The Power of Persistence
by Michael Catt
Warfare Praying
November 9, 2014
Week 4
The main point of this lesson is: Because we are involved in
spiritual warfare, we engage in warfare praying.
Focus on this goal: To help adults understand that prayer is the
key to victory in spiritual battles.
Key Bible Passage: Ephesians 6:10-20
During the Session
Step 1. Launch!
Invite participants to name some famous wars.
Then invite them to name peace treaties.
Ask: Why do we seem to know more about wars than we do
peace?
Ask a volunteer to read the first paragraph of Day One (p.
122).
State that since Christians live in a war zone they need to learn
warfare praying.
Step 2. Day 1 – This is War
Brainstorm reasons wars are fought.
Declare all wars are basically between two opposed wills,
philosophies or worldviews.
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Determine the two opposing wills in this epic spiritual war. (God
and Satan)
Ask who Satan attacks in an effort to defeat God.
State: Since Christians are God’s army, we need to fight with
God’s armor.
Discuss Day One activity 1 (p. 122).
Write Adversary, Assignment and Armor on a large writing
surface, leaving room after Armor to record the pieces later in
the session.
Ask: Can you win a war if you don’t know your adversary? Why?
Invite someone to read 2 Corinthians 2:11.
Brainstorm schemes Satan uses against Christians, using John
8:44 and Revelation 12:10 to add to the discussion.
Ask: If Christians are aware of Satan’s schemes why do we fall
for them?
Declare one reason is we are not fulfilling our assignment.
Challenge participants to identify the number of times “stand”
occurs in Ephesians 6:10-19.
Ask: Do you think our assignment is to stand or to pray, or are
they interrelated? Explain your reasoning.
Step 3. Day 2 – The Winning Hand
Ask learners if they agree with the first sentence of Day Two (p.
123) and why.
Consider reasons believers don’t pray as if they are fighting a
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battle.
State one reason is a lack of faith in God’s promises.
Discuss Day Two activity 1 (p. 124).
Consider why times of victory might be the times Christians
really need to engage in warfare praying.
Ask: Should we be encouraged or discouraged when we, our
family or church are attacked by Satan? Why?
Request a volunteer read Revelation 12:12.
Examine how believers’ prayers can reflect that Satan is a
desperate, dangerous, yet defeated Enemy.
Step 4. Day 3 – Prepare for Prayer
Ask: If our Enemy is defeated, why has the church so often
“resigned ourselves to defeat as the norm”?
Read the first three bullet points in Day Three (pp. 125-126).
Evaluate how believers would respond differently to the political,
pop-cultural and religious environments if they focused on
fighting their true Enemy.
Read the fourth bullet point (p. 126).
Request learners identify from Ephesians 6:10-18 the spiritual
armor believers have been given.
List them under Armor on the board.
Ask:
 How do we treat this armor casually?
 How do we treat prayer casually?
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 How can we take spiritual things more seriously?
Analyze how the kind of prayer Paul promoted in Ephesians
6:18-19 differs from the average prayer.
Read the fifth bullet point (p. 126).
Discuss Day Three activity 1 (p. 126).
Guide the group to analyze what might happen if believers
accepted Catt’s challenge to pray for a week without praying for
anything personal.
Step 5.
Day 4 – Fully Armored
Explain Paul most likely drew inspiration for his description of
spiritual armor in Ephesians 6 from the Roman soldier guarding
him. He also could have been thinking of Isaiah 59:14-21.
Discuss Day Four activity 1 (p. 127).
Evaluate how prayer intervenes when justice, righteousness and
truth are lacking.
Ask what believers can know about their armor since it’s the
armor God wears and supplies.
Complete Day Four activity 2 (p. 128).
Ask what kinds of thoughts believers need to take captive.
Refer back to the pieces of armor listed on the board and
examine how each can help believers take every thought captive.
Step 6.
Day 5 – Closing in Prayer
Consider weapons the world uses to fight its battles.
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Identify the offensive weapons believers have to fight in spiritual
warfare.
Discuss the quotes in the margin of Day Five (p. 129).
Analyze why God’s Word is so powerful against Satan.
Remind learners from John 8:44 that there is no truth in Satan,
consequently he cannot stand truth nor can he stand against
truth.
Encourage participants to recall what Jesus did when tempted
by Satan (see Matt. 4:1-11).
Invite volunteers to share how they have used Scripture as a
weapon against Satan.
Invite volunteers to share how praying Scripture to God gives
them a sense of peace and power in their prayers.
Step 7.
Wrap-up
Guide the group to explore the spirit of prayer that is prevalent
in a prayer warrior.
Ask:
 Is that kind of prayer just for spiritual giants or for people like
us?
 How can we get that kind of spirit?
State one way is by daily putting on spiritual armor.
Urge learners to follow the Day Five activity 1 (p. 130)
suggestion every day this week.
Close in prayer.
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