There are many important parts to the armor of God: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and, last but not least, the sword of the Spirit. While each one is deeply significant, they are so simple that most of our children could place them correctly with a Sabbath School felt set. But in the heart of the desperate spiritual battles for our very souls, we adults all too often leave God’s armor behind! Then we wonder why we are constantly being overcome by the enemy.

“Temptations often appear irresistible because, through neglect of prayer and the study of the Bible, the tempted one cannot readily remember God’s promises and meet Satan with the Scripture weapons” (1). Wearing God’s whole armor is crucial to our being spiritually fortified as Christians.

There is one significant part of God’s armor that we didn’t mention. It is one of the most overlooked keys in our spiritual fortification. It’s not something we put on or hold in our hand—at least symbolically speaking. Rather, it’s something we do. It’s a mind-set. I call it ­watchful prayer.

Ephesians 6:18 states simply, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

Praying always means to pray without ceasing (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17). Luke 18:1 states it this way, “Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Matthew 26:41 gives yet another view of why this piece of armor is so significant. “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (emphasis added).

This is our problem. Our spirits are indeed willing, but our flesh is dreadfully weak. This is why, as we go forward seeking to stand strong against the attacks of the enemy, we must constantly be in a state of watchful prayer. We must be alert, on our guard, ever in tune with the Holy Spirit’s promptings, anticipating danger or compromise before it occurs so the enemy cannot sneak up and catch us unawares. Inspiration tells us, “No man is safe for a day or an hour without prayer” (2).

Christ Himself, when facing the biggest trial of His life in Gethsemane, asked His disciples to “watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41). They failed to do this, being too sleepy. Inspiration tells us, “It was in sleeping when Jesus bade him watch and pray that Peter had prepared the way for his great sin [denying Christ three times]. All the disciples, by sleeping in that critical hour, sustained great loss” (3). What loss might we personally—and corporately—be sustaining today because we are too busy, or too sleepy, or too lazy, to take time to watch and pray?
 
Moving forward on our knees
Now that we have put on our spiritual armor, chosen our weapons (specific promises from the Word of God), and have determined to make drastic changes in our lifestyle and focus, it’s time to pray. This is not a half-hearted, lazy kind of praying. It is not the type of praying we do when rushing out the door for an appointment or when in direct line of fire from the enemy—although we should be praying during these times too! This is a time we set apart for specific and wrestling prayer. We are fighting a very real enemy who has attacked us in very real and specific ways. So we must fight back in a very real and specific manner!

As Jacob wrestled through the night, we, too, must wrestle until the breaking of the day. We must hold on to God, saying, “I will not let You go until You bless me! I will not let go until You give me deliverance in this area of my life!” This is not a presumptuous prayer. We aren’t praying for our selfish, fleshly desires. We are praying for victory over the spiritual breaches in our lives. We are praying for spiritual fortification. We are praying to have a new heart and a new spirit. These are things that God has promised to give us.

“Jacob prevailed because he was persevering and determined. His victory is an evidence of the power of importunate prayer. All who will lay hold of God’s promises, as he did, and be as earnest and persevering as he was, will succeed as he succeeded. Those who are unwilling to deny self, to agonize before God, to pray long and earnestly for His blessing, will not obtain it. Wrestling with God—how few know what it is! How few have ever had their souls drawn out after God with intensity of desire until every power is on the stretch. When waves of despair which no language can express sweep over the suppliant, how few cling with unyielding faith to the promises of God” (5).
 
Seek to live in obedience
Now we must follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We must continue to turn from our habits of sinful thinking and behavior and learn to live in obedience to God’s Word. As we follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings, He will lead us to take action in specific ways. For each of us, the work may look different and the battle may be different, for He alone knows our areas of weakness and need. Yet the result will be the same—a closer and closer walk with Him. “If the heart has been renewed by the Spirit of God, the life will bear witness to the fact. While we cannot do anything to change our hearts or to bring ourselves into harmony with God; while we must not trust at all to ourselves or our good works, our lives will reveal whether the grace of God is dwelling within us. A change will be seen in the character, the habits, the pursuits. The contrast will be clear and decided between what they have been and what they are” (6).

“When all known wrongs are righted, we may believe that God will answer our petitions. Our own merit will never commend us to the favor of God; it is the worthiness of Jesus that will save us, His blood that will cleanse us; yet we have a work to do in complying with the conditions of acceptance” (7).
 
Fight against any enemy intrusion
As you begin walking through the steps to spiritual fortification that I’ve shared, don’t expect the enemy to lie by quietly while you take back his territory. You have declared war, and he will not back down without a fight. You must continue to watch and pray, asking God to strengthen you so that you can boldly attack any compromise that sneaks back into your life, “hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (Jude 23).

“Every sinful desire we cherish affords [the enemy] a foothold. Every point in which we fail of meeting the divine standard is an open door by which he can enter to tempt and destroy us. And every failure or defeat on our part gives occasion for him to reproach Christ” (9).

“With watchfulness and prayer [our] weakest points can be so guarded as to become [our] strongest points, and [we] can encounter temptation without being overcome” (10).

There is nothing as satisfying as knowing you have been in direct conflict with the enemy of darkness and you have prevailed. Victory is possible in Christ! Just keep holding on to Him until the victory is accomplished. If we stand upon the Word of God, we cannot fail. No matter the obstacles before us, no matter the enormity of the mountains nor the seeming insignificance of the details, let us follow God’s call to rebuild our spiritual walls and fortify ourselves for Him.