Alright, my armored up sister – we have a battle all around us – what are we going to do about it?

Well, here’s what we’re NOT called to do – we’re not called to run head first into battles with the enemy. We’re not told to sneak into enemy territory and plan an attack. We’re told to put on our armor and STAND FIRM. Do not waver. Do not back down. Don’t give an inch of territory. Don’t settle. STAND FIRM.

Our job is to stand with our armor, eyes fixed on Jesus. Hey Rambo, settle down! Lone Ranger, you’re not supposed to do this alone. God has a resounding message for us throughout scripture:

Exodus 14:14 – “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Deuteronomy 1:30 – “The LORD your God… will fight for you.”

Deuteronomy 3:22 – “The LORD your God himself will fight for you.”

Deuteronomy 20:4 – “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies.”

Joshua 23:10 – “The LORD your God fights for you.”

2 Chronicles 20:15 – “The battle is not yours, but God’s.”

Nehemiah 4:20 – “Our God will fight for us.”

God is fighting – you are to be standing firm. If you’re in the middle of a battle, you keep standing and trust God to fight for you as he promises. But make sure you have all your armor on!

Let me tell you what is NOT part of God’s armor:

• Worrying

• Whining

• Wallowing

Paul tells us there’s one final thing we must do in the spiritual battle in the unseen … After all this armor, we MUST STAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH OUR COMMANDER. All the armor in the world will do you no good if you’re out Rambo-ing alone. God isn’t looking for a Lone Ranger.

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

Oh if we truly had any idea of the power of our prayers, we would never fail to pray about anything ever again. We just don’t see how our prayers move Heaven. We don’t see how our prayers allocate God’s divine power. We don’t see how an army of angels are dispatched for the battle with our prayers.

Prayer is your communication with your commander. The one who holds the battle plan, the one who sees every detail, the one who promises the victory – you have a direct line of communication with Him! And yet here we are, God’s girls with divine armor, trying to fight our battles without talking to God first.

Remember when Paul writes the book of Ephesians and tells us about this Armor of God in chapter 6, he’s likely chained to a literal Roman soldier, keeping him in prison. He’s looking at this soldier, recognizing piece by piece how his armor relates to everything God has given us for the battle we’re against Satan and his demons. And he’s witnessing this soldier receiving orders from his commander. The soldier is there doing what he’s been told to do. He’s not alone, he’s on assignment. He’s seeking his commander for his next move. He’s on the orders of a higher power than himself.

Girl, you’re on the orders of a higher power than yourself. You can’t afford to be running off into battles, trying things your own way, hoping to fix and save everyone, without constant communication with your Commander. PRAY IN THE SPIRIT AT ALL TIMES AND ON EVERY OCCASION.

The Greek word translated “Pray in” means “in connection to” and “with the help of”. This isn’t about the words we are saying. This is about HOW we are praying. This is a connection with God through the Holy Spirit to receive divine orders.

Now we can make this complicated and messy and really awkward if we want, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Some say this means you have to be speaking in tongues, but scripture tells me that praying in a language you cannot personally understand is a GIFT. Some have that spiritual gift, while others have different spiritual gifts. Praying in an unknown language is not a badge of spiritual superiority. Don’t make this weird. Don’t make what God has given as a gift to some as a reason to be divided or turned away.

Praying in the spirit is a heart posture. It is a yearning for God’s will above your own. It is a surrender, a submission. It is a connection void of boxes to check and vain words to repeat. This isn’t habit or custom. Praying in the Spirit is a connection with God through conversation.

If I’m praying for you in the Spirit, it means more than just speaking your name in prayer. It means I’m allowing the Holy Spirit to direct my prayer. When the Holy Spirit is directing, you begin praying over things you may not even know about. Chains to be broken that you don’t even see. Healing to happen from within. This is an unrushed, unscripted prayer directed by the Spirit. THAT IS WHAT WE ARE CALLED TO.

Praying in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion is a continual connection with your commander. It’s seeking his plan and receiving his plan.

“Pray in the Spirit”: This means praying under the influence, guidance, and power of the Holy Spirit. It involves aligning your desires with God’s will rather than just listing personal wants.

“At all times”: This calls for a constant posture of awareness and communication with God. It means maintaining an open, internal dialogue with God throughout the day, not just during formal prayer times.

“On every occasion”: This tells us to bring everything—both joys and crises, routine tasks and major decisions—to God. No event is too small or too large for prayer.

A few weeks ago, I found myself on my knees with a woman on the busy walkways in Venice. This was a hurting soul. Aching as thousands of people walked by her day after day. There she lay on her face continually in prayer, begging God for the healing of her 12 year old daughter and the rescuing of her family. My BIG Life sister Jessica and I wrapped our arms around her, cried with her and connected with our Commander. We prayed for her in the Spirit, meaning, we let the Holy Spirit guide us in what to pray because we didn’t know how to fix her situation.

Now keep in mind, there was a massive language barrier. Yet somehow (and I know how) we were able to understand her and she was able to understand us. Jessica prayed aloud in English, not knowing what to pray, but allowing the Spirit to guide her. The words flowed. Words she couldn’t have orchestrated on her own. Requests she didn’t even know to make.

We returned to find her the next morning in the same place, kneeling, on her face, literally begging God. And that day, we sat with her and shared a picnic breakfast. We treated her like a friend. We laughed. We connected. We shared. We loved. It didn’t matter who saw us. It didn’t matter what a single other soul thought. And then we once again sought our Commander in this battle. We prayed as the Spirit instructed.

Every day since I’ve been on my knees for Maria and her family. I don’t need to be a Lone Ranger out fixing her situation. My money isn’t needed. I have a direct line of communication with the Commander of Heaven’s Armies, and I’m calling on him for his will, his move, his power, his healing.

No Lone Ranger. No Rambo. Just a girl in communication with the Commander through the Holy Spirit. And as he prompts me to pray for her, I do. Not to check a box. Not out of habit or routine. But out of relationship with the One who can truly battle for her.

Ephesians 6:18 in the Amplified Bible says, “With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.”

The Message translation says, “Prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

This prayer is a continuous, divinely guided LIFESTYLE rather than an occasional activity. God really isn’t interested in what you do once in a while or even what you do out of routine, he’s interested in true relationship and connection with YOU! Isn’t it wild to think the Creator of the entire Universe desires a real relationship with you, and the way you have it is through continual conversation with him?!

Prayer is the ultimate weapon that activates all the other pieces of spiritual armor. Without communication with our Commander, we’re just girls with all the armor, running in the wrong direction, fighting battles we have no business fighting.

Let’s shift from routine to lifestyle. Move from treating prayer as a morning or evening chore to practicing it as an ongoing conversation.

Let’s rely on spiritual guidance. When you don’t know what to pray, pause and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and words. You don’t have to make it weird.

Let’s cover all situation. Bring your daily work, your stress, your relationships and your gratitude to God instantly as they happen.

Talk to y...