Have you ever intended to pray and suddenly became overwhelmed with several flood of thoughts creeping into your mind? Many good things your are suppose to do at that moment came rushing into your mind? Many at times while trying to pray, but your mind keeps wandering.
You’re trying to focus on God but you keep thinking about other things: that email you need to reply to, that meeting you’ve got tomorrow, that call you need to return. How can you overcome such a strong overwhelming wandering thoughts at a situation where you urgently need to pray unto God? The moment you kneel and bow your head, and suddenly a thousand little thoughts jump to mind, distracting you from focusing unto God.
- The phone call you suppose to make.
- The Email you suppose to sent.
- Oh, if i didn't eat this food it will get cold.
- Oh I promise to call my wife, i need to call her before i pray.
- I suppose to do this & that, blah blah..!
All these thoughts kept echoing in your mind and you felt disturbed and in most cases you often yield unto it or tend to hurry over your prayers in order to attend to them. This is Devilish most sophisticated weapon often use to divert your attention from praying fervently, and before you knew it, you have failed to pray again!
And sometimes after exhibiting this wandering thoughts in wasteful prayers the demons will jubilate in triumph because they vividly knew that your prayer can't and didn't penetrate across the roof of your house.
In some situation you will tend to excuse yourself from praying either to answer a phone call or hearken to your children, spouse or neighbour who needs your attention, and after attending to them and attempted to reconnect back to Heaven through prayers; the demon will start making mockery of such Christians because they knew that he/she has to start from crash.
And after spending about 5-10 minutes you concludes and assumed your prayers has hit it target. And after a while you began to experienced afflictions, dream demotions and spiritual attacks. In act of this confusion you begin to diminished in prayers because unto you it seem as if God is dead.
And this is reason why most Christians use to complained unto God instead of praying. Suddenly you begins to complain that you have "Over Pray" or murmured "Everything is not prayer" or you uttered "Will it end by prayer? or you screamed "I am tired of prayer".
This is an obvious sign of backslidden and very soon you will have a serious problems in your life because you can't "OVER PRAY" but can "UNDER-PRAY". And whenever you begins to complains about prayers that is an indication that your spiritual life is about to be buried.
COMBAT IN THE HEAVENLY REALM
Let me quickly digress to the testimony of brother John Mulinde which he shared after visiting an ex-satanist agent in our previous message titled
"how Satan Stops Our Prayers".
"He said that when satanic agents are up in the heavenly realm, and Christians begin to pray on earth, the Christians’ prayers appear to them in three forms. All prayers appear like smoke that is rising toward heaven.
Some prayers appear like smoke that drifts along and vanishes in the air. These prayers come from people who have sin in their lives that they are not willing to deal with. Their prayers are very weak; they are blown away and disappear in the air.
Another type of prayer is also like smoke. It rises upward until it reaches the rock; it cannot break through the rock. These prayers usually come from people who try to purify themselves, but who lack faith as they pray. They usually ignore the other important aspects that are needed when someone prays.
The third type of prayer is like smoke that is filled with fire. As it rises upward, it is so hot that when it reaches the rock, the rock begins to melt like wax. It pierces the rock and goes through.
Many times, as people begin to pray, their prayers look like the first type. But as they continue praying, their prayers change and become like the second type of prayer. And as they continue praying, suddenly their prayers ignite into flames. Their prayers become so powerful that they pierce through the rock.
Many times evil agents would notice that prayers were changing and coming very close to becoming fire. These agents would then communicate with other spirits on earth and tell them, "Distract that person from prayer. Stop them from praying. Pull them out." Many times Christians yield to these distractions. They are pressing through, repenting and allowing the Word to check their spirit. Their faith is growing. Their prayers are becoming more focused.
Then the devil notices that their prayers are gaining strength, and the distractions begin. Telephones ring. Sometimes, in the middle of very, very intense prayer, the telephone rings and you think you can go answer it and then come back and continue praying. However, when you return, you go back to the beginning. And that's what the devil wants.
Other kinds of distractions come your way. They may touch your body, bringing pain somewhere. They may make you hungry, causing you to want to go to the kitchen to prepare something to eat. As long as they can get you out of that place, they have defeated you.
He said to the pastors, "Teach the people to set aside some time, not just for some casual praying, they can do that the rest of the day. Once a day, they should have a time when they are focusing wholeheartedly on God, without any distractions.
If the people persist in this kind of prayer and allow themselves to be inspired in the spirit and to keep going, something happens in the spirit. The fire touches that rock, and it melts. The man said that when the melting begins, it is so hot that no demon spirit can stand it. No human spirit can stand it. They all flee. They all run away.
There comes an opening in the spiritual realm. As soon as it appears, all this trouble in prayer stops. The person who is praying on the ground feels like their prayer has suddenly become so smooth, so enjoyable, so powerful and intense.
I've discovered that at that moment, we normally lose all awareness of time and other things. Not that we become disorderly; God takes care of our time. But it is as if you lay down everything, and hook up with God. The man said that when the prayers break through, from that moment on there is no resistance at all, and the person praying can continue as long as he wants. There is no resistance to stop him.
Then he said that after the person finishes praying, the hole remains open. He said that when people rise from their place of prayer, and move on, the open hole moves along with them. They are no longer operating under the blanket. They are operating under an open heaven.
