Weekly Devotional Time Resources
Remember, this is just one resource to help you as families spend time reading God’s Word!
Passage for this week: Ephesians 6:11-18
Resource: Pray The Word Podcast by David Platt
How to use this resource: The questions below should be read after you and your family have spent time listening to the resource, and after you have had time to read through the passage carefully and slowly. Following your family time discussion (using the questions below, or your own questions regarding this text), close in prayer and ask your kids how you can be praying for them and let them know how they can be praying for you as parents.
Family Devotional Question For This Week:
1. What stands out to you the most from reading this passage? What did you learn that is new to you from this passage? What did you learn that caused you to remember something you’ve known, or what has been reinforced from reading this passage?
2. Using Observation (What do I see in the passage?) What are the elements of the armor of God mentioned in this text?
(Potential answers: starting in verse 14, we see truth first, then the ‘chest’plate of righteousness, readiness in the Gospel of peace as footwear (meaning not only the urgency to share the Gospel, but equipped and confident to do so as quickly as a movement in battle), the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the Sword that is the word of God and, I would contend that prayer is also an element of Gods armor as well. Think through the physical uses or needs for all of these pieces of armor and talk amongst your family about how those faith elements are similar in their use against spiritual warfare! This is Pauls purpose for making those analogies and connections.)
3. How can we keep alert to the spiritual warfare that surrounds us every day?
(Potential answers: by recognizing David’s three subpoints in his prayer – by asking God to reveal to our eyes the reality of spiritual warfare in every instance that we are struggling, by praying and pleading with God to live with the righteousness of Christ today, and by helping us live according to the Spirit according to God’s urgings rather than the urgings and desires of our flesh which we are called to subject every day to the Holy Spirit!)
Prayer Prompts For This Week:
– Pray for a readiness to share the Gospel of peace with someone in any conversation that we may have this week. Ask that God would provide you with the words to speak, especially of comfort for whoever would need it.
– Pray that God would remind us of the wonderful salvation we have been gifted through faith alone in Christ alone for God’s glory alone. Ask that God would draw us closer to Himself in dependance and prayer every day.
– Continue to pray for one another and write down or remember the requests of each person. Either have one person pray over each request, or delegate those prayer requests so that each person prays for something or someone specific.