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Episode 1 of The Purpose Practice and Power of Prayer series. This is a church small group Bible study series from Buddy Owens at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California.
CHECKING IN
CHECKING IN
1. If your group is new, or if there are any new people, introduce yourselves.
2. Share something you are grateful for today.
3. How do you hope to grow through this study?
3. How do you hope to grow through this study?
KEY VERSE
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Ephesians 6:10–11 (NIV)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- “For most of us, our spiritual battlefield looks a lot like
our living room—it’s where we do life. Spiritual warfare happens in our day-to-day living, loving, and relating, and in the daily decisions and challenges we face.” How does this resonate with you? - Which of the pieces of the armor of God do you feel you wear most comfortably? Why?
- Which of the pieces of the armor of God do you feel you wear least comfortably? Why?
- There is a huge difference between being in a war and being at war. In your spiritual battles, have you felt more like a refugee or a warrior?
PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE
Would you say you currently approach the armor of God as a wish list or a checklist? What would you have to do differently to be sure all the pieces are in place? Make a plan for yourself to enact what you discussed. Think about how you have started new habits in your life and use those lessons to devise a plan here.
PRAYER DIRECTION
PRAYER DIRECTION
Share your prayer requests and pray for each other before you finish your meeting. Ask someone in the group to write them all down and then email them to all your group members. Commit to pray for each other throughout the week.
DIVING DEEPER
Dive deeper into Ephesians this week by listening to Pastor Tom Holladay’s DriveTime Devotions series going through the book of Ephesians.
This series was created for Saddleback Church's small group curriculum series. For more great Bible studies and small group curriculum, visit pastors.com
And for more great podcasts, visit Lumivoz.com
And for more great podcasts, visit Lumivoz.com
Creators & Guests
Host
What is The Purpose, Practice, and Power of Prayer: A Saddleback Church Small Group Study?
The Scripture makes it clear that we are in a great cosmic battle. It is not a battle against people. It is a battle against spiritual forces of evil that are trying to destroy the work of God—in the world, and in our lives. But God has equipped us, empowered us, authorized us, and called us to partner with him in accomplishing his purposes on the earth. And we do it primarily through prayer. This is a small group Bible study series by Buddy Owens from Saddleback Church. Download the study guide here: https://saddleback.com/watch/the-purpose-practice-and-power-of-prayer
A Lumivoz podcast
00:00:13:10 - 00:00:34:22
Speaker 1
Hi everybody, and welcome to the Purpose, Practice and Power of Prayer. You know, on its surface, you might think, well, how difficult could all of this be? Do we? Do we really need six weeks to study prayer? Prayer seems like a no brainer. And, you know, to a certain degree and not to be disrespectful, but sometimes prayer is a no brainer.
00:00:35:09 - 00:00:59:08
Speaker 1
I approach it without using my brain. I don't really think about what I'm saying. I don't pray deliberately and purposefully. But it's important for us to understand how to pray so that we can pray more effectively. On the other hand, a common complaint that I hear from people is a dissatisfaction with their prayer life. They don't know what to say.
00:00:59:18 - 00:01:22:26
Speaker 1
They don't know where to begin. What to pray about, how long to pray, how many times they should pray for something or how to organize their thoughts in prayer. So my hope in this study is that I can simplify it by breaking it down into bite sized pieces. So in these next few sessions, I'll talk about the purpose, the practice and the power of prayer.
00:01:23:12 - 00:01:56:19
Speaker 1
We'll see what the Bible has to say about spiritual armor, about strategies for prayer, about your spiritual authority in prayer and how to pray effectively. Now, why is prayer important, anyway? Well, the Scripture makes it clear that we are in a great cosmic battle. It is not a battle against people. It is a battle against spiritual forces of evil that are trying to destroy the work of God in the world and in your life.
00:01:57:23 - 00:02:30:07
Speaker 1
But God has equipped us. He's empowered us. He has authorized us. And He has called us to partner with Him in accomplishing his purposes on the Earth. And we do it primarily through prayer. Now, before I talk about our spiritual armor, let me take a moment to talk about the battlefield itself. You know, most books and studies on spiritual warfare, they use, you know, dark, foreboding, ominous, even violent imagery in their packaging.
00:02:30:07 - 00:03:00:28
Speaker 1
And their design. And even the cover of this study has a sword on it, which represents the word of God. But you might have noticed the setting that I'm in is not like that. And here's why. It's because for most of us, the battlefield looks like this. It's like your living room. It's where we do life. This is where spiritual warfare happens in the day to day living and loving and relating in the daily decisions and the challenges that we face.
