DAY 4. Remaining alert – Ephesians 6:18

Remaining aware of all these aspects is demanding. Paul places an emphasis on constant prayer. He says to pray in the Spirit, which means praying according to the mind of the Spirit and in harmony with the Spirit. Our own sin causes us to not be in harmony with the Spirit of Christ and therefore confession and repentance in prayer ought to be part of regular prayer life. 1 John 1:8-10 It is possible that our prayer life concentrates on one type of prayer or one grouping of requests. We may ask but only infrequently give thanks and praise. We may read the bible regularly but not remain in his presence prayerfully allowing God to bring fresh and deeper understanding. Our requests may focus on our personal wants rather than God’s character and righteousness. Our prayers may concentrate on those who are already part of God’s family but prayer for others to receive Christ into their lives may be only an infrequent occurrence. We may pray repeatedly for missionary needs worldwide and forget the needs in our neighbourhood or the other way round. The Lord’s family needs our prayers and to pray for our immediate fellowship by name is praying in accordance with his will. However, Paul’s request to be prayed for, especially that he will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, vv19,20 shows that nobody is above needing prayer in this battle with the evil one. It also shows there is a special need to pray for those who are sharing the gospel.