Praying for Protection
Do you ever pray for protection... from yourself?
David did.
Psalm 141:1–4 (ESV) O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! 2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! 3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! 4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!
David knew the human heart was deceitful and desperately wicked. He knew his own mouth could be his downfall. He knew that sin seemed good at first (calling it delicacies)... but in the end lead to death.
And because David knew this about himself, he prayed against the danger that he posed. We do well to do the same. The Lord instructs us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one." We need to pray this prayer more than we do.
James said when it comes to sin and death, we are the culprits of our own demise:
James 1:13–15 (ESV) Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
We are lured by our OWN desire. We are enticed by our OWN heart. So before you blame anyone else, ask God to help you take down your own worst enemy...you.
David also knew we can't always fight our flesh alone. That's why he prays for someone else to come along and rebuke him:
Psalm 141:5 (ESV) Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
He wanted someone to rebuke him if there was something to rebuke. David lived up to this prayer. When Nathan confronted him about Bathsheba he repented quickly. He was caught out and instead of trying to make excuses like Saul did with Samuel, David cried out for mercy almost immediately.
This kind of heart is sorely missing in the Church in America. We want to do it "on our own", we want to keep it "to ourself" and we do so to our own destruction. For there is a way that seems right to every one of us, but the end is death.
The Bible says, "He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing." Proverbs 29:1
A humble heart that's willing to listen to others is a key to spiritual victory. God may have someone in your life that tells you what you don't like to hear. Stop ignoring them or hating them. They could be the best thing you have going for you.
Pray for your own protection... from you.
Because in a world with plenty of other enemies, you don't want to be helping them out.
David did.
Psalm 141:1–4 (ESV) O Lord, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! 2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! 3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! 4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!
David knew the human heart was deceitful and desperately wicked. He knew his own mouth could be his downfall. He knew that sin seemed good at first (calling it delicacies)... but in the end lead to death.
And because David knew this about himself, he prayed against the danger that he posed. We do well to do the same. The Lord instructs us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one." We need to pray this prayer more than we do.
James said when it comes to sin and death, we are the culprits of our own demise:
James 1:13–15 (ESV) Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
We are lured by our OWN desire. We are enticed by our OWN heart. So before you blame anyone else, ask God to help you take down your own worst enemy...you.
David also knew we can't always fight our flesh alone. That's why he prays for someone else to come along and rebuke him:
Psalm 141:5 (ESV) Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
He wanted someone to rebuke him if there was something to rebuke. David lived up to this prayer. When Nathan confronted him about Bathsheba he repented quickly. He was caught out and instead of trying to make excuses like Saul did with Samuel, David cried out for mercy almost immediately.
This kind of heart is sorely missing in the Church in America. We want to do it "on our own", we want to keep it "to ourself" and we do so to our own destruction. For there is a way that seems right to every one of us, but the end is death.
The Bible says, "He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing." Proverbs 29:1
A humble heart that's willing to listen to others is a key to spiritual victory. God may have someone in your life that tells you what you don't like to hear. Stop ignoring them or hating them. They could be the best thing you have going for you.
Pray for your own protection... from you.
Because in a world with plenty of other enemies, you don't want to be helping them out.
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