00:03:01:10 - 00:03:29:16
Speaker 1
Most of our praying happens right here at home, whether it's in your morning devotions, or when you're up pacing the floor in the middle of the night. This is where most of your spiritual battles are fought. Now, Ephesians six tells us all about our armor, our weapons and our strategy for this battle. So look at this passage finally.
00:03:30:06 - 00:03:53:10
Speaker 1
Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
00:03:53:25 - 00:04:20:00
Speaker 1
Therefore, put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. And after you have done everything to stand, stand firm, then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
00:04:20:23 - 00:04:46:20
Speaker 1
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray pray. Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. And with this in mind.
00:04:47:04 - 00:05:11:17
Speaker 1
Be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Now, what Paul is saying in this passage about the armor. Well, to begin with, he's talking about how to be strong in the Lord and in his power. That's verse ten. That's how he starts this conversation. So how can you do that? Well, that's what the following verses are all about.
00:05:11:28 - 00:05:42:13
Speaker 1
So don't get distracted by the metaphor. Focus on the point he's making The armor is not something you put on every day as though you took it off every night. The armor is not something you you just decide to declare there that you're wearing. I've heard people pray, God, I'm putting on the armor of God or I'm sorry to tell you, but that's make believe What Paul is talking about here is your lifestyle.
00:05:42:21 - 00:06:06:29
Speaker 1
The armor is the metaphor. He's talking about living such a life of truth and righteousness and faith that those things are like clothing. They're like armor for you. They're so much a part of your lifestyle. You don't just say you have them on. You live like you have them on. And that's how you become strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
00:06:07:19 - 00:06:39:02
Speaker 1
You get strong by living this way. A prayer to put on the armor of God will not harm you. That's just wishful thinking. Fact, I want you to write this down. This passage on the armor of God is not a wish list. It's a checklist For example, the belt. Am I not only truthful, but truth filled? Does my life line up with truth?
00:06:39:14 - 00:07:11:08
Speaker 1
Check the breastplate. Am I guarding my heart from evil? Check shoes. Am I walking the walk of a saved person? Trek Shield? Am I standing firm in my faith? Check the helmet. Am I thinking like a saved person? Check and the sword. Am I truly a man or woman of the word? Check. See, it's a statement of something that is already in place.
00:07:11:13 - 00:07:35:00
Speaker 1
If you only pray to put on the armor, but then you don't live in that armor. You're just fooling yourself and you'll never make any progress because you'll always be defeated by your enemy. If you only pray to put on the armor when you're in a tough situation, then you're too late. You need to have already been living according to these principles.
00:07:35:00 - 00:08:03:25
Speaker 1
So that, as Paul says, when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground. You see, a soldier doesn't put on his armor after the enemy starts shooting at him. He already has it on when he first steps out of his tent to start his day. He trains and he learns how to use it during peacetime so that he is ready when war breaks out.
00:08:04:08 - 00:08:33:04
Speaker 1
So wearing the armor is a picture of a lifestyle of preparation and readiness. And Paul says in verse 13, put on the whole armor. The new living translation says, Put on every piece of God's armor. And these are things that that protect us. Armor protects us. And you cannot be selective. You can't say Well, yeah, I got my sword, but I don't need to be truthful or sure, I'm saved.
00:08:33:19 - 00:08:56:12
Speaker 1
But I'm not living a righteous life. That's too legalistic. Or sure, I've got great faith. But, you know, I don't like to read the Bible. I'm not much of a reader. You have to put on every piece the whole armor of God. He has given it to us for our own good. So let's talk about this armor piece by piece.
00:08:57:27 - 00:09:26:04
Speaker 1
Verse 14, he says, Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. You see, in the first century, a soldier could gather up his robes in a belt to prepare for action, to fight, to run, to work, so that nothing would trip him up. The belt held everything in place, and Paul saying, Let your life be held together by truth, not with opinion.
00:09:26:22 - 00:09:51:29
Speaker 1
Not with the latest ideas of what is acceptable or cool, not with relativism, not with will. Your truth is your truth. And my truth is my truth. But with the absolute, unchanging truth of God, the King James says it this way. Stand there for having your loins girt about with truth. Now, why that picture? Why the loins? Well, there's a couple of reasons.
00:09:52:12 - 00:10:23:05
Speaker 1
First, he's saying, let the let the fruit, the outflow of your life be borne out in integrity. Have you ever known somebody who's untruthful? You can't trust anything they do or say the fruit of their life is untrustworthy. And Paula saying, let everything about your life be held together with truth both God's truth and your truthfulness and other words, be truth filled and be truthful.
