His prayer life and also taught them the way to pray in “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Matthew 6:9-15 (NIV) This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

In verse 13, Jesus teaches us how to pray our way to spiritual victory. Let’s look at what we need to know about becoming spiritual fighters through prayer. 1. Prayer protects us.

Temptation is a reality we all experience every day. When Jesus taught us to pray “lead us not into temptation,” He was helping us realize the spiritual protection we have through prayer in the midst of temptation. In a time of great stress and temptation in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus reminded His disciples of this truth and set a tremendous example for them and for us.

Matthew 26:41 (NIV) Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

We are to pray, “Lord, keep me from being led into temptation. Grant me the wisdom, awareness and power to overcome it.” Attraction to evil is usually not blatant, but subtle and deceptive (see Genesis 3:1-5). If we’re not extremely alert and aware of the presence of evil and temptation, we’ll get trapped as well. Here are five ways prayer helps us to be aware of and overcome temptation:

• Prayer sensitizes us to the devil’s presence and schemes. • Prayer sensitizes us to God’s heavenly resources that are available to help us. • Prayer provides a way out of temptation. • Prayer empowers us to “resist the devil.” • In prayer we put on our spiritual armor.

How should we pray for spiritual protection?

• Ask for strength to obey God, even when we don’t feel like it.

church-redeemer.org // pray // lesson 6

• Ask for discernment to recognize any attack or scheme of darkness that’s trying to seize, invade, assault or trick us.

• Ask for faith and confidence when spiritual attacks come against us. • Ask for God’s providential care against invisible attacks we may not see. • Proclaim the power of Jesus’ name and blood in prayer. • Take an active stand of resistance against the works of darkness.

2. Prayer delivers us.

In praying “deliver us from the evil one,” we are confessing that, in some measure, our adversary has a grip in areas where we still need to be liberated. A stronghold of the adversary is where evil, destructive thoughts and habit patterns, based on hellish lies, consistently persuade, influence or control our actions or attitudes. Because of these strongholds, we live in some degree of oppression. We may be entrapped in our thoughts, in evil or destructive habit patterns, or in our relationships. How does the evil one gain this kind of territory in our lives?

• Inadequate or faulty spiritual, emotional and relational development. • Willful rebellion against or disobedience to God. • Willful exposure to hellish influences. • Spiritual assaults for which we were unprepared or unprotected.

For us to experience deliverance from the evil one, we must:

• Pray specifically about areas of enemy entrapment. • Pray authoritatively against evil strongholds. • Pray persistently about these areas. • Discover God’s truth concerning these areas. • Apply God’s truth with diligence in these areas. • Seek prayer support from others.

Prayer breaks chains and sets captives free! We pray so that every influence of the evil one in us, in our family and in our world would be uprooted, driven out and driven away, as we remember and affirm that God is our support in battle and superior to every evil force we face. His is “the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13b, NKJV).

Discussion questions

1. Read Matthew 26:36-41. What do you learn from these verses about prayer and spiritual victory? How does Jesus’ example of praying through temptation encourage you to fight your temptations?

2. Why are faith and confidence in God so important in overcoming temptation?

3. How does prayer help break chains and set you free from the evil one? What are some areas in

your life that you need to pray through to this kind of victory?