United in Prayer: Day 16

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

Ephesians 6:10-20

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Every place where a new church is starting has spiritual strongholds that must be broken. Every member of the church planting team will experience spiritual warfare. Though at times, it can feel like the battle is against other people, that is not the reality. As Paul shares in this passage, when planting churches and experiencing pushback, the battle is against the rulers, authorities and powers of this dark world!

While church planters and their teams are to put on the full armor of God, we are called to remain prayerful for all the saints. We are thankful that God is calling others to plant churches in certain areas and should see the resistance they face as confirmation of the enemy’s strong influence in that area. We must be vigilant to pray for unity as church planting teams face opposition. 

The enemy loves to try to divide and destroy. Whether church plants face opposition in the form of economic, emotional, physical, relational or other types, they must equip themselves with the armor of God and stand firm and united with one another in their mission! 

As we gather today for prayer, pray for all of those starting new churches. Ask God that the opposition of the enemy would be brought low. Pray for unity across the church planting teams and their families. Ask God to give them the courage to boldly share the gospel despite the opposition they may face. Think of the struggles a new church in your area might face and pray with these challenges in mind. 

Prayer for Starting Churches: 
Mighty God, we thank you for this reminder that we will face opposition on the earth as the devil schemes against our efforts to bring the gospel to the lost. We know that our battle is with an unseen enemy, but often the struggle is manifested through circumstances or people that come against us. We pray for those who are working to bring the light of Christ into the darkness of the world. We ask that your power would strengthen and protect them as we are faithful to pray for these saints.

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If you've enjoyed this excerpt from our United in Prayer guide and would like to join us for our 21 Days of Prayer, we invite you, your church leaders, pastors, staff and congregation to unite with us. To access all of our resources and let us know that you are praying with us, click here: converge.org/21-days-united-in-prayer