Ephesians 6:10-20 NASB
[10] Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. [11] Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. [13] Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. [14] Stand firm therefore, having GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING put ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, [15] and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; [16] in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] And take the HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [18] With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, [19] and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my: mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, [20] for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Notice that verses 18 through 20 are part of the same paragraph speaking about spiritual warfare and putting on the armor of God. Even though prayer is not technically a piece of the armor of God, it is an important part of the narrative when it comes to “standing firm” in the strength of the Lord, in the midst of daily battles. In the end, Christianity is a relationship, and everything we manifest “in Christ” will flow out of a consistent commitment to intimacy. There is a basic principle that we need to never forget; “The degree to which you consistently spend time with him in the secret place will determine the degree to which he will consistently manifest His life through you in the public place.” The very language that is actually used in verse 18 “Through all prayer and petition praying at all times in the spirit, and into this thing..,” indicate how important the undergirding of the life of intimacy (prayer) is to the victorious Christian. I have often heard charismatic teachers and preachers teach that the phrase “in the spirit” is speaking about praying in tongues, and I certainly believe it could include that, but I believe it primarily means something different. In Matthew 6:7 Jesus says, “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.” Jesus then next says, “Therefore do not be like them; for your father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray, then, in this way; Our father who art in heaven,…” Contrary to what some people will say, Jesus is actually telling these disciples to pray these words, that we call the Lord’s prayer, repeatedly. In the passage referencing the Lord’s prayer in Luke 11:2 Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say;…” The grammar here is literally “say these words again and again.”
All of that is to say this; in one moment Jesus tells them not to pray using vain repetition, but in the very next moment he tells them to repeat certain words in prayer over and over again as one form of prayer. Is Jesus contradicting himself, or is Jesus simply saying “Here’s a great prayer to pray, therefore say these words often, but when you pray them, mean them, don’t just repeat them vainly.” In other words, say the words, and even repeatedly say the words, or pray the words often, but pray them from your heart. I believe this is what it means to pray in the spirit in Ephesians 6:18. It’s okay to pray in tongues, or to pray the Lord’s prayer, or to pray extemporaneous prayers, as long as you pray them from the heart, and aren’t just going through some legalistic ritual. I’ve heard many born-again Spirit filled Christians go through their prayer list, and it not come from the heart at all. They were just going through what was required of them so that God would bless them. Again, we were created for a vital relationship, with a wholehearted God, who wants wholehearted responses from us. This is what I believe Paul is trying to say when he tells us to pray at all times in the spirit. Notice also that our prayer for all the saints is encouraged, which must mean that in Union with Christ our help others to “stand firm” in the war. Our intimacy in prayer gives birth to our partnership with Christ in Prayer.
God is looking for true worshipers, who will worship him in spirit and in truth. Our prayer life is certainly an expression of our life of worshiping Jesus . Christianity is not something that you can memorize, and then just use that as a formula; Christianity can only be realized, and then manifested out of intimate discovery. If we’re going to consistently put on the armor of God, which is the life of God in Christ, then it cannot be some formalized how to; it must be a realized, and manifested WHO too.