Fighting in Prayer

A number of years ago, I heard a pastor retelling the details of a YouTube video he watched where a Mongoose kills a Black Mamba snake. While Black Mamba’s have few natural predators, it doesn’t stand a chance against the Mongoose. The reason why the Mongoose is so dangerous to the snake is because the Mongoose has an anti-venom. It literally repels the venom from the snake bite and the Mongoose is free to attack the snake.

This example of attack and counter-attack has stuck with me for years, mainly because we live in a world that’s full of destruction.

Full of pain.

Full of sickness.

Disappointment.

Evil.

Those who know Jesus as their personal Saviour are like the Mongoose in that we carry this anti-venom inside of us - called the Holy Spirit. It’s the free gift given to us that we have with us at all times.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

Having the Holy Spirit doesn’t make our lives void of bites, bruises or pain. But it helps us to fight - knowing that whatever evil is meant to harm us, can’t destroy us.

The key is knowing the Holy Spirit, and how it equips us.

With the Holy Spirit we have all manner of power at our disposal…and now that we’ve been saved from the ‘fatal bite’, we’re free to attack and take some ground. But we need to know how to use this power within us:  we need to listen…we need to be in-tune to its voice, it’s leading, it’s language - which is prayer.  

Your prayers matter.

They do battle in an unseen realm.

They’re how we attack and take ground.

As much as prayer can be a casual conversation, praying God’s promises and invoking the name of His Son Jesus, release waves of devastation into the realm of evil – they send the Black Mamba reeling, wondering what kind of fight he got himself into.

In Ephesians 6:18, we’re told that prayer is essential to the ongoing battle against the enemy and his schemes. “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers.”

And when we don’t feel we have the right words to pray, Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit steps in and speaks for us.

“God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” – Romans 8:26-28 Msg

Despite the enemy you may be facing, how intense the fight seems, it won’t be fatal…in fact, you can even turn the tide with the power of prayer. I’m fighting hard today. Anyone else fighting too?