00:10:24:12 - 00:10:48:03
Speaker 1
That's what it means to live a life of integrity. Now, second, by using this belt metaphor, he's also referring to your gut being directed by the truth of the word of God, where all your impulses and your gut instincts, your conscience, your your innermost being those are submitted to and governed by the truth of the word of God.
00:10:48:21 - 00:11:13:09
Speaker 1
And you're always asking yourself, what does God's word say about this? My gut tells me, but what does God's word say? I feel like doing this, but what does God's word say? You know, I could cut this corner here and I could make this compromise. But what does the word of God say? The key determining factor in your decisions is God's word.
00:11:13:19 - 00:11:47:02
Speaker 1
Truth. It guards your conscience. It guards your gut. When you wear the belt of truth, truth directs your life and it holds everything else together. Now, next, he says, stand firm. Then, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, the breastplate of righteousness. The Bible says that we wear the righteousness of Jesus Christ, not our own, but his. You see, God is not interested in your self righteousness, and neither is anybody else, for that matter.
00:11:47:25 - 00:12:26:03
Speaker 1
So what is righteousness? You might want to write this down. Righteousness is the the state or condition of being aligned with and approved by God being aligned with and approved by God. But the breastplate of righteousness also relates to to virtue, to morality and the purity of life. You see the breastplate, covers and protects your heart. And the Bible says, above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
00:12:27:07 - 00:13:06:05
Speaker 1
So here's a question. Are you guarding your heart? Are your deepest longings and desires aligned with God's values? Do they reflect the righteousness of Christ? The Bible says in Colossians three, set your hearts on things above, for you died and your life is now hidden with Christ and God to wear the breastplate of righteousness. Is to say, I want everything in my heart and every action of my life to meet with God's approval and to be conformed to His will.
00:13:06:09 - 00:13:39:05
Speaker 1
You can't say you're wearing the breastplate of righteousness if you are deliberately living an unrighteous lifestyle. If you do, your heart is totally unguarded. Now, in verse 15 next he says, and stand firm then with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. Now what does that mean? The new living translation says it this way for shoes put on the peace that comes from the good news so that you will be fully prepared.
00:13:40:09 - 00:14:08:29
Speaker 1
You see, the shoes relate to your walk. That means how you live your life. In other words, walk like a saved person. Let your life, your walk your way. Be a testimony of the Gospel of peace. The Bible says, Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you the reason for the hope that you have, but do it with gentleness and respect.
00:14:09:22 - 00:14:38:09
Speaker 1
He says Be prepared to tell your story. Why do you have hope? Why do you have peace? And why would somebody asked you that? Is because they can see it by the way you live. You walk. You live like a follower of Christ. In verse six, He says, Take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
00:14:39:13 - 00:15:05:01
Speaker 1
The shield of faith. It is your faith that protects you in times of trial and hardship. Your faith like a shield It goes before you. It is your first line of defense. That's why Jesus says Consider it pure joy. Whenever you face trials, circle the word trials in your notes there. Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds.
00:15:05:16 - 00:15:33:16
Speaker 1
Because you know that the testing of your faith circle, that testing of your faith develops perseverance. So trials are a test of faith. The flaming arrows are not just temptations. They are trials and hardships. And it's your faith that will protect you. When the devil takes a shot at you. And notice that faith will not prevent the arrows from being fired at you.
00:15:34:12 - 00:16:03:08
Speaker 1
But it will shield you from their effects, from their intent. So you have a decision to make when you're under fire. Will you face it in faith or in fear? In faith. Or in doubt? In fact, another way to look at it is that the shield of faith defeats the arrows of doubt. It is faith that protects us and gives us success.
00:16:04:02 - 00:16:30:14
Speaker 1
The Bible says in First John five. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. No matter what the world or the devil throws your way, you will overcome it through faith. I love that verse in the message paraphrase. It says, The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. It's not faith in myself.
00:16:31:15 - 00:16:55:18
Speaker 1
It's faith in God. That's why Paul says, I can do all things through Christ. Who strengthens me. It's not just I can do all things. I do them through Christ because He is my source of strength. It is your faith in God, not your faith in yourself. It is faith that protects you from despair, from doubt, from fear, from hopelessness.
00:16:56:13 - 00:17:30:17
Speaker 1
So we face every attack with the shield of faith, because as the Bible says, we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him. Now, in verse 17, he says, Take up the helmet of salvation. The helmet of salvation covers your mind. And Paul is saying this. Think like a saved person. Live with a saved mentality where you know you are secure in Christ.
00:17:30:28 - 00:18:05:21
Speaker 1
You know who you are in Christ, and you know your authority in Christ. The confident knowledge that you are saved and set apart for noble purposes is what directs your thinking when you're living with a saved mentality. All your decisions are filtered through the knowledge not only that you are saved, but of what that salvation can cost. Without salvation, your mind is unprotected from confusion, temptation, and from evil thinking.
