The Triumphant ChurchAnother translation of this verse says, "Praying with
all manner or all kinds of prayer and supplication in
the Spirit." So just wrestling against the devil all the
time in prayer couldn't be scriptural because it's not
praying with all manner or all kinds of prayer.
'Warring' Tongues
If you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, He will
lead you to pray with all manner of prayer, not just one
kind of prayer, because He will lead you in line with
what the Word says.
That's why those in the Body of Christ today who
overemphasize the "warfare" aspect of prayer couldn't
be praying with "all manner of prayer and supplication
in the Spirit." They claim there is an unction of the
Holy Spirit in prayer, a tongue that only the devil
knows, that is used to combat the devil and to do
warfare against Satan in the Spirit.
But there is no scripture to support that we are to
pray against the devil or to combat the devil in tongues.
Not one single time is tongues mentioned in the Bible in
connection with the devil. Even if the Holy Spirit did
give you an unction in prayer to deal with the devil,
that is only as the Holy Spirit leads, and you can't teach
that to others (1 Cor. 12:11).
In other words, you can't announce to people, "Let's
everyone War against the devil in tongues." If there is
an unction that should come by the Holy Spirit in
prayer, it's as the Holy Spirit leads, not as man leads or
directs, and it will be in line with the Word of God.
Also, another reason this doctrine of "warring
tongues," or trying to defeat the devil in prayer, is not
scripturally balanced is that it focuses prayer, not on