“Pray Without Ceasing”
REV. PATRICK MALPHRUS Moderator
your words or intentions, but with your actions. What you do points to your level of engagement and commitment as you face spiritual warfare. Consider that great passage on the Armor of God in Ephesians 6. God’s peo-
n my last article, I asked, “Are questions in mind, let’s talk about our General Synod meeting this coming summer. Now don’t worry. This isn’t - ticular issue we’ll be facing. And I’m over any particular subject. That be- ing said, we do face many serious is- sues that have the potential to greatly impact the way our denomination moves forward. But we’ll come back to the ARP Church in a bit. This arti- cle is an invitation to engage in active spiritual warfare in light of the issues we face as a denomination and the is- sues you face in your daily life, not to mention the state of the world around you and the problems it faces. From the war in Ukraine to what seems to be the imminent collapse of Western Civilization, trouble abounds! You face the reality of spiritual
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warfare daily. The enemy is always on the attack, and battles are always being fought. If you are trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, that means Satan knows he can’t have you. Satan will accuse, discourage, distract, tempt, and do whatever else necessary to hinder your relationship with Christ and render you ineffec- realize it or not, and whether you The question remains, however, if
ple are commanded in verses 10-12 to “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
I have no doubt that this passage is at least somewhat familiar to you, if not
material of a Sunday School class, or in a song you learned as a child and might have even taught your own children, we know about the armor of God. But just as the battle doesn’t end once the soldier has taken up arms, so also spiritual warfare doesn’t cease as soon as the believer puts on the full armor of God. While each Christian faces different circumstances and has different opportu- nities to engage in warfare, Ephesians 6:18 reveals where the battle is most often fought, saying that God’s people should continue “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perse- There is a direct correlation between your prayer life and your willingness to be in the battle for the Lord, so much so, that if you aren’t willing to pray, you the Lord won’t be important to you, either. If you feel this sort of statement is in America.
Now let’s talk about our General Synod meeting this coming summer. Are
you remember to pray for fellow believers who are facing spiritual warfare of could be asked. I hope that this article prompts you to ask more questions of yourself as you evaluate your relationship with the Lord and your prayer life.
Rev. Patrick Malphrus is Moderator of the General Synod and serves as pastor at Old Providence ARP Church in Spottswood, Virginia. Patrick may be reached via email at
patrickmalphrus@hotmail.com or by phone at 540-480-6474. All Bible verses quoted are from the English Standard Version.
Luke 9:62 May/June 2022 3
Moderator’s Challenge
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