How To Pray

Cause Before Symptom - With Your Host James Carner
How To Pray

Paul mentions that we need to put on the full armor of God. Most Christians think this means we have to repeat versus every day to do so. In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul uses the metaphor of a Roman soldier's armor to describe the spiritual protection and weaponry Christians need to withstand spiritual attacks. Each piece of armor represents a different aspect of God's provision:

* Belt of Truth: This symbolizes the importance of grounding our lives in God's truth and living honestly and authentically.
* Breastplate of Righteousness: This represents the protection that comes from living a righteous life, following God's standards, and trusting in His justice.
* Shoes of Peace: This symbolizes the readiness to spread the message of peace and reconciliation, as well as the peace that comes from knowing God.
* Shield of Faith: This symbolizes the protection that faith offers against the fiery darts of the enemy, which represent temptations and doubts.
* Helmet of Salvation: This represents the security and assurance that comes from knowing that we are saved by God's grace.
* Sword of the Spirit: This symbolizes the power of God's Word to discern truth, expose deception, and overcome spiritual enemies.

By putting on this full armor of God, Christians are equipped to resist the devil's schemes and stand firm in their faith, even in the midst of spiritual warfare.

While we can't physically don this armor, we spiritually equip ourselves through intentional actions and a deep connection with God. Here's a practical approach to "putting it on":

1. Belt of Truth:
* Daily Bible Reading: Regularly study God's Word to understand His truth.
* Honest Self-Examination: Be honest with yourself and God about your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
2. Breastplate of Righteousness:
* Seek Righteousness: Strive to live a life that pleases God, following His moral standards.
* Confession and Repentance: Acknowledge your sins and turn away from them.
3. Shoes of Peace:
* Cultivate Peace: Work towards peace in your relationships with others.
* Practice Forgiveness: Let go of resentment and bitterness.
4. Shield of Faith:
* Prayer: Communicate with God regularly, expressing your faith and trust in Him.
* Positive Affirmations: Remind yourself of God's promises and your faith in Him.
5. Helmet of Salvation:
* Remember Your Salvation: Reflect on the gift of salvation and the hope it brings.
* Guard Your Mind: Protect your thoughts from negative influences and focus on positive, God-centered thinking.
6. Sword of the Spirit:
* Meditate on Scripture: Dwell on God's Word and allow it to transform your mind and heart.
* Share the Gospel: Proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to others.

Remember: This spiritual armor is not a one-time act but a daily commitment. As you consistently put it on, you'll be better equipped to withstand the attacks of the enemy and live a victorious life.

Let’s examine each and see if we are doing such in today’s modern world.

Belt of Truth

Are you spending time in the Bible and are you holding anything back from God? He knows all things and your skeletons. You can’t be a truth seeker if you have secrets you are keeping from the Lord. You have no strength if you are hiding something. In the metaphor of the armor of God, the belt represents truth. It symbolizes the foundation upon which a soldier's other armor is secured. Similarly, truth is the foundation for a Christian's spiritual life.

By putting on the belt of truth, we are grounding ourselves in God's Word and living a life of honesty and integrity. This truth protects us from deception, false teachings, and worldly philosophies. It keeps us focused on God's will and purpose for our lives. The belt also holds up your pants meaning adulthood. Act like an adult and not a toddler.

Breastplate of Righteousness

The breastplate in the armor of God represents righteousness. It is a vital piece of armor that protects the vital organs of a soldier, symbolizing the protection God offers to our hearts and minds.

Just as a physical breastplate shields the vital organs, the breastplate of righteousness protects our spiritual hearts from sin, temptation, and the attacks of the enemy. It guards our conscience and motivates us to live a life that honors God.

Examine your faith by drawing a line in the sand. Are you a Christian or not? If you are, examine all of your actions and sin. Compare yourself to the world. Do you want to live with the world and follow their guidance or are you a Christian devoted to the Kingdom?

You can’t protect the temple if you hold onto sin that leads to death. What are you filling your mind with daily? Meme’s, videos and television. Is any of this righteous? Or does it try to keep you as part of the world?

Shoes of Peace

The shoes of the gospel of peace represent readiness and preparation. Just as a soldier needs sturdy footwear to march and fight, a Christian needs to be ready to spread the message of peace and reconciliation.

