What Is the Warrior's Prayer?
To aid you in cultivating a habit of consistent prayer, I’ve prepared the Warrior’s Prayer. Based on Ephesians 6, this poetic prayer will help you pray on the believer’s armor as you prepare for spiritual battle.
Your warrior prepares for battle
Today I claim victory over Satan by
putting on the whole armor of God!
I put on the Girdle of Truth!
May I stand firm in the truth of Your Word
so I will not be a victim of Satan's lies.
I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness!
May it guard my heart from evil
so I will remain pure and holy,
protected under the blood of Jesus Christ.
I put on the Shoes of Peace!
May I stand firm in the Good News of the
Gospel so your peace will shine through
me and be a light to all I encounter.
I take the Shield of Faith!
May I be ready for Satan's fiery darts
of doubt, denial, and deceit so I will not be
vulnerable to spiritual defeat.
I put on the Helmet of Salvation
May I keep my mind focused on You
so Satan will not have a stronghold
on my thoughts.
I take the Sword of the Spirit!
May the two-edged sword of Your Word
be ready in my hands so I can expose the
tempting words of Satan.
By faith your warrior has put on
the whole armor of God!
I am prepared to live this day
in spiritual victory!
Amen
After describing the armor of God in Ephesians 6, Paul envelops the entire metaphor in what is truly the Christian’s primary source of defense and offense: “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18).
What does it mean to “pray always”? It means to be in a constant state of fellowship and communication with God. It means to live in a conscious state of awareness of being in His presence. When we regularly commit our cares to God, asking Him, praising Him, thanking Him for His provision—we’re living in His presence. Yes, the affairs of daily life will interrupt us and momentarily redirect our attention away from God. But our overarching attitude and awareness of Him do not stop.
Paul uses the word “all” three times in verse 18, including the phrase “praying always with all prayer and supplication.” Today, we might describe supplication as our “prayer requests.” It simply means to ask God for what we need. James 4:2 tells us, “You do not have because you do not ask.” God’s Word could not be more direct, could it? We often don’t have what we need because we haven’t asked God for it. There is nothing we cannot pray for! Prayer can impact any and every situation we face.
Who Do We Pray For?
To summarize it all, Paul states the object of prayer: “all the saints.” This includes ourselves and others. Just as airlines encourage parents to secure their own oxygen masks before assisting their children, we access spiritual oxygen by bringing our own needs before the Lord in prayer. Jesus commands His followers to “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:1). The subsequent verse reveals God’s response: His people receive, find, and have the door opened to them (Matthew 7:8). Even when answers are long in coming, the act of persistent prayer proclaims our commitment to God and strengthens our faith.
Praying for others, or intercessory prayer, may be the most common kind of prayer. To intercede is to intervene on behalf of another person. This style of petition is a part of the “Body” dynamic in the Christian faith. We “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). We “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). We live together as a family, and prayer serves to carry out part of that Body-life dynamic.
Every part of the Christian's spiritual armor is essential: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. We will be more likely to keep that armor in place and overcome the enemy’s tactics if we pray for ourselves and others to be faithful in each area.
How Do We Pray?
What do you think of prayer? Do you perceive it as an idle pastime or an optional exercise reserved for more “spiritual” believers? Such a perspective is not uncommon, but it is also not biblical. Prayer is the hard-work business of every member of the Church of Jesus Christ. Every believer has access to this confidence: “that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).
Prayer is a battle strategy. If God’s people hope to change hearts, transform neighborhoods, rebuild communities, and revive nations, we need to pray intensely, fervently, and thoughtfully. Colossians 4:2 instructs us to “continue earnestly in prayer.” That’s at the heart of what it means to be a prayer warrior.
—From Overcomer by Dr. David Jeremiah
