1 00:00:01,159 --> 00:00:05,879 Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,679 is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some 3 00:00:10,759 --> 00:00:15,599 of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to keep us 4 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:20,280 through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all that. 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:26,120 Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to live healthy, 6 00:00:26,199 --> 00:00:31,800 vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author speaker 7 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:34,960 L. David Harris. Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It 8 00:00:35,039 --> 00:00:40,320 is Thursday, September twenty one, two twenty three. Hello, my name 9 00:00:40,359 --> 00:00:42,799 is L. David Harris. I am your host, and this is your 10 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:47,399 Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day and today is no 11 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:52,799 exception. We are continuing in our lessons study series through the Book of Ephesians, 12 00:00:53,119 --> 00:01:00,240 and our caption for today is practicing Battlefield Prayer. Practicing battle field Prayer. 13 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:03,400 Before we get into that, I'd like to say welcome to you and 14 00:01:03,439 --> 00:01:07,879 ask you to please go over to your Daily Portion dot com join our online 15 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:11,159 community, and there we can build faith and fellowship. I'm asking you also 16 00:01:11,239 --> 00:01:17,319 to pick up your Daily Portion book at your Daily Portion dot com. Let's 17 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:21,599 go ahead and pray, and then we will get underway. Father in Heaven, 18 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:23,640 thank you for giving us this new morning and for the privilege you have 19 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:29,359 entrusted to us to open up your word. And I'm asking you to help 20 00:01:29,439 --> 00:01:32,599 us to know that we don't have to wait till the battle is over. 21 00:01:32,719 --> 00:01:36,000 We can shout now, and we know in the end we're going to win, 22 00:01:36,159 --> 00:01:38,680 because you are the captain of our souls. In Jesus name, I 23 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:45,959 pray, Amen and Amen again. There is so much to say here, 24 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:51,840 but so little time. I am thankful that God has given us seven implements 25 00:01:51,879 --> 00:01:56,680 of war. In this discussion of the armor of God, the entire armor 26 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:01,159 of God, there are people who forget the final which is praying with all 27 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:07,759 supplication, with thanksgiving. So God is giving us the understanding that prayer is 28 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:14,360 key to victory in the battle against the enemy. Can I say that again? 29 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:20,520 Prayer is key to victory over the enemy in this battle we call the 30 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,840 Great Controversy. And so there is so much in the lesson itself that you 31 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:30,199 can go back and review. I want to add some things that maybe we 32 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:32,719 didn't talk about in the lesson. Okay, I try to add some things 33 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:38,240 that maybe we're not considered okay, And so first I want to say that 34 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:46,759 we should commit to daily intercession. Commit to daily intercession. This has to 35 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:51,680 be daily and ongoing. It's not something that we do haphazardly. It's not 36 00:02:51,759 --> 00:02:54,759 something that we do just on a whim or when we feel like we need 37 00:02:54,879 --> 00:03:00,560 something. We should be scheduling. And yes I did use that word. 38 00:03:00,719 --> 00:03:05,439 It is a structural term. It is a strategic term. We should be 39 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:12,680 scheduling time with God in prayer apart from what Enoch did. The Bible says 40 00:03:12,719 --> 00:03:16,520 that Enoch walked with God. But we see in the example of Jesus where 41 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:23,000 he came. He separated himself a great while before day, and the Bible 42 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:30,319 says, and there he prayed before he went to serve the multitudes he received 43 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:35,199 from God his father. You see where that's going. Also, also the 44 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,960 Bible talks about Daniel, who at least three times a day, but certainly 45 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:44,960 those three times a day he opened up his windows and knelt down and faced 46 00:03:45,039 --> 00:03:49,879 Jerusalem, and he spoke to God as to a friend. And so we 47 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:54,479 want to commit to God in prayer every single day. And so your call 48 00:03:54,520 --> 00:04:00,039 to action in that case is to designate specific times. I don't know what 49 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:01,960 they are, morning, noon, and evening. I don't know. It 50 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,560 could be in your vehicle instead of listening to the radio, you could pray. 51 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:11,319 I don't know. It's up to you. But the Bible does say 52 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:15,839 that in James Chapter five, in verse sixteen, the effectual fervent prayer of 53 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:20,519 a righteous man availeth much. And so we want you to keep a journal, 54 00:04:21,079 --> 00:04:25,639 keep a journal, a prayer journal, and note down specific needs and 55 00:04:25,959 --> 00:04:30,759 celebrate answered prayers. And I know it sounds so systematic, there's no harm 56 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:34,519 in that. Now. If that's not your style, please at least commit 57 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:41,160 to praying multiple times a day at a specific time. Number two, support 58 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:46,639 spiritual leaders in prayer. Did not the Bible say that we should pray for 59 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:53,000 those leaders in our world? Well, how much more should we pray for 60 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:57,879 those who lead the people of God? And so we want to pray for 61 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:04,519 leaders and pastors and missionaries often face intense spiritual warfare and they need support. 