When You Don't Pray, You Become Prey
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (Jam. 4:7-8). A couple of days ago, I wrote an article called “Pray for One Another.” It concentrated on the power of interceding prayer and its consequences on the recipients. Today, I want to explore the power of personal prayer and the risks of neglecting it. While we all understand the benefits of prayer, mainly because we have seen its results in our own lives, we often underestimate what it means to us when we refrain from speaking daily to our Father in heaven.
We need to be conscious of the importance of prayer in our daily lives. The Apostle Paul exhorts us with the following words in 1The. 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” Paul is trying to persuade the reader that a constant verbal connection between us and God is essential to remaining steadfast in our faith. In my personal experience, I’ve found that neglecting prayer, even briefly, weakens my resistance to the temptations of the devil. It is akin to opening a door when there are wild animals surrounding your home and then expecting none of them to enter. Animals are opportunists and will take any chance afforded them to find and consume food, so not expecting them to enter at some point is delusional, to say the least.
The same can be said for the devil. He is also waiting for us to leave a spiritual door open so that he can enter to try to destroy us. The Bible is clear about the nature of our adversary. The Apostle Peter warns of this ever-present danger in 1Pe. 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Lions are masterful at targeting the weak, the isolated, and the distracted. Similarly, Satan preys on those who are spiritually unarmed or unwary. Without prayer, we lack the strength and vigilance needed to resist him. In the very next verse, Peter says, “Resist him, firm in your faith” (1Pe. 5:9). While physical weapons may be necessary to defend against human attacks, prayer is essential to overcome spiritual enemies. The most effective way of resisting the devil is to pray unceasingly.
Prayer is not merely a ritual; it is a shield, a fortress that guards our hearts and minds from the enemy’s fiery, malicious attacks. Jesus Himself demonstrated the necessity of prayer. In the Garden of Gethsemane, as He faced the immense burden of the cross, Jesus instructed His disciples, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Mat. 26:41). With those words, the Son of God revealed that prayer is a crucial defense against falling into sin. When we pray, we invite God’s strength to overcome our human weaknesses. When we pray, we fill our hearts and minds with the will of God, but when we neglect to pray regularly, it creates a void Satan is eager to fill.
Without regular communication with God, doubts creep in, and worldly distractions take hold. It becomes easier to rationalize sin and harder to discern God’s voice. The Apostle James provides this assurance: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (Jam. 4:7-8). Prayer is the primary way we draw closer to God. It also serves as undeniable proof that we not only rely on Him but trust Him fully in every aspect of our lives. It is through prayer that we find the courage to resist the devil and stand firm in our faith. Remember, when you don’t pray, you become prey.