please pray for ###

[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 seeking the Lord together for this deep longing you have expressed, that God Himself would establish in you that which causes the enemy to flee.

We understand what you are describing, that sense of a holy presence or quality in your former friend that seemed to make darkness retreat simply by being there. Scripture shows us that this is not a mysterious transferable power or a vague spiritual attribute that one person can pass to another, but it is the presence of Christ Himself dwelling in a life that is submitted to God and filled with His Holy Spirit. The devil does not flee from a human quality, he flees from Jesus Christ who lives in us. As it is written, 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.

What you sensed was likely the fruit of a life abiding in Christ, walking in holiness, purity, faith and love, clothed in the armor of God. Ephesians 6:10-11 says 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. And 1 Peter 5:8-9 reminds us Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Withstand him steadfast in your faith. The enemy flees when we are not standing in our own strength, but in submission to God, in righteousness, truth, and faith, with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Romans 8:9 says But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you.

We also rejoice that you asked this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for there is no other way to approach the Father and no other name by which we are saved and have authority over the enemy. John 14:6 says Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. And Acts 4:12 says There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved. It is only through abiding in Him that we have victory.

We gently encourage you not to seek an experience or an impersonal quality for its own sake, but to seek Christ Himself with your whole heart, to pursue holiness, to dwell in His Word, to walk in obedience and prayer, and to be continually filled with the Spirit. Luke 11:13 says If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. As you draw near to God in this way, He will establish you and make you steadfast.

We pray together with you now.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we come before Your throne of grace and we lift up our 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. Establish them, Lord, in Your truth and holiness, and make them strong in You and in the strength of Your might. Clothe them with Your full armor, that they may stand firm against every scheme of the enemy. We ask that You would make their life a dwelling place for Your presence, so that where they go, Your light shines and darkness must flee, not by their own power, but because greater is He who is in them than he who is in the world. Grant them a steadfast walk of submission to You, resistance to the devil, purity of heart, and deep abiding in Your Word. Make this a permanent work of Your grace in them, according to Your sovereign will and for Your glory. Teach them to abide in Christ daily through prayer, the Scriptures, and obedience, and let them know the victory that is already theirs in Jesus. We thank You that You hear us when we ask in the name of Jesus, and we trust You to perfect this work. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

We encourage you to continue to abide in Christ, to feed daily on His Word, to walk in fellowship and obedience, and to pray without ceasing, trusting that as you submit yourself fully to God, you will see the enemy flee as the Lord Himself guards and establishes you. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.

 

[hostadmin]

We were grateful to read your honest prayer and the longing behind it. To have seen something in your former friend that brought such peace that evil seemed to have no place to stay, and to want that same settled strength in your own life, is a deep and good desire to draw nearer to God.

What you noticed in your friend was likely not a separate quality that can be passed from one person to another, but the quiet presence of the Holy Spirit living and working in someone who walks closely with Jesus. He is our Helper and Comforter, and His work in us is to make us more like Christ over time, in how we love, in how we hold to what is true, and in the steady power He gives for daily life. That kind of growth is usually not instant, but formed as we stay near the Lord and let Him shape us.

One simple next step that often helps is to keep a regular, unhurried rhythm of being with the Lord, prayer, reading Scripture, and fellowship with other believers who know you, and to share this longing with a trusted pastor who can walk with you personally and pray with you over time.

Father, we bring our brother before You and thank You for his hunger to belong wholly to You. We ask that You would fill him with Your Holy Spirit, establish him in Your love and truth, and guard him from the enemy according to Your sovereign will. Make Your presence his home and his strength each day, and lead him in Your peace. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your prayer expresses a deep longing for victory over the tempter, and for that we give thanks, for it shows you know that Satan is a real and malicious foe who goes about as a sentinel watching for his advantage.

Yet the Scriptures do not teach us to seek an indescribable quality as a permanent and inseparable attribute of our own being by which Satan flees from us. The victory over Satan was won not by any power inherent in man, but by Christ alone. He poured out His soul unto death and thereby broke Satan's power. Had there been any to help Him in the duel with the adversary they might have shared the honor, but they must stay away till the fight was over, that the victory might be His alone. And because He has won it, we who are His share in it, for when the Head is crowned, the members of His mystical body are conquerors in the conquering Head.

Satan does not flee from a quality in us, but from Christ in us. There is no other way to be saved from the castings down of Satan but the rebuke of Jesus. The promise is, submit yourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. He flees when he sees Christ formed in the soul, when he finds practical, personal, active, vital holiness there, for without holiness no one shall see the Lord. Holiness excludes impurity, and it is not the mere cleaning of the outside of the cup, but a heart changed by grace.

God does not remove us from the conflict, but He giveth us the victory. What He promises in the covenant is this, they shall not depart from me. If grace has really changed you, you are radically and lastingly changed, and He will keep you in perseverance in holiness. It is this daily following after holiness, this abiding in Christ, this faith which beholds the beauty of Christ, that makes the tempter know his time is short in a soul and rage because his opportunity is passing.

So our prayer for you is not that an impersonal power might be made an inseparable part of your being apart from Christ, but that you may be found in Christ Jesus alone for salvation, that His atoning death which has glorified the law and made amends for sin may be your confidence, and that the Lord would work in you that practical holiness which He demands and which He also gives. May He grant you a tender fear of God which keeps you from departing from Him, a clear sight of Christ by faith, and grace to resist the tempter in the strength of your Lord, that by God working in you, you may bruise Satan under your feet shortly.

We pray that the Lord Jesus Christ, who saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven, would draw you nearer to Himself, keep you in communion with God, and make you more than a conqueror through Him that loved you, according to His sovereign will. Amen.