I have been teaching from Ephesians 6:10-20 and have titled my series The Invisible War. Paul uses the metaphor of Roman armor as he teaches the church of Ephesus about how to embrace the victory we have over our spiritual enemies won for us by Jesus Christ.
Paul uses six pieces of armor to explain how to stand on the ground of victory; the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit. But there actually is a seventh piece of offensive weaponry that he describes. He closes his teaching with these words in verses 18-20:
“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and pray also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
These are powerful words. The seventh piece of armor is PRAYER. To enter into the victory that has already been won, we are encouraged to pray.
Last year, I read a book by John Eldridge entitled Waking the Dead. It is definitely a book worth reading. It was a powerful book and at the conclusion of the book, Eldridge offers a Prayer for Freedom that can be prayed daily over a person’s family. Since then, Roi Lene and I have been praying this prayer over our family and it has been a wonderful resource. I wanted to get this Prayer for Freedom in your hands so you could begin using it as a supplement to your prayer life.
I hope you not only enjoy it, but you experience the fruit of powerful liberating and effective prayer.
I love you all,
Dan
A Daily Prayer for Freedom
From the book Waking the Dead by John Eldridge (Copyright 2003)
Adapted to be prayed over your immediate family.
My dear Lord Jesus, I come to you now to be restored in you – to renew my place in you, my allegiance to you, and to receive from you all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor you as my sovereign Lord, and I surrender every aspect of my life totally and completely to you. I give you my body as a living sacrifice; I give you my heart, soul, mind, and strength; and I give you my spirit as well.
I cover myself with your blood – my spirit, my soul and my body. And I ask you Holy Spirit to restore my union with you, seal me in you, and guide me in this time of prayer. In all that I now pray, I include (names of my immediate family). I bring them under your authority and covering as I come under your authority and covering. Holy Spirit, apply to her all that I now pray on their behalf.
Dear God, holy and victorious Trinity, you alone are worthy of all my worship, my heart’s devotion, all my praise and all my trust and all the glory of my life. I worship you, bow to you, and give myself over to you in my heart’s search for life. You alone are Life, and you have become my life. I renounce all other gods, all idols, and I give you the place in my heart and in my life that you truly deserve. I confess here and now that it is all about you, God, and not about me. You are the Hero of this story and I belong to you. Forgive me, God, for my every sin. Search me and know me and reveal to me any aspects of my life that is not pleasing to you, expose any agreements I have made that violate your will for my life, and grant me the grace of a deep and true repentance.
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me and choosing me before you made the world. You are my true Father – my Creator, my Redeemer, my Sustainer, and the true end of all things, including my life. I love you; I trust you; I worship you. Thank you for proving your love for me by sending your only son, Jesus, to be my substitute and representative. I receive Him and all His life and all His work, which you ordained for me. Thank you for including me in Christ, for forgiving me my sins, for granting me His righteousness, for making me complete in Him. Thank you for making me alive in Christ, raising me with Him, seating me with Him at your right hand, granting me His authority, and anointing me with your Holy Spirit. I receive it all with thanks and give it total claim to my life.
Jesus, thank you for coming for me and for ransoming me with your own life. I honor you as my Lord; I love you, worship you and trust you. I sincerely receive you as my redemption, and I receive all the work and triumph of your crucifixion, whereby I am cleansed from all my sin through your shed blood, my old nature is removed, my heart is circumcised unto God and every claim being made against me is disarmed. I take my place in your cross and death, whereby I died with you to sin and to my flesh, to the world, and to the Evil One. I am crucified with Christ, and I have crucified my flesh with all its passions and desires. I take up my cross and crucify my flesh with all its pride, unbelief, and idolatry. I put off the old man. I now bring the cross of Christ between myself and all people, all spirits and all things. Holy Spirit, apply to my family and me the fullness of the work of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for us. I receive it with thanks and give it total claim to my life.
Jesus, I also sincerely receive you as my new life, my holiness and sanctification, and I receive all the work and triumph of your resurrection, whereby I have been raised with you to a new life, to walk in newness of life, dead to sin but alive to God. I am crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. I now take my place in your resurrection, whereby I have been made alive with you; I reign in life through you. I now put on the new man in all holiness and humility, in all righteousness and purity and truth. Christ is now my life, the one who strengthens me. Holy Spirit, apply to my family and myself the fullness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ for me. I receive it with thanks and give it total claim in my life.
Jesus, I also sincerely receive you as my authority and rule, my everlasting victory over Satan and his kingdom, and I receive all the work and triumph of your ascension, whereby I have been raised with you to the right hand of the Father and established with you in all authority. I bring your authority and your kingdom rule over my life, my family, my household, my church and my domain.
And now I bring the fullness of your work – your cross, resurrection, and ascension – against Satan, against his kingdom, and against all his emissaries and all their work which war against me and my domain. Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. Christ has given me authority now over and against every enemy, and I banish them in the name of Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, apply to me, (names of immediate family) the fullness of the work of the ascension of Jesus Christ for us. We receive it with thanks and give it total claim to our lives.
Holy Spirit, I sincerely receive you as my Counselor, my Comforter, my Strength, and my Guide. Thank you for sealing me in Christ. I honor you as my Lord, and I ask you to lead me into all truth, to anoint me for all of my life and walk and calling, and to lead me deeper into Jesus today. I fully open my life to you in every dimension and aspect – my body, my soul, and my spirit – choosing to be filled with you, to walk in step with you in all things. Apply to me, blessed Holy Sprit, all of the work and all of the gifts of Pentecost. Fill me afresh, blessed Holy Spirit. I receive you with thanks and give you total claim to my life as well as to (names of immediate family).
Father thank you for granting me every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.
I receive those blessings into my life today, and I am asking you, Holy Spirit to bring all those blessings into my life this day. Thank you for the blood of Jesus. Wash me once more with His blood from every sin and stain and evil device. I put on your armor – the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the readiness of the gospel of peace, and the helmet of salvation. I take up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and I wield these weapons against the Evil One in the power of God. I choose to pray at all times in the spirit, to be strong in you, Lord, and in your might.
Father, thank you for your angels and I summon them in the authority of Jesus Christ and release them to war for me and for my wife and sons. May they guard me at all times throughout this day. Thank you for those who pray for me; I confess I need their prayers, and I ask you to send forth your Spirit and rouse them, unite them, raising up the full canopy of prayer and intercession for me and my household. I call forth the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ this day throughout my home, my family, my life and my domain. I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, with all glory and honor and thanks to Him.