I didn't know where to put this so I stuck it in Entertainment. Consider it a fictional parable/fable with a Scriptural base.
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Once upon a time, there was a young man who felt very afflicted by Satan. He would get all fired up and say and do "bad" things when he was angry or upset. He felt his behavior was unChristian and that he was backsliding into evil ways. He didn't know where to turn so he turned to his friends and asked for prayer.
Many people prayed for him and prayed against the Devil....but one person wrote the following prayer and gave it to the young man:
Dear Lord,
This young man has prayed about the devil a lot.
I see him walking through life with the devil behind him, still.
The devil is tied up, hopping around because he can no longer walk, and there is tape over his mouth.
When the devil had his filthy hands in this man's life, this young man prayed about the devil, and You tied the devil's hands.
When the devil tried to lead this man down bad pathways, this young man prayed about the devil, and You bound the devil's feet so he couldn't walk ahead and lead the way incorrectly.
When the devil whispered evil into this man's ears, he prayed about the devil and You stopped the devil's speech.
The young man does things which he feels are unChristian, then looks behind him and sees the devil hopping along back there.
He's probably praying about the devil right now.
Dear Lord, Please make the devil invisible so my friend will know what he should really pray about!
Amen.
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The moral:
Praying to ask God to limit or lessen the devil's power does nothing to bring you any closer to the nature and example of Jesus.
Let the devil be what he is and have the faith to ask God for the strength to change yourself so you may overcome the devil's wiles.
Janette
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Once upon a time, there was a young man who felt very afflicted by Satan. He would get all fired up and say and do "bad" things when he was angry or upset. He felt his behavior was unChristian and that he was backsliding into evil ways. He didn't know where to turn so he turned to his friends and asked for prayer.
Many people prayed for him and prayed against the Devil....but one person wrote the following prayer and gave it to the young man:
Dear Lord,
This young man has prayed about the devil a lot.
I see him walking through life with the devil behind him, still.
The devil is tied up, hopping around because he can no longer walk, and there is tape over his mouth.
When the devil had his filthy hands in this man's life, this young man prayed about the devil, and You tied the devil's hands.
When the devil tried to lead this man down bad pathways, this young man prayed about the devil, and You bound the devil's feet so he couldn't walk ahead and lead the way incorrectly.
When the devil whispered evil into this man's ears, he prayed about the devil and You stopped the devil's speech.
The young man does things which he feels are unChristian, then looks behind him and sees the devil hopping along back there.
He's probably praying about the devil right now.
Dear Lord, Please make the devil invisible so my friend will know what he should really pray about!
Amen.
----
The moral:
Praying to ask God to limit or lessen the devil's power does nothing to bring you any closer to the nature and example of Jesus.
Let the devil be what he is and have the faith to ask God for the strength to change yourself so you may overcome the devil's wiles.
Janette