He said that in that state, the devil cannot do what he wants against them. The presence of the Lord is like a pillar from heaven resting on their lives. They are protected, and there is so much power inside the pillar that as they move around, the presence touches other people as well.
It discerns what the enemy has done in other people. And as they talk to people who are standing with them, they too come inside the pillar. As long as they stay inside the pillar, all the bondages placed on them by the enemy weaken.
So when people who have experienced this spiritual breakthrough share Jesus Christ with sinners, the sinners’ resistance is low. It is very easy to bring them through to salvation. When they pray for the sick or pray about other things, the presence that is with them makes all the difference.
The man said that the devil hates such people. He said that in places where prayer regularly breaks through in this way, the presence comes upon that place and does not leave. When people who don't know God enter such a place, all their bondages even suddenly weaken.
If someone is willing to minister to them with patience and love, they could easily be pulled through to salvation, not by power nor by might but by the Spirit of God, Who is present"" Culled from the message titled "how Satan Stops Our Prayers".
One of the reason why you don't often pray and neither felt burden to attends night vigils or prayer meeting is due to comfortability in your zone. You seem to feels contended with your present spiritual level, finance and marital life.
Nevertheless, i believe when you dreamth and behold someone cut-off your head and you instantly awake (spirit of dead). Honestly you will declared dry fasting and prayer! And likewise get serious with God in prayers because a prayerless christian is good as a dead man.
And in order to get serious with God in prayers you absolutely need to pour your whole mind, soul and spirit unto God while praying. Every form of distractive mind or wandering thoughts has to ceased. John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Praying unto God while exhibiting wandering thoughts is sinful and likewise an act of idolatry. God is a spirit and not mostly concerned about the verbal contents proceeding from your mouth because he already aware of your needs and reason for your prayers or what your intends to petition unto him in your prayers.
God is not interested in the loudness of your prayers or aggressiveness but rather the inward state of your mind.
- Is your mind at peace with your neighbour?
- Is your mind inhabiting any offence?
- Is your mind engulf in jealousy, bitterness envy and malice?
- Is your mind in wilderness of wandering thoughts?
- Is your mind calm, steady and focused unto Jesus at Calvary?
God is omnipotent and mighty terrible one in wonders. He is not a man but the father of all spirits and as a Christian you must ensure you don't play game with him. It won't take you not less than few hours to communicate to him as form of praying and such few hours must wholly be consecrated and reserved only for him.
It should be an hour of peaceful, steady and calmness of mind. It should be an hour of total concentration and respectfulness unto the most high God who is clothed with all glory and majesty. It shouldn't be an hour to start arithmetic calculation of your financial budget or counting the number of meat or fish that is left over in your kitchen pot of soup.
It shouldn't be an hour to commenced pondering over your children school fees, unemployment statues, feeding budget and house rents but rather a moment of spiritual consciousness and total mindfulness.
You have unlimited hours to consumed and makes budget of your personal activities but it shouldn't be enacted while communicating with the Ancient of days; the presidential general of all continent in prayers. However you can easily overcome self wandering thoughts while praying by turning the devil into your personal memo manager.
HOW TO OVERCOME SELF WANDERING THOUGHTS WHILE PRAYING
Whenever you want to pray or feels like praying, always get your writing material ready (Jotter and Pen). And immediately those good thoughts or suggestions comes flooding into your mind, please quickly begin to jot them down and ensure you don't stop praying. I mean, continue writing down those suggested thoughts and at same time keep on praying...
CASE STUDY:
- Heh, i suppose to call my wife (write it down) "Call My Wife"
- Heh, I suppose to sent an email to my partner in U.S (write it down) "Sent Email To U.S"
- Heh, I suppose to wash my clothes (write it down) "wash my cloth".
- Heh, I suppose to chat with Evang Paul on whats-app (write it down) "chat with Evang Paul"
- Heh, I suppose to oooh...! (write it down) "I suppose to...."
- I suppose to do this! (write it down" I suppose do this...."
As you keep writing them down, you will discovered that those thoughts will began to reduce, but please don't stop your prayer but keep on praying. You might also experience this distractive wandering mind while reading your bible, praising or worshiping, and you must always get your writing jotter ready to jot them down as it propel.
However it will get to a certain level when your prayer will zoom into higher gear and those thoughts will ceased, and you will witness an effective and victorious prayers, praise/worship or scripture meditation.
After these spiritual exercise, while singing a praise of thanksgiving for an answer prayer, kindly check your jotter or memo and begin to execute those important things that flooded into your mind while praying.
Honestly, in most cases, you will observed that those good suggestions were not as urgent as it seem while you were praying. The testimony aspect of this fact is that, when you keep practicalizing this secret steps of overcoming self wandering thoughts while praying, the devil will stop distracting your prayer life.
Don't forget, the devil is very tricky and always want to distract you from praying or reading the bible but you can easily follow above secret steps of overcoming self wandering thoughts while praying and turns him into your personal memo manager.
But if you suddenly recall your pot of soup on fire, please kindly rush to your kitchen and turns it off. But always ensure you're in spirit and this will easily helps you to decode the Devilish intention against any of your spiritual activities.
