So exactly a week ago we looked at the subject of prayer from 1Peter 4:7.
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
1 Peter 4:7 ESV
We saw how being alert can facilitate prayerfulness: spiritual and societal awareness. We saw that if you are not aware, you cannot carry burden, and without burden you will never pray.
Today we shall look at the second in the four issues that engender prayers as seen in the passage which is self-control.
SELF-CONTROL
Self-control simply is controlling yourself. Having a firm grip on yourself. A man of prayer is a man of self-control. He does not indulge himself in habits that hinder prayer. Lack of self-control is what is killing the culture of sincere prayers in our generation. Have you noticed how hard it is to do anything worthwhile when you’ve overeaten? That’s to show you the relationship between the spiritual and the physical. We indulge our flesh too much in this generation. A brother who is sleeping around will come to church and be blowing mechanised tongues, and we’d all think he’s praying… We condone too much sin in ourselves and we are finding it impossible to really pray. Leonard Ravenhill said “A praying man will not sin, and a sinning man will not pray.” Both are mutually exclusive. Sin will keep you from praying, and prayer will keep you from sinning. You can’t live in sin and still have a healthy prayer life, it’s impossible. The prayer of a sinner is detestable to God (Jn. 9:31, 1Pt. 3:12, Ps. 66:18, Prov. 15:29, Isa. 59:1-2).
What sin does to your spirit is simply that it weakens it. You wake up to pray and the devil brings up those issues of sin. What this does is that it immediately weakens your spirit. Sin is satan’s weapon for stiffening your prayer life. And lack of self-control is a tool with which sin is introduced into a life.
So, if you see that you’re not praying, do a sincere check on yourself: is there a sin that is plaguing you? Those easily-besetting sins are foxes that spoil your vineyard of prayer, such that when you kneel down to pray, you are overwhelmed with sin. Confess them today, live a self-controlled life and receive unprecedented prayer life in Jesus name.
PRAYERS
*My flesh will no longer dominate me in Jesus name.
*Every easily-besetting sins plaguing my life (name it, you know what it is), today, I announce your obituary in Jesus name. I gain victory over you through the power of the cross.