need help

[Kuydoreth]

Please pray for me that God give me the same thing I have felt in my former friend, ###. It is a certain quality, or something else entirely beyond my ability to describe or comprehend, that seems to cause the devil to flee simply by its presence. I do not know what it is or how to name it, but I ask God to grant me this very same thing and establish it as a permanent attribute of my being. so that the devil flees whenever he draws near. I pray that God Himself would bestow this upon me and make it an inseparable part of my being, according to His sovereign will. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

[Articles]

We hear your heart and we join with you in this deep longing to walk in such a way that the enemy cannot stand to be near you, and we thank you for asking in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is only through Him that we have access to the Father and authority over the enemy.

What you saw in your former friend and what you are describing is not a mysterious force or a mystical quality that can be transferred from one person to another, but we believe you were witnessing the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in a life that is submitted to Christ. The devil does not flee from a human attribute in itself, he flees from Jesus Christ living within a person. Scripture makes this clear when it says James 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. And also 1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. It is the Greater One, Christ Himself by His Spirit, who causes darkness to flee.

We understand your desire for this to be a permanent and inseparable part of your being, and God does desire this for you as well, but He accomplishes it not by bestowing a sudden mystical experience apart from relationship, but through the ongoing work of making you like Christ as you walk with Him daily. We are transformed as 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, being transformed from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit. And Galatians 2:20 reminds us, It is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me. This is the very thing that makes the enemy flee, a life crucified with Christ, filled with the Spirit, cleansed by the blood, and clothed in obedience and holiness.

We want to gently encourage you not to seek the effect, that the devil flees, apart from seeking the Person, Jesus Himself. When we seek Him, love His Word, obey His commands, and abide in Him, His presence naturally rests upon us. The armor that protects us is described in Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. This strength is not our own quality but His.

We pray together for you now.

Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we come before Your throne of grace and we lift up this dear one to You. We ask that You would fill them anew with Your Holy Spirit and that Christ would dwell richly in their heart through faith. Lord, establish in them a life of deep submission to You, of holiness, of love for Your Word and of steadfast prayer, so that Your light shines so brightly within them that the enemy must flee. We pray that You would make them strong in You and in the strength of Your might, rooted and grounded in Christ, and that You would conform them more and more to the image of Your Son day by day according to Your sovereign will. Let their life be a dwelling place for Your presence, not by a momentary visitation but as a permanent reality as they abide in You. Cleanse them, fill them, and keep them close to Jesus, so that wherever they go, Your authority and purity go with them. We ask that You would teach them to resist the devil by submitting fully to You, and we thank You that You have promised he will flee. We ask this in the mighty and holy name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our victory, Amen.

We encourage you to continue to pursue the Lord Himself above all else. Abide in His Word daily, walk in obedience and repentance, remain in fellowship with other believers, and pray without ceasing. As you draw near to God, He will draw near to you, and that nearness is what the darkness cannot endure.

 

[hostadmin]

We hear the longing in your prayer, and we appreciate you sharing it so openly. Wanting to walk so closely with the Lord that evil has no place to settle is an understandable desire, and it makes sense you would remember the steadiness and peace you sensed in your friend.

What we notice in others is often not a single quality that can be passed from one person to another, but the quiet fruit of a life that has been walking with Jesus over time. That kind of growth tends to happen gradually, almost imperceptibly, with highs and lows across a lifetime. It grows as we stay near Him in simple, faithful ways - spending thoughtful time in His Word, bringing ourselves honestly to Him in prayer, worshipping and walking alongside other believers. And it is the Holy Spirit Himself who brings that growth about in us, not something we can create or hold on our own.

A gentle next step if it helps is to keep that daily nearness uncomplicated - a short, regular time to read Scripture and pray as you are already doing, and staying connected in fellowship where others can encourage you and pray with you.

Father, we lift our brother to You. Draw him close to Yourself, establish him firmly in Christ, and guard him from the enemy's schemes according to Your good will. Fill him with Your peace, strengthen him day by day, and help him to know Your presence and leading more and more. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your prayer expresses a sincere desire to see the adversary flee from you, and that desire is right before God. We are taught by our Lord Jesus to pray, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One, and what we are taught to seek in prayer we should equally pursue in action. Our adversary goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, and solitude itself is no preservative against him, for even Christ when led into the wilderness was there tempted of the devil.

It is needful to understand how the devil is made to flee. It is not by some nameless quality that can be transferred from one person to another and then possessed as a permanent attribute of our own being apart from Christ. Scripture says, Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. He flees not because of any power resident in our flesh, but because of Christ in us. For this purpose the Son of God was manifest, that He might destroy the works of the devil, and sin in every shape is of the devil and is destroyed by Him alone. Deliverance from the power of darkness is as much the work of God as deliverance from the guilt of sin, and where we look for justification there must we also look for sanctification, for both come through Jesus Christ alone.

What you sensed in another, if it was of God, was not a human charm but the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the holiness of Christ, and the cleansing efficacy of His blood. The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin, and when that blood has cleansed and the Spirit has taken residence, the evil one has no place. He kept not his first estate and no good thing can ever come from him, but Christ has borne the penalty of our iniquities, and the voice from the excellent glory still cries, Deliver him from going down to the pit.

Therefore we will not pray that a vague and incomprehensible thing be made an inseparable part of your being as if it were your own possession, but we will pray that Christ Himself, by His Spirit, would dwell in you, keep you, and make you holy.

We pray that the Lord according to His sovereign will would grant you a full apprehension of Christ, that you would be washed in His blood which cleanses from all sin, filled with His Spirit, and delivered from the power of darkness. May He teach you to submit wholly to God, to walk in the light, to fly at once to the atonement when tempted, and to resist the devil in the strength of the Lord. May He keep back your soul from the pit and preserve your life from perishing, and make you to live not unto yourself but unto Him who has delivered you. We ask this not because any quality in us can compel the tempter to flee, but because Jesus Christ has destroyed his works and ever lives to save. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this in Jesus Name. Amen.