After last Sunday’s message on the armor of God, someone asked me if we could pray the armor on for someone else? The answer is yes and no. To experience victory, each person needs to welcome the reign of Jesus personally  in their life. Then they need to keep giving him more and more room to vanquish the darkness in us where his reign hasn’t been welcomed. This is what Paul speaks of in Philippians 1:6 and Hebrews 10:13-14.

     At the same time, Paul instructs us to always keep praying for all of the saints, with all kinds of prayers and requests. He invites us to join in the spiritual battle for the sake of others. One of the ways we join God in transforming the life of someone else is by interceding for them in prayer. To intercede is to stand in the gap for someone. In prayer we intercede by praying prayers for someone that ought to be praying for themselves, but can’t or don’t know to be praying. For instances, an unbelieving friend doesn’t know that he needs his eyes to be opened to the reality of his sin and God’s mercy…so we stand in the gap and pray for this on their behalf. We also do this when we ask for a friend to be set freedom from an addiction or wound that causes them to limp through life, never experiencing what God has for them. 

     We need to do this…it’s what Paul’s talking about in Ephesians 6:18:20…and we need to persist in it. Persisting and persevering in prayer on behalf of someone else is a vital part of intercession. We keep on praying the love and the blessing of the blood of Jesus over their life. In Jesus’ name, we pray against the attacks of Satan on their life. We ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where he’s working and what he wants to see accomplished and we pray in agreement with Him (Eph. 6:18). Our prayers for others are powerful and effective and an important way in which God moves their lives. Is there someone for whom you need to be persevering in prayer?