These shoes symbolize our willingness to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others, even in difficult circumstances. They also represent the peace that comes from knowing God and living in His peace.

Unless you put on your shows, you cannot go outside and be a witness. Making disciples starts with your testimony and remaining indoors and being introvert doesn’t shine your light on others.

Shield of Faith

The shield of faith represents protection against the fiery darts of the evil one. These fiery darts symbolize the temptations, doubts, and accusations that Satan uses to attack our faith.

By holding up the shield of faith, we can deflect these attacks and remain steadfast in our belief in God. Faith in God's promises and His sovereignty is our ultimate defense against the enemy's schemes.

Faith is an action. It has nothing to do with how you feel. Whether you are happy or sad, attacks will come. Everything thought that pops in your head comes from three sources. You, Satan or The Holy Spirit. Paul says to arrest those thoughts to increase your faith.

Every day we say to ourselves we are ugly, can’t measure up or have thoughts of hate towards others from jealousy or pride. Ask yourself if those thoughts you have help you to love your neigbor like you love yourself. If they don’t, arrest those thoughts.

Helmet of Salvation

The helmet in the armor of God represents the helmet of salvation. It protects our minds from negative thoughts, doubts, and fears. Just as a physical helmet protects a soldier's head from injury, the helmet of salvation guards our minds from spiritual attacks.

When we put on the helmet of salvation, we are reminded of our salvation through Jesus Christ and the hope of eternal life. This hope fills our minds with peace, joy, and confidence, enabling us to resist the enemy's attempts to discourage and defeat us.

Like the shield of faith, but our head is the most important to guard our thoughts. Satan can’t read your mind, but he has the ability to plant thoughts. He can download something but cannot upload anything. Our thoughts are what we eventually become. Arrest those thoughts of doubt and unbelief.

Sword of the Spirit

The sword of the Spirit represents the Word of God. It is the ultimate weapon against spiritual enemies, empowering us to discern truth from falsehood, to expose deception, and to overcome temptation.

By studying and meditating on God's Word, we equip ourselves with the spiritual authority to resist the devil's attacks. The sword of the Spirit is a sharp, double-edged sword that cuts through the darkness, revealing the truth and exposing the lies.

The word is the only text we have as a guide to help us get through this world. Although Satan has manipulated some of it, there is still enough to get the point across. The stories are what we are to understand. Every bad thing that has been done in the Bible should be a reminder of you not to do that.

All of this sounds like hard work. How do we stop the world from entering our minds and become Christ like. Well, God knew we would struggle with this. This is why he sent his Son to pay the atonement. He asks us to try harder, but if we can’t, he gave us a relationship with the Holy Spirit who will patiently guide and mold us.

The Holy Spirit is the comforter and tells the truth. This is all we need to put on the full armor of God. Since we put our trust in Jesus as Lord, the Holy Ghost goes to work on our hearts to slowly remove the desires we still have of the world.

This means if we worry that we cannot do it, we have the comfort of the Holy Spirit who will guide your heart towards his. The Bible says eventually you will lose the want for worldly desires as your heart becomes his heart.

When Jesus says to lay your life at his feet, he is saying to let him take over. How do we do that? We stop worrying about it and make a real commitment to believe he will fix our broken brainwashed scizophrenic mind. He wants to do it. You do not have to do anything. This is the hardest thing for Christians to realize.

Christianity is the only religion where God lives in you. He chose to live in your sinful prideful disorganized body. Not because it’s fun, but to help direct you. If you chose Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior and ask the Holy Spirit to dwell in your body, or get baptized, the Holy Ghost enters you. Not a possession. Just a roommate. This roommate is always giving you a funny feeling when you do something wrong.

This roommate also makes you feel good when you do something positive for others. This roommate is there for you when things go wrong, too. It is through this dynamic where you grow and learn what is good for you and what is bad. We do not have to do anything but live our life and trust that he will do this.

You have to let go of the worry about being a better person or not living up to God’s standards. You have to realize he started your transformation and is patient with you. He asks the question, “What is the rush?” “Why are we trying to so hard when we are not ready yet?” and makes you understand that you do not have to do anything but be patient.

