At no point in the E3 journey do we depart from our dependence upon God in prayer. The Holy Spirit is the One who engages. The Holy Spirit is the One who equips. He is the One who began the work, and He is the One who will carry it to completion.
Consider the example of Nehemiah. When he heard that the walls of Jerusalem were in ruins, he prayed. As he stood before the king requesting to go to war and rebuild, he prayed. As he faced opposition during the reconstruction of the wall, he prayed. When the repair of the walls was complete, it was clear to all that “for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God.” (Nehemiah 6:16).
Prayer makes us ready. The imagery of the soldier putting on armor is used in Ephesians 6 to portray how the believer takes up the Armor of God by “praying at all times in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18). Through prayer, God gives us strength and discernment to Equip others.
We must pray for others as we seek to Equip them. While we have an important part to play, it is God who causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6). Disciples, like Paul, pray continuously that their friends will grow spiritually. Pray that they “ . . .may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God,” (Colossians 1:9-10).
TAKE ACTION
Discern through prayer how to Equip people on your E3 Map.