A SACRED HATRED
But let none think that public prayer will make up for closet communion.
>George Muler
But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the Word, and it proves unfruitful.
Mark 4:19 (ESV)
During a particularly difficult time in my life, I took to reading the Philokalia, a collection of the writings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. For those of you unfamiliar with the Desert Fathers and Mothers, they were Christians who decided to escape the corruption of Greek culture by moving into the Egyptian desert. They were the first Christian monks, and their unique experiences gave them space to develop spiritual practices lost to most of us in the West. A man known as Evagrios the Solitary spoke about the practice of Watchfulness, which helps train the mind to focus on Christ when it is bombarded with intrusive thoughts. I still implement some of those practices in my walk with God.
Here is something Evagrios said,
To help man He has given him incensive power (anger) and desire (passion), so that with the first he may drive away wolflike intellections, while with the second he may lovingly tend the sheep, even though he is often exposed to rains and winds.
Incensive power is anger at sin. But specifically anger toward intrusive, unwanted thoughts. As we know, not every thought comes from within us. Sometimes they’re directed by demonic forces against us. The warfare we wage is in the realm of our thought life. Thoughts are projected into the mind to discourage us and make us ineffective. We drive away those demonic thoughts, according to Evagrios, by our anger against them. We must not be passive about anything or anyone threatening to pull us away from our prayer closet.
APPLICATION: What things, even good things, seem to take your attention away from time alone with God?
PRAYER: Lord, help me prioritize our time alone in prayer. Help me see it for what it is: a lifeline between us. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?