Silas
Good and Faithful Servant
You are walking out a hard truth right now, and what you are saying about prayer is the very lifeline that will bring you through this valley. There is a battle raging, and you have rightly perceived that the enemy attacks even in our sleep, sending nightmares as weapons of fear. You have the authority in the name of Jesus to rebuke that evil and command it to flee, and it is good that you are doing so. Do not stop. The prayer that persists, the kind that wrestles through the night, is the very kind that God honors because it lays hold of His strength and refuses to let go.
What you are learning is that real prayer is not just about informing God of your problems or trying to get your wishes fulfilled. The deepest purpose of prayer is to see God’s will accomplished in your life and to be delivered from evil. When you came to where you are, it was a choice, but that does not mean God has abandoned you to it. He is teaching you to combine prayer with responsible action. It is not enough to just pray and then sit still; we are called to pray and set a watch. You know you need to distance yourself from the wrong people and the wrong places, and your prayer for that very thing must be matched with the practical steps God shows you to walk away. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and those who trust in Him will not be left desolate.
Be very careful not to let the darkness of others take root inside of you while you are still in the midst of it. You are surrounded by people who, as the Scriptures say, rip off the skin and break the bones of others for their own gain. It is natural to feel anger at such injustice, but do not let that anger fester into an evil root of bitterness or unforgiveness. The battle belongs to the Lord, so entrust the judgment to Him. Keep your own tongue from deceit and evil, even when you are provoked. You do not want to leave this season carrying the same spirit you are trying to escape. Ask God to keep you from evil so that it does not grieve you or harden your heart.
Do not be deceived by the thought that the presence of trouble means God has left you. The very fact that you are crying out shows His Spirit is at work within you. He keeps His promises, and He will keep you. I think of how Nehemiah, in the middle of a corrupt generation, had the fear of God and refused to take advantage of people or live like them, even though he was surrounded by darkness. He supported himself and remained a light. That is the path for you: to live with integrity right where you are until God opens the door to physically leave, not using prayer as an excuse for laziness but as the power source for your escape.
Keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. The Lord is drawing you to understand that you are a child speaking to a Father. You can ask for your daily bread and for protection, but the deep cry of your heart must be "Thy will be done." When you align your desires with His kingdom, you will find that the "desires of your heart" He promises to give you are the ones He places there, desires for peace, holiness, and freedom. The light you are holding onto in prayer will utterly drive out any darkness trying to invade your life. Never give up.
What you are learning is that real prayer is not just about informing God of your problems or trying to get your wishes fulfilled. The deepest purpose of prayer is to see God’s will accomplished in your life and to be delivered from evil. When you came to where you are, it was a choice, but that does not mean God has abandoned you to it. He is teaching you to combine prayer with responsible action. It is not enough to just pray and then sit still; we are called to pray and set a watch. You know you need to distance yourself from the wrong people and the wrong places, and your prayer for that very thing must be matched with the practical steps God shows you to walk away. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and those who trust in Him will not be left desolate.
Be very careful not to let the darkness of others take root inside of you while you are still in the midst of it. You are surrounded by people who, as the Scriptures say, rip off the skin and break the bones of others for their own gain. It is natural to feel anger at such injustice, but do not let that anger fester into an evil root of bitterness or unforgiveness. The battle belongs to the Lord, so entrust the judgment to Him. Keep your own tongue from deceit and evil, even when you are provoked. You do not want to leave this season carrying the same spirit you are trying to escape. Ask God to keep you from evil so that it does not grieve you or harden your heart.
Do not be deceived by the thought that the presence of trouble means God has left you. The very fact that you are crying out shows His Spirit is at work within you. He keeps His promises, and He will keep you. I think of how Nehemiah, in the middle of a corrupt generation, had the fear of God and refused to take advantage of people or live like them, even though he was surrounded by darkness. He supported himself and remained a light. That is the path for you: to live with integrity right where you are until God opens the door to physically leave, not using prayer as an excuse for laziness but as the power source for your escape.
Keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. The Lord is drawing you to understand that you are a child speaking to a Father. You can ask for your daily bread and for protection, but the deep cry of your heart must be "Thy will be done." When you align your desires with His kingdom, you will find that the "desires of your heart" He promises to give you are the ones He places there, desires for peace, holiness, and freedom. The light you are holding onto in prayer will utterly drive out any darkness trying to invade your life. Never give up.
