How To Know If You Are a Prayer Warrior

“Pray at all times, in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18, HCSB).

            We take time to pray, but are we actually prayer warriors? To be a warrior, we must understand the spiritual battle. Prayer is an essential piece of our spiritual armor. Praying in the Spirit is praying in the power of the Holy Spirit and in agreement with the Holy Spirit which coincides in agreement with Scripture.

Imagine your favorite movie battle scene. Maybe it’s Saving Private Ryan or Gladiator or Braveheart. Whatever it is, as you remember the scene, what do you notice about those in the battle? Are there any question in your mind regarding who’s in the battle? How are they dressed? How are they prepared for the battle? What kinds of weapons are available and where are they kept? What is going through each soldier’s mind before and during the battle? Try to keep these thoughts going as we compare the spiritual warrior in the battle with a soldier in a battle or battle scene.

Prior to a battle, the soldier must prepare his/her mind. The soldier must know that there is a battle, as well as why he’s fighting or the reason for the battle. As such, he also needs to know what kind of battle he’s entering and what weapons will be used. In a frontline battle video game, a player plays best when focused and not distracted. It’s the same for a soldier; focus is imperative.

A prayer warrior recognizes that focus is imperative in the spiritual battle. The war is won…there is victory in Jesus, but the spiritual battle continues! Whether we are active warriors or not, the battle is still raging and there is a huge price if we decide not to engage. Soldiers who simply watch the battle are sitting ducks! And in this case the battle constantly affects us and those we know and love! A prayer warrior will first focus on God and then lift up specific prayers on behalf of self and others.

A soldier needs to know what he’s getting into. He needs to know the enemy and know what the attack will be like. He needs to know what to expect in the battle and how to prepare. A soldier has to be ready for an attack at any time, but he also knows when he’s under attack and when he’s not.

 A prayer warrior has eyes opened to the battle that is always occurring, but also recognizes that every negative thing isn’t a spiritual battle. We are in a fallen world where people often hurt one another. There are natural consequences for decisions we make and for the words we say. There are natural consequences for my own negative attitude and for my own selfishness. Although Satan can use my ugliness to his advantage, these examples aren’t spiritual warfare.

However, our spiritual enemy often attacks in specific ways and a prayer warrior recognizes the attack of the enemy!

1. Seeds of doubt: Basically, you believe something that isn’t true about God, His Word, yourself, or your worth. Doubt about salvation would fall under this. When you experience doubt about God using you for His glory and purpose or doubt about your call, you are under spiritual attack. God has a plan and purpose for you…don’t believe any differently!
2. Despair/darkness: This is an overwhelming feeling of despair, depression, and/or darkness. This is a heaviness in your spirit and could occur when you arrive in a specific location or could linger wherever you are during this kind of attack. For example, I went to Haiti on a mission trip a few years ago. As soon as the plane began to land, I could feel the oppression or heaviness of my spirit. Haiti’s national religion is voodoo, so darkness loomed in the area. My spirit sensed the darkness in an unexplainable way, even while we were still on the plane.
3. Physical darkness: The spiritual battle could also be manifested physically. Demons aren’t just in the movies; they are in the Bible. The battle is against the dark powers of the heavenly realms. Those powers actually exist and sometimes want us to know what they are up to. 

In a war, a soldier has to be sensitive to changes in the territory! When the war intensifies or territory becomes hostile, a soldier needs to know. Likewise, there are times when our spiritual enemy is hostile toward us. As prayer warriors, we need to be sensitive and aware of when the battle intensifies! “Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around likae a roaring lion, looking for anyone he an devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

I recently read and highly recommend the book The Invisible War, written by Chip Ingram. The book discusses Chip’s experiences, knowledge, and understanding of spiritual warfare. One of the many points that stood out to me occurred when Chip shared about a time when he was preparing to work in a new ministry, and a close friend said the following:

“Chip you are entering a new era in your ministry, and I have the strongest impression from the Lord that you need to prepare yourself for a whole new level of spiritual warfare” (14).

