SATAN HATES WHEN I PRAY

SATAN HATES WHEN I PRAY

I keep asking myself the question, why is praying such hard work?
Shouldn't it be easier than it is?

I have been working through a book written by Puritan Pastor Thomas
Brooks, who served in England during the Civil War. The book is
entitled: THE SECRET KEY TO HEAVEN - The Vital Importance of Private
Prayer published by The Banner of Truth Trust.

Brooks writes that one of the enemies of prayer is the enemy himself,
Satan. Listen to these powerful words:

Secret prayer is a scourge, a hell to Satan. Every secret prayer adds to
the devil's torment, and every secret sigh adds to his torment, and
every secret groan adds to his torment, and every secret tear adds to
his torment.

When a child of God is on his knees in his secret addresses to God, oh,
the strange thoughts, the earthly thoughts, the distracted thoughts, the
hideous thoughts, the blasphemous thoughts, that Satan often injects
into his soul! And all to wean him from secret prayer. Sometimes he
tells the soul, that it is vain to seek God in secret; and at other
times he tells the soul it is too late to seek God in secret; and at
other times he tells the soul it is too late to seek God in secret; for
the door of mercy is shut, and there is no hope, no help for the soul.

Sometimes he tells the soul that it is enough to seek God in public; and
at other times he tells the soul, that it is but a precise trick to seek
the Lord in private. Sometimes he tells the soul, that it is not elected
and therefore all his secret prayer will be rejected; and at other times
he tells the soul, that it is sealed up until the day of wrath, and
therefore a secret prayer can never reverse that seal; and all this to
dishearten and discourage a poor Christian in his secret [prayer times].

Sometimes Satan will bring before a poor Christian the greatness of his
sins; and at other times he will bring before a Christian the greatness
of his unworthiness. Sometimes he will bring before a Christian his lack
of grace; and at other times he will bring before a Christian his lack
of gifts to manage such a duty as it should be managed. Sometimes he
will bring up past difficulties [defeats] in secret prayer; and at other
times he will bring before a Christian his weak desire for secret
prayer; and all to work the soul out of love with secret prayer, yes, to
work the soul to loathe secret prayer; so deadly an enemy is Satan to
secret prayer ...

If there were not a kind of omnipotency in it, if it were not able to do
wonders in heaven, and wonders on earth, and wonders in the hearts and
lives and ways of men, Satan would never have such an aching tooth
against it as he has . . .

The more glory God has from any service we do, the more Satan will
strive by all his wiles, and sleights to take us, either off from that
service, or so to interrupt us in that service, that God may have no
honor, nor we no good, nor himself no hurt, by our prayer [prayer
times]."

The bottom line is this - the enemy doesn't like it when we prayer. He
knows that God HEARS and ANSWERS prayer. So be encouraged, when you
don't feel like praying, press on, press in and PUSH - Push Until
Something Happens.