The Way Of The WorkSample

## The Real Work Prayer is warfare. Prayer is not a nice, sweet, Sunday school picnic. An invisible war rages across the galaxies. Angels and demons do battle for the souls of people. Lives, families, and marriages are at stake. The context of this charge to pray is found in verse 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.” Then God tells us to don our armor for the battle. Finally, there’s the call to prayer. Because prayer is warfare; because an invisible war is being waged everywhere; because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against dark, invisible powers; because prayer is the real work of ministry: for all of these reasons, it is vital that we pray in the Spirit. Our prayer must flow out of a Spirit-led, Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered life. The Spirit prompts our prayer, fuels our prayer, and directs our prayer. We pray in the Spirit. Moreover, we must be alert in our prayer. There is urgency in the air. Bullets are flying, bombs are exploding, and soldiers are bleeding. Lives and souls are at stake. Be alert! Thomas à Kempis once wrote: “The devil sleepeth not, neither is the flesh as yet dead, therefore cease not to prepare thyself for the battle, for on thy right hand and on thy left are enemies who never rest.” Chip Ingram, in The Invisible War, relates one graphic example of prayer and the battle: There was a missionary in Africa also serving as a medic. To get the medical supplies he needed he had to travel by bike to a neighboring city. The trip took two days so he had to sleep alone in the jungle overnight. On one particular occasion, he came to the city to get the supplies and he helped a man that was badly injured in a fight. He also shared the gospel with the man. The next time the missionary went to the city to get medicine, he saw the same man he helped previously. This man proceeded to tell the missionary of his plan to kill him and steal the supplies the last time he was there. However, when the man and some others followed him into the jungle they saw 26 armed soldiers surrounding the missionary. Being outnumbered, they left the missionary alone. The missionary was puzzled by this as he was alone that night in the jungle. Several months later the missionary shared this story with his home church and a man in the congregation stood and told the missionary that he remembered that night well, as he had received a strong urge to pray for the missionary that night. This same man gathered others to pray with him. As the men stood one by one they counted 26. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Prayer is the main work.