In the previous devotional we talked about prayer.
There is more than one way to pray, of course. I included some suggestions of short, biblical statements that you can put on a mental “loop” as you go about your day.
Here’s some additional motivation to pray, no matter how you do it.
It comes to us from J.C. Ryle, a preacher from the 1800’s. He said: “Pray without ceasing because Satan is preying without ceasing.”*
Yes!
The first part of his sentence comes to us from Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
The second part of his sentence includes a play-on-words. “Praying” is contrasted with “preying.” He says that Satan is preying like a predator (which he is). It recalls 1 Peter 5:8: “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
This can be jarring to Christians who have never taken spiritual warfare seriously. They discount Satan and demons because they think those notions are “out of date” and inconsistent with a modern worldview. By the way, they’re not. They also awkwardly skip over the non-stop conflict that we see in the Gospels related to the unseen realm.
Ryle’s point is this: Stay tethered to God in prayer because it’s a battle! The world is not neutral. There are dark, unseen forces trying to harm you and the ones you love. Happily, there is nothing to fear if we are in Christ. His name is above every name (Philippians 2:9), and he is the ultimate victor over all dark powers (Colossians 2:15).
At the same time, the battle is real. If you’ve become lax in prayer, you may need the reminder that it is an actual weapon that is more significant and powerful than physical armour. Without it, you may be floating around like a sitting duck in a pond with real crocodiles.
You don’t need to be long-winded or fancy. You don’t need to be a professional theologian. But you need to be honest, and you need to come to him in the almighty name of Jesus.
“Pray without ceasing because Satan is preying without ceasing.”
Notes:
-Note: As of August 10, I am on vacation. However, The Up Daily Devotional will continue daily until August 21, then go on pause for 2 weeks, resuming on September 7, 2026.
-*Quoted on X on June 30, 2026.
-Bible quotes, ESV.
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