Recently, I found myself deep in prayer, contemplating the various situations that had unfolded in my life over the past months. Some of these issues had persisted for years, casting a shadow of uncertainty over my path. As I poured out my heart in prayer, I couldn’t help but slip into a familiar pattern of pleading with God to fix these situations. I was earnest but complaining and begging, a throwback to the religious ways of prayer where we beg God to intervene on our behalf.
Stop Playing With The Enemy
During this moment of heartfelt petition, I received a clear message from the Father. He firmly corrected me, saying, “Stop playing with the enemy. Stop entertaining their thoughts. Stop and begin to command your [thoughts].”
These words carried profound wisdom that I needed to unpack. First, I realized that my pleas, devoid of faith, aligned me with darkness’s forces. In my fear-driven prayers, I unwittingly partnered with the devil. I had allowed fear to consume my prayers instead of approaching God with unwavering faith.
The Father’s message continued, urging me to cease entertaining negative thoughts. In essence, I was instructed not to grant the devil a foothold in my mind. By praying in fear and desperation, I had unwittingly allowed these destructive thoughts to infiltrate my thinking.
Lastly, I was directed to take charge of my thoughts. To fully grasp this, I had to remind myself that I possess the mind of Christ. While my thoughts may differ from His, I have the potential to align them with His. He doesn’t think like us, but through His redemptive work, He empowers us to think as He does. By renewing our minds, we can begin to emulate the thoughts Jesus would have in any given situation.
Taking command of my thoughts involves assessing whether they align with His. Are they rooted in fear? If so, they are not His thoughts. Are they tinged with vengeance? Again, they are not His. Are they grounded in love? Ding, ding, ding – those are the ones.
I recognized that my prayerful anxiety and impatience were signs of distrust in God’s goodness. I erroneously assumed that God authored or permitted the hardships I faced. However, I needed to realize that these negative circumstances did not originate from Him. His plans are solely for my good, not evil.
Prayer, I understood, isn’t about persuading God to change His mind; it’s about aligning our minds with His original plan. When I pray in faith, I speak God’s will into existence. I declare His perfect purpose for my life within the given situation. I articulate His good intentions for my circumstances, not as a plea for Him to conform to my desires but as a proclamation of what He already intends to do.
Religianity may have taught us to beg God to change His mind or to accept adversity as His divine plan, but this doesn’t align with the truth. Jesus Himself declared that if we ask anything in His name, according to His will, it will be done for us. This isn’t a magic phrase to manipulate outcomes but an authorization to speak His will into existence on Earth.
It’s akin to being entrusted with a company credit card for legitimate expenses. We can’t misuse it for personal desires, but we can use it appropriately.
Likewise, in prayer, we are authorized to declare His will on Earth as it is in heaven. We can discern His will through His word and His Holy Spirit. So, let’s abandon fear-driven petitions and put on the mind of Christ. Let’s declare His will boldly. Whether it’s for healing, deliverance, or any other need, we align ourselves with His Word and speak it forth. Is it God’s will for you to fail, suffer, or perish prematurely? No, His will is for your success and well-being. So, speak to that mountain in your life and command it to move. You don’t need to instruct it on how to move; that’s God’s prerogative. Your role is to declare its removal and trust Him for the rest.
