Praying in the Spirit: The Power Behind the Armor

The armor of God is not a static suit a person puts on once and forgets. It runs on something. Paul ends his list of the pieces with the thing that keeps the whole set alive and the soldier awake: prayer, and specifically praying in the Spirit. Daniel Duval, the founder of Bride Movement, teaches that this final piece is what powers everything that came before it.

This is part seven, the last stop in our closer look at the full armor of God. If you want the overview first, start with the series introduction.

Right after the sword, Paul adds one more instruction.

Notice it does not stop at "praying always." It says praying "in the Spirit." Daniel Duval teaches that this points to a specific kind of prayer that keeps a believer built up and alert while wearing the rest of the armor. So what is it?

Paul once described his own prayer life in two modes:

Praying "with the understanding" means praying in your normal, everyday language, the words you think in. Praying "in the spirit" means praying in a spiritual language that you do not naturally speak. The Bible also calls this praying in an unknown tongue, and Paul says that when a person prays this way, "my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful" (1 Corinthians 14:14). In plain terms: it is your spirit praying to God, beyond the limits of your own words.

This is a real gift God gives, not something a person works up. If that sounds unfamiliar, stay with it, because the reasons it matters are very practical.

Daniel Duval names a few reasons, all of them down to earth.

First, it builds you up. Scripture says praying this way strengthens a believer from the inside:

The word translated "building up" is a construction word. You are being built, like a house going up floor by floor. Paul says the same thing plainly: "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself" (1 Corinthians 14:4). It is one of the ways a believer grows up in God.

Second, it carries power. Jesus told his followers they would "receive power" when the Holy Spirit came on them (Acts 1:8). The word for power there means ability and strength to actually do what God asks.

Third, it opens up closeness and insight. The Bible describes something unusual happening when a person prays this way:

A "mystery" in the Bible is not a riddle. It is something that was hidden and is now being brought into the light. Daniel Duval says he receives more clarity, vision, and direction while praying this way than at almost any other time, and that it grows even stronger when a person also asks God to help them understand what they are praying. For a believer wearing the full armor, this is the prayer that keeps the connection to God live and the insight flowing, so they are not fighting blind.

Plenty of sincere believers are unsure about this gift, and some have been taught to avoid it. Daniel Duval understands that firsthand. He describes receiving it as a teenager, alone in his house, when after a long time of seeking God a wave of joy, peace, and nearness to God washed over him that he never forgot.

He answers the skeptics with a fair question: if this gift brings a person closer to God and fills them with peace and joy, what kind of dark thing would do that? Nothing the enemy offers leaves a person more in love with God. The fruit tells the truth about the root.

If you have never experienced this, there is no pressure here, only an open door. It is a gift, and gifts can simply be asked for. Jesus said that a good Father gives good gifts to children who ask Him, so a person can come to God honestly, ask for the Holy Spirit, and trust Him to answer in His own way and time. If you already have this gift but set it down years ago, take this as an invitation to pick it back up. A weapon left in the closet protects no one.

That completes the set. The belt of truth holds everything together. The breastplate guards your standing with God. The shoes keep your footing in peace. The shield of faith stops the enemy's sudden attacks. The helmet guards your mind. The sword is the Word of God for going on offense. And praying in the Spirit keeps the whole thing powered and alert. Wearing the armor well is a skill that grows, which is why training for spiritual warfare matters as much as knowing the pieces.

You put it all on the same way: out loud, in prayer, every day. The Morning Prayer in the Bride Ministries Prayer Library walks through each piece and is free. Five minutes in the morning is enough to begin.

For some people, the fight is heavier than a daily prayer can carry on its own, because old wounds keep the same attacks landing in the same place. That is not weakness, and it was never meant to be faced alone. Bride Movement built a free healing assessment for exactly this. It takes about two minutes, it is private, and it points you toward the next step.

You have the full armor. Now wear it.

This article was recreated from an original teaching by Daniel Duval, founder of Bride Ministries.