God's children who received the Holy Spirit must unceasingly pray for the Holy Spirit to give birth to spirit in them (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Only when they are provided with spiritual strength through prayer can they receive blessings of their souls' prosperity, everything going well and good health. Jesus, who came to the earth to become the Savior, showed the good example of prayer. He urged us saying, "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). So, what are the reasons temptation comes across people who do not pray?
◆ First, when we do not pray we cannot receive the Holy Spirit's guidance
The Holy Spirit leads believers to live by the Word of God, the truth (John 16:13). He helps our weakness, intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express and enables us to overcome the world (Romans 8:26). To receive His help, prayer is absolutely necessary. Only when we pray will the Holy Spirit warn us of impending temptations, tell us of ways to avoid such temptations, and help us overcome temptations even if they should come our way.
Temptations come across people who do not pray because they fail to distinguish the will of God from the will of man, become enticed by their worldly desires, and suffer from hardships because they are unable to overcome temptations. It is worldly desires that conceive and give birth to sin, and the wages of sin is death. God cannot protect people who continue to sin. As much as people have sinned, the enemy devil brings them times of temptation and suffering (James 1:13-15).
Some people claim that God dropped them into temptation though it was a result of their own faults. However, statements like these are acts of bearing a grudge against God and such individuals cannot overcome temptations and do not leave any room for God to work for their good.
At times, the God of love corrects His beloved children so that they do not go down the path to destruction and allows them temptations so that they can repent and turn from their ways. When people understand the heart of God, repent of anything wrong within them, and keep praying with joy and thanks, God will see their faith and surely answer them.
Thus, we should pray fervently all the time to receive the correct guidance of the Holy Spirit.
◆ Second, when we do not pray it will be hard to follow the desire of the Holy Spirit
Although we know the truth and receive the Holy Spirit's guidance, if we do not have spiritual strength, we cannot follow the Holy Spirit's desire and God's will. For instance, you may see some believers who had attended church for a long time suddenly stopped attending. Most of the time, they did not pray or they stopped praying for quite a long period of time.
When difficulties come to their household or business, they may lose heart. Although they know they should rejoice always and give thanks in everything, because they have no spiritual strength to do so, they often fail to act upon the truth. Then, they may return to the worldly ways and things of the world without relying on God. When temptations come, they cannot cast them away and eventually return to their old ways of life.
It is hard to cast off our fixed habits and fleshly attributes with our own will. For that reason we need to receive God's grace, strength, and the Holy Spirit's help. Then, we can watch over and control our hearts.
Satan constantly agitates untruthful things in people's thoughts, and thereby tries to make them leave God (1 Peter 5:8-9).
If you do not sway at all in Satan's temptations, he will go away. If you sway even a little, he will keep giving you temptations. He will try to make you doubt and not believe God, make you be lazy in your believing life and cause you to follow dissipation. Ultimately he will make you go towards the world and commit sins. Therefore, God's children must drive away the evil schemes of the enemy devil and Satan and pray diligently to win in the name of Jesus Christ.
Nothing is impossible for God, and everything is done according to our faith, which is the spiritual law. Thus, let's keep watching and praying in the Lord and thereby receive the Holy Spirit's grace and power and enjoy blessings of souls' prosperity, everything going well, and good health.
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