If I Were the Devil: The Enemy’s Game Plan
Lesson 7 | Why Pray?
If I Were the Devil…
I would transform prayer into a dry, boring ritual fit only for religious ceremonies when you are already uncomfortable and restricted. If it is a wedding or funeral, I suppose prayer is something I can allow.
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Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed (Mark 1:35, NIV).
Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NIV).
Organized prayer is certainly not a bad thing. There is a great deal of Scripture highlighting and affirming formal prayer. However, Christians limit the power and scope of their prayer life when they are deceived into thinking that prayer is only part of a larger event.
Prayer, at its essence, is nothing more than intimate communication with your Creator. Why, then, would we limit it only to public, corporate special events? This is not the example set by Jesus, and it is not the practice advised by the Apostles.
The Gospel of Mark reveals to the reader a habit of Jesus in which He would routinely escape the presence of others in order to spend time exclusively with the Father. For most Americans in the digital age, the concept of uninterrupted silence with God lands somewhere on the spectrum of awkward to downright terrifying.
And, I believe this is the issue. We need to address the awkward.
Perhaps your first authentic prayer to your God is simply to say “this is awkward, because it’s been a long time… but I don’t want it to be awkward anymore.”
We are consumed with activity and noise. Our phones possess endless video streaming, hold massive music libraries, boast access to unlimited podcasts, and flaunt a myriad of social media sites. All of these aspects serve not as an evil in and of themselves, however they are clearly used as distractions from the inviting presence of God.
This is likely why when we do pray, we are tempted only to do so at the prompting of another in a public, structured setting. Meanwhile, God is available literally at all times. Imagine how intimate a life we would enjoy with God if we accepted such a free line of communication.
If you desire to foster a deeper, more active prayer life I highly recommend the one-hour prayer wheel developed by Big Life ministries out of Naples, Florida:
Also, the small (but powerful) book The Practice of the Presence of God is a total game-changer.
I pray your prayer life blossoms in the days and weeks ahead!
Remember… prayer doesn’t need to be formal, and it doesn’t need to be set aside for special events.
Don’t let Satan cheapen your understanding and practice of the Divine Correspondence!
