The Opponents of Prayer

Relating Prayer to a Sport – Part 2

The Sport of Prayer – Part 2.2

When we imagine and think of prayer as a sport, we must consider the competition we will face. If you recall the main reason we call this “Next Level Prayer” is because we wish to take what we know on the subject of prayer to the next level. Therefore we must understand and consider the competition we might encounter as we participate in the sport. Like in football, there is always an opponent who is trying to keep you from or attempting to slow you down from reaching the goal. Regardless, in every sport you must have a strategy that places you in the best possible position to be successful in the game. Prayer isn’t much different; there are elements that try to stand in your way of reaching your goal. So to take it to the next level, we need a next level approach for reaching our goal.

Let’s begin with what we know first. We all know that we have competition or someone who is out to keep us from being successful. We often refer to our opposition as the devil, which in many groups goes by a number of names. That’s a topic for another time. One of the most common synonyms for the Devil is our enemy or the Enemy.

The Devil is an Opponent.
I’d like to first caution you here. We oftentimes elevate the Devil to a place of deity. If that was totally the case the Devil would be a foe that we’d be unable to contend with. Rather than deity, the devil is more of an opponent who’s looking for an unprepared opponent whom he may disrupt his or her forward momentum. Let me say it again, even the Devil must find someone he can have an advantage over. If we can think of this from another angle, most individuals don’t fall into the category of being an enemy or opponent of the Devil because they’re simply not a threat.

Now for the good news for those of us who find ourselves as an opponent of the Devil. We have a defense for it. On the field of play when we’re engaged in prayer, we don’t have to find ourselves in a position where the devil has us couched for defeat. You see, next level prayer means we bring God in as our coach so that He gives us the right play to run so that we are victorious. Because we are alert to the strategies of the Devil , we have an advantage on the field using prayer. ^[1]

Worry is an Opponent.
The next point I’d like to make is that one should not limit prayer; what I mean is only praying when the Devil or the enemy has been spotted. Scripture says we are to pray about everything. You pray before you take the field. You pray on the field. You pray off the field. While most people have heard this concept before, the truth is very few people pray about everything. ^[2]

The reason we pray about everything is because worry is an enemy. Well how’s that? Worry is an indication that you are not walking by faith. You see, faith is being assured that regardless of what’s happening the outcome won’t go in the direction of our worry. If you recall Simone Biles, gymnastics superstar struggled to compete in the Olympics not because of her human-competition, but rather she battled in the area of mental health, her worries. Could it be that our biggest opponent is that person we’re staring down in the mirror?

The World is An Opponent.
For a better understanding of the sport of prayer and in this case our opponents, we must be cautious not to place our total attention on the Devil or even our worries. If I might say this as plainly as possible, the earth itself has it out for us as our biggest opponent or better stated the world itself. ^[3]

In a conversation with His students, Jesus used these words, “in this world, you will have trouble.” In other words, you have more than the Devil or your own personal concerns to consider. The opposition to you winning is everywhere, but if you become a next level person which includes prayer, you can be assured that you can win in this sport. ^[3]

So since we know we have opposition, we need to do one thing and do it well; we need to continually pray. When we’re on the defensive (that’s when you’re up against the Devil ) we pray. When we’re on the offensive (that’s when “worry” and the world is working against our efforts) we should pray. We should always pray. ^[4] This is next level prayer. You know how I know that this is next level prayer? Because average pray-ers, aren’t always praying.

I’ll end with this. Stop blaming the devil for everything that’s not going your way and get to praying. Stop waiting on things to get better, get to praying. Stop waiting for things to get worse, get to praying. When you get to praying, you bring God into the picture. Surely you’ve heard it said in scripture that when God is in the picture [for you] who can stand against you? ^[5] What opponent can get the upper hand on you when you are a next-level pray-er?

Question: what opponent do you have to fear when you’re a next level pray-er?