This morning we conclude our series of messages called "Survivor." We have been looking at Ephesians 6 and studying the various parts of the spiritual armor. The armor is our uniform, what we need to wear each day as we face the spiritual battles that surround us.

Be strong. Be swift. Be sure. God doesn't just want us to be barely breathing when the battle is over. No, He wants us to be fully prepared so that when the day's battles are over, we are standing firm and secure, rejoicing in the promise that the Christ who lives in our hearts is greater than the devil, the master trickster and liar.

Each piece of our uniform is strategic to living victoriously each day. We've looked at the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes representing the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

As important as these pieces are, there is still one weapon we haven't talked about that is the greatest weapon at our disposal. It's not really considered a piece of the armor. Instead, it is a weapon that supports all the other pieces. It is like a thread that weaves in and out of the full uniform, giving it strength and stability. This weapon is to the armor like oxygen is to the lungs. It breathes life and supernatural power into the believer. This weapon I'm talking about is prayer. Prayer is our greatest weapon in the battle against Satan and his evil forces.

The apostle Paul concludes his letter to the Ephesians with a plea for every believer to prioritize prayer. Recall that in the early verses in this section, he reminds us that our battles each day are spiritual in nature. They are battles between the power of God and the forces of Satan. Paul admonishes us to stand firm in the battle and not to give in to Satan's strategies. He then tells us about the pieces of the uniform that are designed to protect us. Then he talks about our greatest weapon—prayer. Read with me verses 18-20.

Although I was raised in a very dysfunctional family, wrecked by an alcoholic father, my mom taught my brother, sister and me the importance of prayer. I can still remember doing the "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer at bedtime. I was saying that prayer before I could even pronounce the words correctly, much less know what the sentences meant. I'm fixing to embarrass myself. To this day I still remember how I enunciated that prayer as a 3-4 year old. {Say it.}

Don't laugh at me. My brother, who was a hoot, sometimes crossed the lines of acceptable behavior when he would pray, "Now I lay me down to sleep. A sack of peanuts at my feet."

I'm grateful that my mom and grandmother taught me the importance of prayer. Hearing the prayer of a child can melt your heart and bring tears to your eyes. Without in any fashion minimizing the importance of all praying, my message today issues a call for a specific kind of prayer. The kind I'm talking about today is not of the "Sweet Hour of Prayer" variety. It's not the warm fuzzy, feels-real-nice kind of praying.

Today, I'm calling on every believer to engage in spiritual warfare kind of praying. It's battlefield praying. It's the prayer that stops Satan dead in his tracks. As I look back over the last several weeks of messages, I'm not certain I've done a good job convincing you how serious spiritual warfare is. I don't think most believers understand just how high the stakes are.

I believe the war on terrorism is a battle against the forces of Satan. Muslim extremists publicly state that they are in a war against Christians. This is a picture of Sister Leonella, a nun who devoted her life to helping the sick in Africa. She used to joke that there was a bullet with her name engraved on it in Somalia. That bullet came this week and killed her. Many believe the shooting attack was tied to Muslim anger over remarks by Pope Benedict linking Islam and violence.

On the national scene organized efforts to remove any semblance of God from the public arena continue to build momentum. Churches are closing their doors for good every Sunday. Even Christians find themselves not having a clue what they really believe.

I could spend an hour telling you how successful Satan has been in our own town of Chapin. Husbands splitting up with their wives. Wild partying. Teenage drinking—it's an epidemic. Strong leaders in the church compromising their standards to engage in ungodly behavior. Trading commitments to Christ and His church for a lifestyle of pleasure and materialism. Domestic violence. Criminal behavior. A week or so ago our neighborhood was hit. Someone got into three of our cars and stole more than $3,000 worth of stuff. More and more I hear of our high school students being verbally persecuted because of their faith in Christ—from teachers and fellow students alike.

What can we do? Pray. But don't consider prayer as our last resort. This weapon has been at our disposal all along. We just haven't used it enough. And again, I'm not talking about feel-good, spiritual retreat, mountaintop experience kind of praying. I'm talking about engaging-the-enemy kind of praying.

In today's verses Paul gives us some excellent insight on how we need to use our greatest weapon. How do we pray? First, Paul says we need to pray in the Spirit. In no way is he teaching here some type of spiritual prayer language or speaking in tongues. He's simply saying that effective prayer happens when God's people moment by moment allow the Spirit of God to control their lives. They are spiritually in tune with the heart of God. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you pray in the Spirit.

Second, pray throughout the day. Notice in verse 18 how many times the word all or always appear. Four times. Pray all kinds of prayer—confession, praise, thanksgiving, requests—pray them all through the day. Pray for your fellow believers. Pray that they will keep standing firm in the face of conflict. The battles go on all day long. So you must learn to pray all day long.

Third, be alert. I believe that when a person is filled with God's Spirit, He gives you a supernatural alertness that prompts you at the right time to pray. Many times I sense a troubling in my spirit that prompts me to pray for someone or some issue. I don't have a clue what battles might be raging, but I take those tugs as God's way of prompting me to pray.

