How Satan Exploits You And Your Prayer Life.

Sometimes we think we don't know how to pray, or don't know how to use the right words in prayer, or not even praying at all. But think about this, have you grown dormant in your spiritual and prayer life? Yes! The devil has exploited your prayer life and weakened you. Below is how Satan exploits you and your prayer life. 

1. He tells you "see, you've prayed this and prayed that": Yes! That's what you think, this is what he fills your mind with, but the devil has come to waylay you. Don't give up in prayers. Pray until something happens. The word of God encourages us to pray without ceasing. Do we know that our prayer comes as a delay because of two main reasons? Sin and the Adversary(the Devil). They are the results of delay. First, we need to confess and forsake our sins daily to God. The Bible says "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." We must learn to confess our sins(secret sins, deliberate or presumptous sins) and then go deeper in prayer. The Adversary(the Devil) shows up when our prayers are getting answered and wages war with the Angels(the ministering spirits Hebrew1:14) who come to deliver our answered prayers. This happens in the spirit, but when we don't continue in prayer our prayer either gets delayed or unanswered. This is why the bible tells us; pray without ceasing. The Bible is very clear, truthful and applicable. The devil tells you "you prayed this, you've prayed that" but never keep on praying what you've been praying. One key to a prayerlife is faith & patience and believe someone is working out the answer.


2. He sends an instrument of distraction: He could use anything or anybody to distract you from prayer. See, this happens when your prayer is getting stronger. Notice that, when you are very deep in prayer, someone comes and distract you or ask you for something or try to gain attention, not that that person is an agent of the devil but he/she feels disturbed to meet you, probably to ask you for something or gain your attention. Don't yield to it! You might even have a phone call, but switch it off before praying.

3. He makes you feel pointless in prayer: sometimes, when we pray or start praying we may tend to forget the main point we were suppose to pray about while praying and this may come as a result of; 
I. Rushing while praying
II. Losing focus while praying
III. Not praying in the spirit.
For instance, we are praying for 'God's restoration', we tend to forget to add that in prayer due to the afore-mentioned reasons and then after praying you say "hey, I forgot to add this or forgot to tell God about that while praying." (Read below on how to resolve this).

4. He makes you depend on other peoples prayer: Honestly, I was used to these things while I so much had the pride of this world, but as time went on, while growing up, I had an encounter in which I made up my mind to give my life to christ, and then understand some things about praying/prayer. This is very significant. There is a fine line between INTERCESSION and PRAYER. Intercession connotes praying and fasting to God for restoration or to save someone or something or otherwise, while praying is communicating to God, pouring our minds to God, fighting spirutual battles through prayer e.t.c...
Depending on other people's prayer is like going for a war with 'casual wears' instead of an 'armour'. If we depend on other peoples prayer, we are weakened by the devil to pray when we ought to, and this easily will make the devil to manipulate our lives without we knowing it. The person "praying" receives the more grace while the person "depending" may later feel disgraced, hence the quotation; "PRAY so you woulnd't be a PREY" to the devil. Let us learn to overcome every wiles of the devil. A PRAYERLESS christian is a POWERLESS christian!

5. He comes to you when you get the urge to pray or while praying to remind you of your recent sins, just to weaken you and your faith in prayer: Think of this; will you cease praying because of your awareness of sin? Absolutely not! Though, this doesn't mean we shouldn't think we are sinners, but confess and forsake your sins before prayer (Proverbs28:13; He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth them shall haver mercy.) Pray with all awareness of righeousness and holiness.

6. He gives you great delusion and makes you put interests and spend time in the things of the world(which gives pleasure) rather than praying.

What To Do (exhortation):
§ First, before we start praying, we need to calmly say a little prayer by telling the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in prayer, to tell us what to say and how to pray. N.B: the Holy Spirit is not our servant, but our comforter. he's the part of the Godhead.

§ Write down your prayer request down. I mean, the main points of your prayer and meditate on them till it fills your mind.

§ One of the process of praying is singing worship song. If you don't know how to spend much time with God while praying, sing spiritual songs, I mean, worship song, and as you do so, the Holy Spirit fills your mind and heart with what to say while praying or what to pray about.

§ Close your eyes while praying. This way you would be able to concentrate more when you pray.

§ Apply the word of God in prayer & read Psalms during prayer. Your prayer would seem strong.

§ Seal your prayer with the sacred and holy blood of Jesus Christ after praying. (There's nothing more than doing so).

§ Lock yourself in a room to avoid distraction.

§ Suceed in making a prayer schedule, stay devoted and intercede for others when we ought to.

§ And finally my brethren, we are not living a life of "bed of roses" it is not. We have a spiritual battle against the powers of hell and darkness, against spiritual wickedness and powers of high places and against the princes of the air, which our physical eyes can't see. But I exhort us to meditate prayers every moments at anywhere in our hearts and confess what is good.

JAMES4:7-8; Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you, cleanse your hands you sinners, ye sinners: purify your hearts, you double minded.