The Diabolic Side of Prayer

No, I am not talking about witchcraft. I am talking about prayer.

This is a weighty and piercing matter, one that many believers engage with unknowingly. Before entering fully into the article itself, it is important to establish a foundational understanding of the idea at hand.

The concept of diabolism, in its theological and historical sense, goes beyond the crude notion of overt evil or dark practices. At its core, diabolism refers to the manipulation of spiritual forces for the sake of personal will. It is the attempt to control outcomes through spiritual means while remaining outside the boundaries of submission to God. It is, in essence, the use of spiritual systems as tools, rather than a relationship with God as Lord.

In this light, diabolism is not merely about evil actions; it is the subtle operation of control, cloaked in the language and appearance of spirituality.

This understanding brings us to a sobering realization: when prayer, which is designed to be an expression of submission to the will of God, is instead used as a means to bend or override that will, it begins to reflect this same principle. This is not necessarily because the individual is consciously acting in rebellion, but because the posture of the heart has shifted. What was meant to be surrender has become control. And this aligns closely with the burden that has been raised.

With this in view, we now consider the matter more fully.

Prayer is one of the most sacred engagements entrusted to the believer. It is the means by which men commune with God, align with His purposes, and participate in His will upon the earth. Yet, like many things that are sacred, it can be misunderstood and, in that misunderstanding, misused.

There are those who pray long, those who pray with intensity, and those whose prayers carry a certain weight and fervency. These are not wrong in themselves. However, a critical question must be asked: is the length or intensity of prayer a true measure of alignment with God?

Over time, a subtle belief has formed in many hearts—that persistence in prayer, when taken to sufficient length or intensity, can compel God to act. Prayer begins to be treated as though it were a mechanism, a lever that can be pulled to produce a desired outcome. In this mindset, God is approached not as a sovereign Father, but as a system that can be influenced or pressured.

Yet the pattern given by Scripture presents something entirely different:

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, KJV)

Prayer, in its purest form, is not the enforcement of human desire, but the alignment with divine will.

There exists a posture in prayer that heaven recognizes, and there is also a posture that heaven merely tolerates. There are those whom God loves deeply, who, when they begin to drift outside of His will in their prayers, receive gentle correction. He redirects them, impresses truth upon their hearts, and calls them back into alignment.

However, there are others who, due to the condition of their hearts, do not yield to such correction. They persist, not in submission, but in insistence. And in such cases, God may permit them to continue. At times, He may even grant their requests—not as an endorsement, but as a consequence of their chosen posture.

The Scripture gives a sobering example of this:

“And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” (Psalm 106:15, KJV)

Here lies a profound warning. It is possible to receive what is requested, yet lose something far more valuable in the process. The granting of a request is not always the same as the approval of God.

When prayer becomes a tool of insistence, when it is used to override divine counsel, and when the focus shifts from seeking God’s will to bending it, a boundary has been crossed. Outwardly, such prayer may still appear fervent and spiritual, but inwardly its nature has changed.

At its root, this reflects the principle earlier described. Diabolism is not simply darkness in its obvious form; it is the operation of control through spiritual means. It is the attempt to achieve personal ends while bypassing divine alignment.

In this context, a man may continue to pray, yet cease to commune. He may persist in words, yet withdraw from surrender. He may engage in spiritual activity, yet operate from a posture of manipulation.

This can be seen in certain patterns: praying without listening, persisting without yielding, and pressing forward without surrender. Such a man may not be aware of the shift that has taken place, but the nature of his prayer has changed from communion to control.

God, in His wisdom, does not always interrupt this process. Not because He is unaware, nor because He is subject to pressure, but because He honors the choices of the human heart. Where a man insists, God may allow him to experience the outcome of that insistence.

This understanding calls for a necessary recalibration of how prayer is approached. Prayer is not given as a weapon against the will of God; it is given as a pathway into it. It is not designed to make God align with man, but to bring man into alignment with God.

There is indeed a kind of prayer that appears to move the hand of God, producing visible results and tangible outcomes. However, there is a higher kind of prayer—one that aligns the heart of a man with the heart of God. The former may produce results, but the latter produces life.

Therefore, in the midst of all spiritual activity, it becomes necessary to pause and examine the posture of the heart. In the asking, in the pressing, and in the believing, a question must be asked: is the pursuit centered on discovering God’s will, or on enforcing personal desire?

This distinction is crucial, for not every answered prayer carries divine approval, and not every form of persistence reflects true submission.

The call, then, is to guard the heart. Let prayer be fervent, and let it be filled with faith, but above all, let it be governed by surrender. Only in surrender does prayer remain what it was always meant to be: a living communion with God, and a faithful alignment with His will.