62 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:09,000 You may not be one of the people that may go outside and knock on 63 00:05:09,079 --> 00:05:14,920 doors or speak to people like salespeople, cold calling people on the telephone, 64 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,439 or approaching those you do not know. You may not be that person, 65 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:24,040 but you can be. And yea even must be the one who praise for 66 00:05:24,079 --> 00:05:29,199 those who are the frontline spiritual workers. And of course there are people in 67 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:34,319 the background who are who have become even more sort of scene, if you 68 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:39,959 want to say, during the pandemic that we've been through, that are on 69 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:45,680 a daily basis making sure that the message of God goes out into the airwaves, 70 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:49,720 on the internet in other places. And so we pray for those leaders 71 00:05:49,759 --> 00:05:54,639 as well. So your call to action is to set aside, maybe once 72 00:05:54,680 --> 00:06:00,199 a week, set aside time to pray specifically for spiritual leaders in your community 73 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:04,160 and around the world. In fact, the Bible says here in Hebrews chapter 74 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:10,879 thirteen and verse eighteen, pray for us, for we trust we have good 75 00:06:10,959 --> 00:06:16,439 contents in all things, willing to live honestly. And now I want to 76 00:06:16,439 --> 00:06:24,319 talk about meditating on calls to prayer. Meditating on calls to prayer. There 77 00:06:24,399 --> 00:06:29,199 was a text in La Luke chapter eighteen and verse one, and it reads, 78 00:06:29,639 --> 00:06:34,879 and he spake a parable unto them to this end, men aren't always 79 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:43,399 to pray and not faint, So seek to understand the significance in your own 80 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:47,920 spiritual journey. There are things that we talk about sort of theoretically, but 81 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:53,680 we don't seek to apply it to our own lives. In fact, Missus 82 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:58,560 White, she said that it would be well if we would invest some time 83 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:04,519 every single day on one passage rather than a whole swath of passages without any 84 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:10,600 definite end in view. Fix your mind on one passage and see how it 85 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:15,519 relates to the plan of salvation and the plan of salvation for you. And 86 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:20,720 this is really saying the same thing. So seek to understand this passage's significance 87 00:07:20,759 --> 00:07:26,040 in others. Even in the lessons, study about times of war and prayer, 88 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:31,319 warfare and prayer, and see how this can enhance your spiritual journey. 89 00:07:31,319 --> 00:07:36,759 Here is another one. Acknowledge and prepare for spiritual warfare. You have to 90 00:07:36,839 --> 00:07:41,480 know that this is a battle. As I was praying a little bit earlier, 91 00:07:41,839 --> 00:07:45,560 that we should not wait until the battle is over. We can shout 92 00:07:45,639 --> 00:07:48,920 now knowing that we are going to win. Why because Jesus is the captain 93 00:07:48,959 --> 00:07:54,720 of our souls. He's the one that gave us and prescribe the armorament of 94 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,920 war in the whole armor of God, so we can quench the fiery darts 95 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:03,079 of the wicked. And so we want to be clear that this is indeed 96 00:08:03,079 --> 00:08:07,680 a war. We shouldn't take it lightly. We shouldn't just rush out into 97 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:11,680 our day. We should not think that we're safe in our homes because we're 98 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:16,120 home behind lock and key. No, there is no time, on no 99 00:08:16,399 --> 00:08:20,279 day, that we are safe, except that we dedicate ourselves to God, 100 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:24,800 our father. And the Bible does read here in Ephesians chapter six and verse 101 00:08:24,839 --> 00:08:30,279 twelve, reminding us for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against 102 00:08:30,279 --> 00:08:35,440 principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, 103 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:43,279 against spiritual wickedness in high places. And so another call to action is celebrate 104 00:08:43,919 --> 00:08:52,279 God's promises through prayer. As you pray, recount and celebrate his promises found 105 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:56,399 in scripture. Here's one in Philippians chapter four and verse six. Be careful 106 00:08:56,480 --> 00:09:03,159 for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication. And it doesn't stop 107 00:09:03,279 --> 00:09:09,120 right there. It says, and with thanksgiving, let your requests be made 108 00:09:09,159 --> 00:09:16,399 known unto God. And so we celebrate, we recount, we pray and 109 00:09:16,519 --> 00:09:22,440 say, God, you promised. God, you said you said that there 110 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:26,120 hath no temptation taken me, but such as is common to man. You 111 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:31,080 said that through David as he was giving his testimony. I have been young 112 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:33,840 and I have been old. Yea, I have not seen the righteous forsaken, 113 00:09:33,879 --> 00:09:39,440 nor seed begging bread. So as we are on this battlefield through prayer, 114 00:09:39,879 --> 00:09:43,240 let us go to the fight knowing that Jesus is our captain. Peace. 115 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:48,000 Thanks for joining us listening to friends. Always remember we cannot live by 116 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,639 bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. 117 00:09:52,559 --> 00:10:00,320 This has been your daily portion with l David Harris, make it a great day.