Why is a Consistent Prayer Life So Hard?
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41 KJV)
Many of us face this challenge: we want to pray. We know we should pray. Yet for various reasons, praying consistently feels difficult. Why is this? In this devotional, I’ll explore this paradox and help you understand how to overcome it, so you can develop a consistent prayer life that bears fruit in your life and ministry.
We often cite practical reasons for not praying, like time constraints. However, a lack of prayer usually isn’t caused by these surface issues. The root problem often runs deeper. One of the main reasons Christians struggle to pray consistently is that they fail to overcome the forces opposing their prayer life. Most don’t realize there are active forces working against any effort to pray.
Two unseen powers resist us: the flesh and Satan (and his demons).
The flesh represents our human nature apart from God. It resists the things of God. I use the word “resists” deliberately because it actively opposes any effort we make to draw closer to God, much like an enemy does. Scripture puts it this way:
“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”Romans 8:7 (KJV)
A practical example of this: scrolling through social media or watching a movie might keep you energized for hours. But the moment you start to pray, you begin yawning and feel sleepy after just a few minutes. This isn’t the devil—it’s the flesh. It’s simply our human nature at work.
Here’s a sobering truth: those who live according to the flesh cannot sustain a consistent prayer life. Prayer will seem not only boring but burdensome.
Alongside the flesh, demons often exploit our weaknesses. Just as Satan tempts us to sin and drift away from God, he also works to distract or discourage us from praying. I once heard about a brother who began to pray, only to see his problems multiply. He stopped praying, and things seemed to improve. He didn’t realize that by stopping, he had lost a spiritual victory.
Has something similar happened to you? You decide to pray, and suddenly urgent family matters, work, or other distractions arise, stealing that time away.
We are dealing with unseen enemies who know the spiritual realm far better than we do. They even know us better than we know ourselves. They know exactly how to extinguish any zeal for prayer.
How do we overcome this? The answer is simple: follow the Spirit’s leading and commit to it. When the Spirit prompts you to pray, pray. Don’t give in to the flesh or external pressures. As you persist, you’ll find the opposition weakening, and soon, you’ll break into a higher level of prayer. Remember: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7, KJV).
Are you ready to work with the Spirit to reignite your prayer life?
Meditate
Reflect on how the flesh and demonic forces may have hindered your prayer life.
Apply the Word
To overcome the flesh and spiritual opposition, trust and obey the Spirit. Every time you pray despite the resistance, you gain a victory, and it gets easier. Trusting and obeying the Spirit is the key to making prayer a consistent part of your life.
Pray
Ask the Spirit to help you overcome prayer struggles by trusting and obeying Him when it’s time to pray.
Recommended
- How to Overcome Discouragement
- Why is change so difficult?
- Is Any Among You Afflicted?
- Pray Without Ceasing
- What is a Devotional?
- View All Deshen Daily Devotionals
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