I feel I have to hammer this in you. You do not have to do anything. Just wait. Over time the Holy Ghost, through your actions, directs your mistakes and tugs at your heart. This is what they mean by Jesus take the wheel. Let him drive you and stop criticizing yourself. You will notice as the years go by that the sin in your life starts to wane.

We think we have to do it. You don’t have to do anything but live your life. Every day you just say to yourself that soon this sin will be gone. All other religions make you do something for salvation. Christianity is the only one that offers it for free and you don’t have to work at it.

The Bible makes it appear that you have to be religious and try harder.Putting on the full armor of faith makes it sound like we have to monitor ourselves and repent. This was the old way. This was called legalism. Following the law and the order of things. It sounds contradictive from what I read above when reading all of the full armor of faith.

Paul, when he was writing his letters to the Ephesians, is an ex-legalist. He follwoed the kewish traditions and laws for decades and was a scholar in the old ways. It was hard for him to let go and let god. Occasionally, he would flirt with legalism just as he did with his dictation to the Ephesians. It reads as if you have to try.

Jesus paid the atonement so you don’t have to do anything. When he told his disciples he has to die, they said no way. He said you don’t understand for I have to go and send the comforter. The Holy Ghost is the one who is on the job. Jesus paved the way for the Holy Ghost just like John the Baptist paved the way for Jesus.

You cannot live perfect. You are a sinner. You cannot do this by yourself. If we could be holy for God, then the world wouldn’t listen to Satan and believe his lies. You are a broken mess and the Holy Spirit is the one who changes your thoughts. Faith is telling others that you may be a drunk now, but God is working on this for me. Or, I may have committed adultery, but the Holy Ghost is working out my issues with him.

This approach goes against the grain of our understanding. We all feel we have to earn our way towards God’s grace. The fact that the angels see you are behaving like you are not worried about your current sin and know it will soon dissolve is an action. Faith is an action. The angels then report it to the father and the holy ghost gets to work.

He will give you wisdom to see the opposite side of things. When we sin against a person, we start to see how they feel and look at you. The Holy Ghost is always showing you how selfish you are. But not in an offensive or instrusive way. Subtle little loves nudges where a thought pops in your mind about an action or thought you had.

After years of subtle love nudges, you eventually grow tired of that sin. It just doesn’t appeal to you anymore. You will look back at that sin a few years later and wonder why in the heck did you hold onto it for so long? Faith is taking a nap when you have to be on the phones making that last sales call. Faith is stopping doing everything by yourself. God’s got this.

Now, putting on the full armor of God becomes easier. Instead of memorizing scripture and repeating it over and over every day, you start to build faith where you just pray or talk to the holy ghost and he puts the armor on for you. Or you have the faith that is it is and always has been. You start to understand that organization and paperwork slows everything down when you could just give the command yourself since you are the son or daughter of the most high.

Does this make sense? If you pray the long winded prayer of putting on the full armor of faith, you sound like a modern day pharasee. You sounds as if you are begging. Let’s explore what is easier. I will show you two prayers for putting on the full armor of faith. You decide which one is best.

Here’s the first prayer:

Father, thank you for sending your son who paid the atonement so that we are set right before you through the atonement. Help me put on the belt of truth so that I can discern between right and wrong. Help me put on the breastplate of righteousness to help avoid the daggers of the devil and live according to your standards. Help me put on the shoes of peace so that I walk amongst those who need to hear your word or my testimony. Help me hold up my shield of faith so that I hear you better. Help me put on the helmet of salvation to remind me of your promise and help me hold the sword of the spirit to expose and take out my enemies. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Here’s the second prayer:

Lord, thank you for my family and friends. Guide me, direct me and help me love my neighbors today. Your will be done, amen.

Matthew 6:7

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words."

Psalm 139:1: "O LORD, you have searched me and you know me."

Jeremiah 17:10: "The LORD searches every heart, and understands every motive behind the thoughts."

Luke 16:15: "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts. What is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God."

I argue does God not know your heart? Does he not know you need to put on the full armor of God? How many times do we need to pray until the lights dim in heaven because the prayer request is so strong?