00:18:06:13 - 00:18:41:09
Speaker 1
The helmet of salvation protects us from temptation, because temptation always begins in the mind. But the helmet of salvation says We died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live. But Christ lives in me. Those truths direct your decisions when you're tempted. The helmet of salvation enables you to think and see things with an eternal perspective, to think and see things the way God does.
00:18:41:26 - 00:19:06:04
Speaker 1
To think with the mind of Christ. It becomes the filter for all your thoughts and decisions. So you can say you're putting on the helmet of salvation. But if you continue to think like an unsaved person, then you don't have the helmet on. God wants you to think differently. He wants you to think the way he thinks about things.
00:19:07:03 - 00:19:35:20
Speaker 1
So how can you know how God thinks? Well, that's what the next piece of armor is all about. For 17 he says, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, the sort of the spirit is the Word of God. How do you take up the sword of the Spirit? By picking it up, opening it up, reading it, applying it and putting it to work in your life.
00:19:36:25 - 00:20:03:24
Speaker 1
It's one thing to have your sword safely in its sheath. It's quite another to be able to take it out and use it against the devil. Remember, the Word of God was the only defense Jesus used against temptation. So are you practicing your swordsmanship? Are you learning to handle the Word of God with precision and effect, or is it just hanging ceremoniously at your side?
00:20:05:01 - 00:20:31:04
Speaker 1
The Bible says, do your best to present yourself to God as one approved a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. The living Bible says it this way. Know what His Word says? And means? You see, the Bible is not a good luck charm. As though just having one in your house will protect you.
00:20:31:24 - 00:20:59:08
Speaker 1
It is something that must be carried with you in your heart at all times. Someone 1911 says, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sinned against you. So the armor of God is about a lifestyle. It is something that must be practiced in your day to day. Living. You can't start out your day saying you've got your armor on and then go out and live however you want to.
00:20:59:29 - 00:21:17:06
Speaker 1
On the other hand, you can't wait for the day of battle to say, boy, you know, things are getting kind of rough. I guess I should put my armor on. And then when the trouble passes, you say, Well, you know, I'm glad that's over. Now I can put my armor back on the shelf and I can go back to live in my own way.
00:21:18:03 - 00:21:59:08
Speaker 1
The devil doesn't give you any warning. You must always be ready. And this is why Paul says, Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. And he says, Live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way. Bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience So going back to verse ten in Ephesians six, how can you be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power?
00:22:00:14 - 00:22:29:12
Speaker 1
It's all in how you live your life. Live truthfully. Guard your heart against evil influences. Walk and live like you belong to Christ. Think like a person. Hold on to your faith in adversity and fill your mind and your heart. With the Word of God. That's what it means to put on the armor of God. And that's how to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
00:22:29:21 - 00:23:00:13
Speaker 1
I'm not saying everything will be happy and rosy. You will still be in a battle. But I am saying that you are much more likely to live a victory of life than a defeated life. If you're in a constant state of preparation, the point is that you're in a battle, a spiritual war. But there is a huge difference between being in a war and being at war.
00:23:01:26 - 00:23:31:22
Speaker 1
It's the difference between a refugee and a warrior. Both are in a war, but for very different reasons. The refugee is trying to escape it. But the warrior is in it to win it. The Bible makes it clear that we are always at war, not with a physical enemy, but with a spiritual enemy. The devil hates you, and he's always at war with you and he never takes a day off.
00:23:32:28 - 00:24:00:00
Speaker 1
So you're in a war whether you want to be or not. So here's the question to write down in this spiritual war. Am I a refugee trying to avoid it or a warrior in it to win it? Will you try to escape it? Or will you rise to the invitation to partner with God in accomplishing his purposes? In the world around you?
00:24:01:12 - 00:24:27:17
Speaker 1
Now, I know that some of you were thinking, Hey, wait, wait a second, buddy. What about prayer? You left prayer out of the list of armor and weapons. Well, I did that on purpose. It's because prayer is neither armor nor a weapon. Prayer is the strategy, Paul says. Now that you've got your armor on, here's how to do battle.
00:24:27:18 - 00:25:05:29
Speaker 1
Verse 18 he says, Pray, pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. And with this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Paul says, Pray on all occasions. Contemporary English version says, never stop praying. And he says, Pray with all kinds of prayers. So in our next session, I'll talk about what that means, and I will give you a picture of a prayer strategy for spiritual warfare.
00:25:07:06 - 00:25:11:16
Speaker 1
I hope you have a great discussion time together, and I'll see you in our next session.