Have you ever wondered why resisting a late-night snack is difficult?
During the day, most people can stick to eating healthy.
But when the night comes, a lot of people feel the need to treat themselves to some “guilty pleasure.”
There is a very good reason why this happens.
And it’s the fact that as the day progresses, our willpower drops.
The Devil knows this.
And he does everything in his power to lure us away from God’s path.
He has many ways to do that.
He can give us sinful thoughts
Urge us to neglect our spiritual practices
Or push us toward unhealthy habits.
But we are not powerless against him.
We have God on our side.
Ephesians 6:11 says “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
This includes the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the belt of truth, the shoes of peace, and the sword of the Spirit.
It is not enough to simply put on the armor, we must also be ready to use it.
We need to be aware that the Devil is always seeking to exploit our weaknesses.
And one of these weaknesses is our declining willpower as the day progresses.
When we are tired or stressed, it becomes easier to give in to temptation.
This is why it is essential to remain vigilant throughout the day, especially in the evening when we are most vulnerable.
As Christians, we have the power of prayer to strengthen us.
We should make it a habit to pray for God’s protection and strength every day.
Even when we feel well.
We should also seek to build up our willpower by developing healthy habits that can aid us in resisting temptation.
These habits might include regular exercise, getting enough rest, and avoiding situations that may trigger temptation.
Prayer. To some, it’s a way of life, but to others, it can be mysterious or complicated. Oftentimes, it’s referred to as a Christian discipline, which can make it sound difficult or oppressive.
However, prayer is a wonderful thing that provides many benefits. These benefits go beyond the individual praying.
In this article, we’ll define what prayer is and look at some of the benefits prayer provides.
What Is Prayer People define prayer in various ways but the simplest way to describe it is communication with God.
There are different kinds of prayer and many ways to practice it. Benefit-producing prayer isn’t recited but is communication that comes from the heart.
Some Benefits of Prayer
Prayer changes our focus. It’s easy to get caught up in the circumstances going on around us, good or bad. Praying directs our focus away from here on earth to God in heaven.
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth (Colossians 3:2, NLT).
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith… (Hebrews 12:2).
Prayer brings us closer to God. Because prayer is communicating with God, it helps us build our relationship with him. It’s one of the many ways we can get to know him better.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).
The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth (Psalm 145:18).
Prayer ushers us into God’s presence. In the Old Testament, people needed the priests or prophets to talk to God for them. But when Jesus died, the veil in the temple was torn in two, opening the way for us to talk to God ourselves.
The curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51).
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
Prayer is a way to help others. There are two ways this is true. One is praying with someone and the other is praying for someone. One is done in person (or over the phone), while the other is done in your private time.
Pray for one another, that you may be healed (James 5:16).
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (Colossians 1:9-12, ESV).
Prayer helps calm us. The world is full of things that bring anxiety into our lives and prayer can restore our peace.
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you (1 Peter 5:7, NLT).
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
Prayer brings about change. The familiar phrase prayer changes things is true. Sometimes the things that change are circumstances, while other times we are the thing that prayer changes.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops (James 4:16-18).
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).
And the List Goes On and On The benefits of prayer can’t be exhausted. Prayer helps us find direction in life. It can prevent us from making wrong decisions and falling into sin. Through it, we can learn to submit to God’s will.
Prayer helps us receive forgiveness and love. It also helps us love our enemies as we understand how we were once God’s enemy but, through Jesus, we are friends and heirs.
Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. – John 4:21-24
The Samaritans believed that God’s temple was to be built on the mountain of Gerizim, and not in Jerusalem. What Jesus is saying in the scripture above is that in the New Covenant in Christ, true worshippers will no longer have to travel to man-made temples to worship God, but that the Holy Spirit will indwell within His people and they will be His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16).
Notice what Jesus says about the method in which His people (the church) must worship. The true worshippers of God must worship in spirit and truth.
To worship in spirit means that one must be indwelled with the Holy Spirit, a promise given to those that place their faith in the redemptive work of Christ (Ezekiel 11:19) To worship in spirit has less to do with “worshipping spirited,” and more to do with wholeheartedly laying down our old self, or flesh, and submitting to the Spirit in obedience (Ezekiel 36:27).
In reading the entire narrative in John 4, notice that the Samaritan woman assumed worshipping God was relevant to how God was viewed (John 4:20). A low view or lack of reverence for God will produce cheap, emotion-driven worship.
Without a proper view of Christ, our worship turns to idolatry.
Therefore, the second requirement Jesus gives to true worshippers of God is truth. The mark of a true Christian is believing in the sufficiency of Scripture. The Bible is our ultimate and objective standard of Truth. Because we hold to that confession, our right view of the supremacy of Christ comes from His very Word.
To put it concisely, the church is to worship God according to the truth of His Word, empowered to do so by the Holy Spirit indwelling within us.
Please share your favorite stories of worship and faith if you have time to do so! I just love when people share their stories of faith with me! And thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read my posts!
The Christian Tech-Nerd 