In March of 2001 I was in the operating room at MUSC in Charleston to undergo a serious surgery to remove a malignant tumor from my bile duct. My family, some church members, and fellow pastors were in the waiting room when Anita began to be troubled in her spirit. She had no clue why, other than God told her to rally the troops to pray. Not long after that the doctor appeared (too early for the surgery to be over) and informed them that they had severed a main artery while doing a preliminary procedure and that I had almost bled to death before they discovered their error.

Now I don't pretend to know all the dealings that go on in the spiritual realm between God and Satan. But I do believe that Satan wanted me out of here. And I believe it was the waiting room prayer battles that spared my life. Thank God for a spiritually alert wife.

Fourth, pray for your preacher. Pray for me. Notice the specific request Paul asked the Ephesians to remember. He wanted them to pray that God would grant him boldness and fearlessness as he preached the gospel. Will you pray for me in the same way? God's Word is offensive and it is confrontational. Sometimes I feel like I hold back what God wants me to say because I still have that side of me that wants everyone to be happy and to like me. In the car the other day, I said to Anita, "I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or because God is really stirring in my soul, but I'm getting to the point that what people think of me just doesn't matter as much anymore. I just want to be in the middle of what God is doing." And that's how I feel. Pray that I will be a bold, courageous leader for Chapin Baptist Church and for the kingdom.

I used to wonder why I was so exhausted on Sunday afternoons. It's not just that I preached three services. Think about it. Those few hours on Sunday mornings represent some of the greatest examples of fierce spiritual warfare. Do you think Satan wants me to be successful in teaching you how to stand firm in battles? Thank God for His presence here each Sunday. But don't think for a moment that Satan is not here also. Preaching is spiritual warfare. No wonder I'm exhausted. I've just engaged in three hours of non-stop warfare. I believe that's why Paul pleaded with the Ephesians to pray for him.

Why should we pray? Because the battles are real and they are fierce. Let me make an observation that I hope hits you like it did me. When crisis hits, what do people do? They pray. 9/11 hits and people pray. Katrina hits and people pray. Your son calls from jail and you pray. Your spouse is leaving you and you pray. The doctor says you have cancer and you pray.

If we are to take advantage of our most powerful weapon, we must pray for God's protection before the crises hit. I have an army of people who pray for me every day. And I often wonder how many defeats and crises I have avoided because people were praying for me. You see, we don't have a clue what all goes on in the spiritual realm between God and the forces of evil. Things that go on behind the scenes. You could be going through a tough battle right now because you let your prayer weapon down for too long. Or you may be going through great times right now because you and others have been using your prayer weapon.

As I wrap up this Survivor series, I want you to consider the realm of prayer in spiritual warfare from two perspectives. First, prayer provides God's protection. Consider this as a prayer defensive. Prayer builds walls of protection. Prayer sets up the shields of faith. Those walls of protection keep you from giving in to Satan's relentless attacks. So pray for God's protection on our church. Pray for God's protection on families. Pray for God's protection on our children as they face unprecedented levels of pressure.

Second, prayer breaks down Satan's strongholds. That's why Paul told the church to pray that he would be fearless in telling others about Jesus. Because when bunches of people are praying, Satan's effects diminish. Strongholds crumble.

Last week in two of the services after James preached, I asked him to stand at my side. And then I challenged you to pray for him, Kenny and the student ministry. I reported how God has been working during the Ignite student service on Sunday evenings. I shared how the previous Sunday, 180 kids showed up and twelve made decisions for Christ. Well, you must have prayed. Have you heard what happened last Sunday night? More than 200 students showed up. And 21 stood unashamedly before their peers, indicating that they had given their lives to Jesus Christ.

Satan's strongholds are crumbling. God is moving. As we engage in 40 days of outreach, keep in mind that we will be working in enemy territory. But I have faith that even more of Satan's strongholds will be blasted away.

Folks, I don't want to coast along and play it safe. I want to penetrate the gates of hell. I want to work where God is working. I want us to engage in ministry that will change people's lives and breakthrough the spiritual barriers that are keeping people on the devil's side. But I can't do it alone. The church at Chapin Baptist needs to join me. We have a powerful weapon at our disposal. It's called prayer. If you want to be a survivor, then use it.

Two quick things. In your handouts today you received a sign-up sheet for two of our ongoing prayer ministries. One is the Intercessory Prayer Ministry. This is a commitment of one hour per week. You come to the prayer room and pray there for one hour. One of our leaders will train you on the various aspects of this ministry. By the way, for those already serving, I challenge you to invest some of your minutes each week praying for the lost and praying down the strongholds of Satan.

The other is the Pastor's Prayer Partners ministry. You commit to pray for me each day. I commit to send you a monthly prayer letter which provides you with updates on my personal needs as well as things going on in the church. Sign up for either or both of these and we will put you to work praying for the kingdom.