February 22 2026

February 22, 2026     

Havasu Christian Church

Are you Battle ready?         

Ephesians 6:10–20

“Why Am I Wearing All This Armor?!?”

INTRO: We’ve looked at each piece of the armor. We’ve looked at “girding our loins” with Truth! We’ve looked at putting on our Breastplate of Righteousness. We’ve studied what it means to put on our “Assault Sandals,” the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. We’ve looked at the usefulness of carrying our Shield of Faith. We’ve studied about why we should wear our Helmet of Salvation, and finally, last week we looked at the Sword of the Spirit… God’s Word! 

        Putting on our armor helps to prepare us for spiritual battle! A big part of that Battle is PRAYER! That’s what we’ll be looking at today!

Ephesians 6:10–20 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 

     11   Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 

     12   For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

     13   Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 

     14   Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 

     15   and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 

     16   in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

     17   And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 

     18   With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 

     19   and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 

     20   for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

1. We are to put on our armor and Pray.
2. We are to pray in the Spirit
3. What does this mean?

Romans 8:26–27 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

1. Let the Holy Spirit Guide our prayers.
2. If you feel led to pray, PRAY!
3. You can suggest to others that they pray with you.
4. You don’t have to be seen while you are praying.
5. Trust the Holy Spirit to intercede for you, even when you don’t know what to pray for.
6. What does this Not mean?

1 Corinthians 14:13–19 Therefore let one who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret.

14   For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.

15   What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.

16   Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?

17   For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified.

18   I thank God, I speak in tongues more than you all;

19   however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue.

1. Don’t expect the Holy Spirit to do all the work.
2. YOU pray!
3. Even if the Spirit gave you the ability to speak in a language you’ve never learned, it would be useless to you, or anyone else, unless someone is there to interpret what you prayed.
4. We are to pray at all times
5. We’ve read this every week….

Ephesians 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

1. Be ready to pray, ALWAYS!
2. Anywhere!
3. Anytime!
4. Regardless of the circumstance!
5. Prayer should be our “go to.”
6. We are to be alert.
7. LOOKING for things to pray for.
8. Expecting that God will give you opportunities to pray.
9. EMS siren… PRAY!
10. Someone tells you a problem… PRAY!
11. You’re driving alone… PRAY!
12. “Please Pray” really means “Please Pray.” It’s not an opportunity to gossip!
13. We are to be perseverant
14. Don’t give up!

Luke 18:1–8 Now He (Jesus) was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,

2   saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man.

3   “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’

4   “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man,

5   yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’ ”

6   And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge *said;

7   now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?

8   “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

1. I think that when Jesus told this story, people laughed.
2. This Judge, who’s theme song would have been “I did it my way” gets “beat up” by a little old lady and gives her what she wants.
3. “Wear me out.” The Greek literally translates “to blacken an eye, give a black eye, strike in the face.”
4. Jesus tells this story to remind us that if even a crooked judge can be “persuaded,” how much more will the God who loves us listen?
5. We are to petition God in prayer
6. Petition relates closely to perseverance.
7. Don’t give up!
8. God’s timing is not ours.

2 Peter 3:8–9 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

1. This passage is often misquoted to tell us that “God can’t tell time.”
2. This passage, in context, tells us that God’s patience figures into His timing, and sometimes, we have to wait.
3. But our waiting is always for the best!

1. We are to put on our armor and pray for others.
2. Paul tells them “Pray on my behalf”
3. “Utterance to be given”
4. That he would have the right words to say.
5. Boldness
6. Paul wants them to pray for his courage.
7. We think of Paul as this amazing guy… He was!
8. We think of Paul as being full of energy… He was!
9. b. We think of Paul as being incapable of being discouraged!
10. He was not!

Acts 28:13–15 From there we sailed around and arrived at Rhegium, and a day later a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. There we found some brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and thus we came to Rome. And the brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.

1. Paul needed encouragement!
2. He wanted people praying for him!

1. We are to put on our armor and live as ambassadors.
2. Like Paul, we have been given the “Mystery of the Gospel (good news)!
3. We KNOW that Jesus is the Messiah!
4. The One that God sent!
5. We KNOW that Jesus is God in a human body.
6. We KNOW that Jesus lived a perfect, Holy life, and was killed as a sacrifice for OUR sins.
7. We KNOW That Jesus Rose from the Grave to never die again!
8. We KNOW that we have been given the opportunity to follow Jesus and live forever!
9. We KNOW that Salvation is a gift we have been given, and that we need to share with others.
10. We KNOW what God expects from people who come to Him for Salvation.
11. We must believe that Jesus is “God in a body.”
12. We must believe that He is both LORD and SAVIOR.
13. We must confess Jesus before others.
14. As a one-time act.
15. As a way of life.
16. We must be Buried in Christian Baptism.
17. We must rise to walk in a new life.
18. We must be faithful until our death.
19. Our armor is there to protect us as we share “the Mystery of the Gospel” with the world in which we live!
20. We are ambassadors for Christ in an often-hostile world! Put on your armor!