Chip’s friend was determined to make him aware of what he would be facing. He wanted Chip to be prepared for the frontline. Chip isn’t the only one who must prepare for the battle that is always raging. Every one of us is in the battle, but we need to heighten our senses and be prepared in order to engage.

According to Chip there are five identifiable times or seasons in our lives when the battle intensifies. A prayer warrior must be on guard and recognize changes in battle intensity!

 A prayer warrior must recognize the times and seasons when the battle may intensify. The warrior is prepared for changes in the battle and doesn’t go into the battle unprepared. We are always in the battle! Again, we are always in the battle! The intensity changes, but the spiritual battle is constant. A prayer warrior engages in the spiritual battle. To prepare for a physical battle, the soldier trains, puts on gear, and brings weapons and communication devices. He’s not going into battle without his equipment and his courage. If we are always in the battle, we must always have our equipment! The Armor of God consists of multiple pieces of armor provided by God for us to use in the battle. This armor protects us and allows us to engage in the spiritual battle. Prayer is an essential piece of the armor. Warren Wiersbe said, “Prayer is the energy that enables the Christian soldier to wear the armor and to wield the sword”.

Prayer is the way a warrior engages in the spiritual battle! Prayer is one of the most valuable weapons in the spiritual battle. The battle changes when warriors pray!

Simply put, prayer is communication between you and God. Prayer is how we converse with God in our hearts and/or verbally and God often speaks back to us during our times of prayer. The Bible is our authority on prayer and in the Bible, there are 650 recorded prayers and 450 recorded answers! The gospels mention Jesus praying 25 times. The Bible records people praying in multiple postures: sitting, standing, kneeling, face to the ground, and hands lifted up.

There are many different types of prayer and various names for them. We won’t cover every kind of prayer, but will touch on a few of the basics. Some of these, overlap and some may be called by other names. By no means is this an exhaustive list.

1. Adoration: adoring God through prayer. Praying our praise and proclaiming who He is and truths about Him is adoration.
2. Confession: admitting our wrongs/sin and asking for forgiveness and strength to turn away from sin
3. Thanksgiving: thanking God for who He is and all that He does, such as, answered prayer, grace, and love.
4. Supplication: asking God to provide whatever you need, such as peace, financial provision, health, etc.
5. Intercession: asking God for the needs of others, such as healing, spiritual breakthrough, physical needs, etc.

Recently, Frank drove out of town to see our son who is sixteen hours away. Because the trip is so long, Frank spent the night at a hotel and traveled home the next day. On the way home he stopped at a small gas station. The owner engaged him in short conversation. The owner said, “I know everyone around her and I’ve never met you. Are you visiting or just passing through?” Frank explained that he was visiting his son. The guy remarked that he hadn’t heard of place our son is at and the conversation ended. As Frank got into the car, the owner began walking away. But, all of a sudden, the owner was at his car window. The man approached Frank quickly to catch him before he drove off. The man told Frank that he needed to pray for him. He said, “I don’t know what your journey will look like, but I feel like I’m supposed to pray for you.” The man didn’t know that Frank was a Christian. They had only made small talk and hadn’t discussed faith. The man was a prayer warrior who obeyed to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

A prayer warrior senses the spiritual battle and intercedes in prayer at the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The warrior boldly intercedes for others and self and boldly offers to pray when led.

Are you a prayer warrior?

• Are you able to recognize and understand that there is a spiritual battle?
• Are you able to recognize the attack of the enemy in your life and in the lives of others?
• Are you engaging in the spiritual battle through focused and specific prayer for yourself and others?
• Are you praying boldly and in the Spirit?

If so, you are a prayer warrior. Every prayer warrior is as unique as God’s creation. Some will journal their prayers and others will spend time in a prayer room. The logistics will look different, but the heart of prayer is the same.

A prayer warrior continues to grow in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of God and His Word. A soldier keeps his weapon clean and in the best condition. A prayer warrior continues to grow in prayer. To determine if you’re growing in prayer like the great warrior Daniel, check out this post https://encouragingtruth.com/how-to-know-if-you-are-a-prayer-warrior-like-daniel/.