Quit thinking you have to be holy. He will slowly make you holy without you getting involved. When you get involved, you ruin it. Did you get that?

Paul did the best he could with his legalistic mindset. He had trouble letting go of long winded prayers and following the law. Jesus made it so easy for us that we don’t need the old testmanent to throw us off. Our prayers just have to be sincere and simple.

For example, if a loved on is in the hospital. You pray, Lord you know what’s best for this person. Please get involved, amen. Or if a person doesn’t know Christ. Lord, this person doesn’t know you. Send laborers in their path, amen. And guess what? You don’t have to say amen. The Holy Ghost should be your best friend. How do you talk to your best friend?

If your best friend is the doctor who will do surgery on another friend, would you go to your best friend doctor and say “Friend, please surround yourself with the best nurses you can find. Clean your instruments and wash your hands. Be sober and mindful that the task is great and you need to be sharp. Do not drink too much coffee and make sure you have a full breakfast for the energy you need. Remember your training and past surgeries, if you find yourself lost. Be the best surgeon today. Make no mistakes. Now go and thank you for being you. Remember that I love you.

I am sure your doctor friend would grow tired of your thespian approach to all matters he does. Does God, who is everywhere and knew you before you were even born need all those reminders and details? What if you said to your doctor friend, “I have all the faith and confidnence in you.”

Religion is prideful, wastes time and is just a show or theater to make you feel like you are a good person. It works for a while until you see the hypocracy in all of it. Prayer should be talking to your best friend, your dad, your mentor, your most favorite person of all. Someone who doesn’t want anything from you but your presence. Why do we have friends? They encourage us, challenge us, and have confidence in us and trust us enough where nothing is held back. Prayer is talking to your god as you would a family member or friend. Get to the point. Don’t try and be someone you are not. Don’t be afraid of your friend. Don’t hold back.

Tell the story of when you told god you didn’t love him.

How can you talk to God if you never were honest with him to begin with? I realized I couldn’t have back and forth conversations if I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t know he was just as excited to tell me stories as I am to him. And most of all, after building this relationship with God over the years, it showed me that my best friend has everything he ever wanted. Is the richest being above all riches. Has more than I could ever imagine. Yet since nothing compares to him and he has no equal, he is the lonliest god that will outlive us all. I felt awful. I could finally understand who he is and try and relate to him. He is so lonely, he has to live in us to experience life.

This made me empathetic to his situation. I couldn’t fathom what he must be going through. His creation, because he gave them free will, decided they wanted what they couldn’t have. They rebelled and fought him. I couldn’t imagine if my son decided to pull a knife on me and try and kick me out of my own house. That would destroy me. I would need counseling and hand holding. Antidepressants. How do you relate to a god that can’t kill himself or rewind and start over? How do you fall in love with someone or a god that has more power than you? I chose to love Him. I chose to be there for him. Even if there isn’t anythihg I could physically do for a God to is I Am.

Religion will make you a servant. A relationship offers so much more. Religious worship looks great and appeals to some, but thinking worship brings me joy. I think about my friend every day and talk to him every night. It’s not sexual or sensual, rather, I truly care about God’s well being. I get excited when I get to talk to Him. Every day we discuss something new. Every question I ask, he does his best to answer in a way I can understand. Sometimes the answers come later. Not because he didn’t want to tell me, but because I wouldn’t understand it at that time. An event or knowledge happens to me and then I understand completely. I don’t mind that every question I ask isn’t answered immedietely. I understand that sometimes, too much knowldge is a curse. Just like going down a conspiracy theory rabbit hole and finding out the world is worse than you think. He protects me and respects me because I see him as who He really is.

When I got sober, I was religious. I tried everything I could do to please God because he saved my life.

Tell your alcohol hosital visit.

After years of of trying to be holy, I decided to just stop. I couldn’t do it. I tried and tried. When I realized God wasn’t looking for that from me and just wanted a friendship, I found out that religion blocks me from that. God doesn’t need complicated winded prayer. He just needs to know what’s going on and what you need. There is no need to read a scripture to get his attention. Just be yourself and talk. Prayer is a two way conversation and not getting on your knees begging an angry god for help. When you realize this, the world opens up and things get easier.

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