Volume 28: Praying or Preying?

Day 132 Devotional

PRAYING OR PREYING?

I make no apology for revisiting this subject because the devil is still waging war against the souls of believers. He is after people sitting in pews, standing in pulpits, leading ministries, and praying in private. His objective has never changed: replace surrender to God with surrender to self.

So, before I start, keep this in mind: Satan makes promises too, but unlike God, he never intends to keep them. When he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he quoted Scripture and offered Him a kingdom without a cross (Matthew 4:1–11). He offered self-will disguised as opportunity and a shortcut disguised as success. If Satan was bold enough to use Scripture to tempt the Son of God to pursue a shortcut around surrender, what do you think he will do to believers who have not yet learned the difference between self-will and prayer?

Self-Will Masquerading As Prayer

The true purpose of prayer is surrender to God’s will. On the other hand, the nature of preying is the pursuit of our own. One seeks submission. The other seeks control. One dies to self. The other uses people, relationships, and even religion to get what it wants regardless of what God has said.

One of the most dangerous misconceptions in Christianity is the belief that all prayer pleases God. Scripture teaches otherwise. Prayer was never designed to persuade God to endorse our desires. Prayer exists to bring our desires into submission to His will.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10). The purpose of prayer is not control. It is surrender.

Yet from the beginning, Satan has tempted humanity with the exact opposite impulse. Rather than yielding to God’s authority, he persuades people to pursue their own ambitions while wrapping them in spiritual language.

As a result, some of the greatest dangers believers face do not come from obvious enemies. They come from people who appear close to God while secretly pursuing goals God never ordained.

When Proximity Hides Ambition

One of the most sobering realities in Scripture is that Judas did not betray Jesus from a distance. He betrayed Him as a friend. He walked with Christ, learned from Christ, witnessed miracles, and heard teachings that transformed countless lives. Yet beneath his association with Jesus was a vision for a type of Messiah that Jesus never intended to fulfill.

Like many in Israel, Judas wanted a king who would overthrow Rome and establish political power. He wanted the crown without the cross. He wanted victory without surrender.

When Jesus refused to become the Messiah Judas wanted, Judas attempted to force the situation. His betrayal involved money, but it was about far more than money. In fact, Judas later attempted to return the thirty pieces of silver, throwing them into the temple.

Ultimately, what makes the betrayal of Judas so horrific is the same motive that drives the prayers of many people today—trying to force Jesus’ hand.

Instead of seeking and submitting to God’s kingdom plan, we have all been guilty of praying for our own expectations. This is not praying to God. It is preying upon God.

The Common Thread Is Motive

What made this story so dangerous was not Judas’ actions alone. It was his motives.

The enemy rarely begins by attacking openly. He infiltrates. He disguises. He conceals. He understands that a kiss can gain access where a sword cannot. He knows that flattery can open doors that hostility never will. He knows that a hidden agenda wrapped in spiritual language is often more destructive than direct opposition.

This is why Scripture repeatedly warns believers about the condition of the heart. A person can speak of God while idolizing themselves. They can quote Scripture while advancing their own interests. They can appear loyal while quietly positioning themselves for personal gain.

The greatest deceptions are rarely announced. They are introduced through misplaced trust.

Genuine Prayer Crucifies Self-Will

Every genuine encounter with God confronts the throne of self. Real prayer forces us to lay down our ambitions, our preferences, our expectations, and our plans.

God will not fulfill the lust of our flesh, the lust of our eyes, or the pride of life (1 John 2:16) simply because we package them in spiritual language and call them prayers. James confronts this deception directly: “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:3). Prayer was never intended to sanctify our desires. It was intended to surrender them.

This is why Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). The sinless Son of God demonstrated what surrendered prayer looks like, even in the agony of Gethsemane. If Christ Himself submitted His will to the Father, how much more must we?

Many people pray passionately while remaining completely unwilling to surrender. They seek outcomes more than obedience. They seek influence more than holiness. They seek results more than God Himself. But prayer that does not lead to surrender is not biblical prayer. It is merely ambition speaking religiously.

Who You Pray With Matters

This is why believers must exercise discernment concerning those who accompany them on their spiritual prayer journey.

Not everyone who speaks blessings over your life is submitted to God’s will. Not everyone who seeks access to your heart seeks the glory of God. Some people desire influence. Some desire control. Some desire validation. Some desire opportunities. Some desire outcomes that serve their interests rather than God’s purposes.

To name a few examples referenced in Scripture: Absalom wanted a kingdom (2 Samuel 15:1–12). Joab wanted a position (2 Samuel 19:13; 20:8–10). Delilah wanted a reward (Judges 16:4–5). Judas wanted a different Messiah and betrayed Christ when Jesus refused to fulfill his expectations (Matthew 26:14–16; 27:3–5). The Pharisees wanted to preserve their influence and authority (Matthew 22:15–18; John 11:47–48). Each drew near to someone while carrying an ambition that God never authorized. What appeared to be loyalty concealed self-interest. What appeared to be relationship concealed agenda.

The question is not whether someone speaks about God. The question is whether their life demonstrates surrender to God.

Jesus taught that trees are known by their fruit. Fruit reveals what words often conceal. Motives eventually surface. Agendas eventually emerge. Hidden ambitions eventually expose themselves.

The closer a person walks with God, the less they seek to manage other people’s lives. Surrendered people do not need control because they trust God’s sovereignty.

The Safest People To Walk With

The safest people in your life are not necessarily the loudest prayers, the most persuasive voices, or the most impressive personalities. The safest people are those who have died to themselves.

They love what God loves and hate what God hates. Their desires have been reshaped by His presence. Their ambitions have been submitted to His authority. Their prayers are no longer centered on what benefits them, but on what glorifies Him. They rejoice when His will is accomplished, even when it costs them personally, because surrender has taught them that God’s purposes are greater than their preferences.

These are the people who can genuinely pray for you because they want nothing from you.

They can celebrate God’s will even when it does not benefit them. They can rejoice in God’s plan even when they receive no credit. They can support your calling without attempting to possess it.

The enemy teaches people to use relationships to advance themselves. Christ teaches us to lay down ourselves for others. Those are very different concepts. And that is also the difference between praying and preying.

One seeks God’s will regardless of personal cost. The other seeks personal gain regardless of God’s will. One produces surrender. The other produces manipulation. One leads people toward Christ. The other leads people toward themselves.

The difference is not always found in what is spoken. It is found in what is hidden within the heart. Yet hidden motives have a way of coming to light. The ambitions of Absalom, the agenda of Delilah, the betrayal of Judas, and the hypocrisy of the Pharisees were all eventually exposed.

Samson’s tragedy was not Delilah’s deception. It was ignoring what had already been revealed. God is faithful to expose what threatens His purposes in our lives.