by David Brenneman
"For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us." 1 Thessalonians 2:18.
It appears to me that we shake the tree, and no fruit drops from it. And just when one more shake would bring down the luscious fruit, the devil touches us on the shoulder and tells us it is time to be gone, And so we miss the blessing we might have attained, I mean that just when prayer would be the most successful, we are tempted to abstain from it. Alistair Begg Illustration Note.
2:18 "So we wanted to come to you--even I, Paul, time and again-but Satan hindered us." Satan is sure to hinder Christians when they are earnest in prayer. Have we not frequently found that when we have been most earnest in supplication, something or other will start across our minds to make us cease from praying? If Satan possibly can, he will come upon God's people in those times when they are full of thought and ardor and ready for Christian etfort, that he may murder their infant plans and cast these suggestions of the Holy Spirit out of their minds." Alistair Begg study notes, CSV translation.
When stepping up my study time in the evenings it became easily apparent that honestly this was to be an uphill battle. A fight all the way. A struggle of Biblical proportions. It wasn't going to go as smoothly as it might have gone.
I keep a laptop nearby, a notepad, pens. If I can't keep the stray thoughts away I write them out, write them down.
My Dear Reader, the battlefield is out minds. The helmet of salvation is deflecting direct hits only if we're keeping it in place!
Even with it in place we are distracted by the ringing in out minds from the impact.
Think on this from James "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." James 4:1-8.
"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew 21:22.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8.
We are easily susceptible to what Alistair Begg eludes to. Giving up. We are also, as he says, easily distracted.
Distraction consumed my mind way into the night last night. Working out details of installing some things in our home. What to do, how to do, where to drill. What to do in the midst of installation. Details, details, details.
This began hours earlier. While trying to go through my studies and Bible readings.
I am a spreadsheet person. I would rather type than write. If I write a note, details are everything because I need to know why I wrote something in the first place.
We all face distractions. A sound of an excited television host will override a family conversation. A noise outside the car that sounds like a vehicle out of control will override our music.
A time of prayer will be interrupted by anything and everything.
These interruptions will gradually repeat until we forget what we were praying about. Therein is the beginning of this post. We have to fight to gain control of our prayer time. Following Paul's teaching analogy, a soldier becomes one not for participating but for putting their mind and heart into their actions and desire to succeed.
Boot camp strips the now former way of life from the budding soldier. Boot camp drives home a new way of thinking.
"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
My Dear Reader a soldier graduating from boot camp exits with a far different frame of mind than when entering.
Structure your prayer time to account for distractions. Take precautions.
A big benefit to me in my studies is that I end up reading the same chapter 4 times before I am done. Different notes but essentially the same Scriptures. I can't memorize like many can. This doesn't mean that I am free to not try. The Bible says of itself that the Word of God never returns void. It always accomplishes what He said that it will do. I just have to keep trying to keep putting it in my heart and mind.
Lest we forget the Bible also says that every one will be without excuse. All of us will be able to uncover ways to stay in the Word of God. All of us will discover our personal prayers with Jesus and how to pour out our hearts to God.
We just can't give up.
We must strive to be doing today as God wants of us in this today that we have. Walling off our minds from the world to learn from the Spirit of God. Fight for what is right in the sight of God.
As he also said, we will be tempted, quite subtly to give up. To stop. To move on. We have to do this so we have to stop. We have this coming up so stop. We will be talking into quitting the fight before it gets started.
Pray fervently, pray without ceasing. Isn't that what the Spirit says?
Don't give up on prayer or praying for others. Jesus needed prayer to His Father to get through the cross. How much more do we need prayer to get through our days?
Prepare and pray. Don't listen to anything pulling you from talking to your Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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