I think we have all seen the movie The Karate Kid from 1984. Remember the scene when Mr. Miyagi was teaching Daniel son to wax the cars, wax on, wax off? After sanding the deck, painting the fence and the house, Daniel thought he was just being used to do all of Mr. Miyagi’s work. What Daniel didn’t know was he was being prepared for something greater—the fight.

The same way Mr. Miyagi was preparing and equipping Daniel to fight the enemy, is the same thing that God does for us through prayer.

“But you will not even need to Fight. Take your positions, then stand still and watch the LORD’S VICTORY. He is with You. Do not Be Afraid or Discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the LORD is with You!” 2 Chronicles 20:17 NLT

The enemy would like nothing more than to attack our minds, our lives, our marriages, our children, our bank accounts, the list is endless.

Thankfully God has already won the victory against the enemy.

God has given us the power of prayer to equip and prepare us when we are under attack from the enemy. We don’t have to fight our battles alone, God is with us.

When there is a struggle in our lives prayer is our best offense and defense.

Instead of wax on wax off—pray off, pray on.

Pray off all the lies of the enemy, the doubts, the fears and discouragement. This allows us to be still before God and reveal any areas of our hearts that need to be emptied and make room for God’s truth to fill our hearts.

Pray on God’s truth to protect and guard our hearts when the flaming arrows are launched in our direction. God’s truth will not only fill us abundantly more with His love, joy, hope and freedom, but will prepare and equip us for what he has planned for us. When we are feeling weary and weak we don’t have to fight our battles alone. God will fight them for us, if we let him.

“Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength, They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” Isa. 40:31

Did you know Satan does not have access to our hearts, only God does? However, our hearts and minds are connected. Once lies infiltrate our minds, our minds can be very convincing to our hearts.

Prayer will help us stay alert to the enemy’s lies and guard our hearts.

Karate Kid Prayers: Pray off, Pray on

Do you doubt? Pray off the doubt in your heart and pray on Proverbs 3:5-6 into your heart.

Do you feel unloved? Pray off the lie and pray on Psalms 139:14 into your heart.

Are you afraid? Pray off the fear in your heart and pray on Joshua 1:9 into your heart.

Are you discouraged? Pray off the discouragement and pray on Jeremiah 29:11.

Do you feel defeated? Pray off the lie and pray on Philippians 4:13.

Do you feel alone? Pray off the lie and pray on Joshua 1:9.

Do you have heartache? Pray off your burden to God and pray on Psalm 34:18.

Do you have shame? Pray off the lie to God and pray on Romans 10:11 or Isaiah 50:7.

Do you have un-forgiveness? Pray off the struggle to God and pray on 1 John 1:9 or Mark 11:25.

Do you struggle with temptation? Pray off the struggle and pray on James 4:7.

We were made to be victorious in Christ. God made a plan for us to succeed not be defeated. Prayer is our best defense against the enemy.

We are not alone. Satan would like nothing more than for us to stay in a vicious cycle of doubt and defeat. God’s love is always bigger than our struggles. God will be with us wherever we go and will be holding us by the hand (Joshua 1:9). When struggles start creeping in remember the karate kid prayers, pray off, pray on!

Dear Lord Jesus, We pray that our hearts will be filled with your truth so the enemy can’t fill our hearts with his lies. When struggles start crashing around us, we pray we will empty our hearts of our fears and doubts to you and trust in your greater plans. You are the way, the truth and the light, your gifts are eternal and everlasting! This life we live is only temporary compared to the life awaiting us in heaven. We praise you even when we don’t understand. In Jesus name, Amen.