Why A Prayer A Day Keeps the Devil Away

Some say it is too difficult to bring Jesus Christ into our daily lives.

But, as an apple a day keeps the doctor away, so a prayer a day can keep the devil away and bring us closer to Christ. In fact, as an apple nourishes our body with nutrients, prayer nourishes our soul with grace. According to St. John Vianney, “prayer is nothing else than union with God.”

Knowing this and putting it into practice keeps our life centered in Christ and keeps the devil with all his temptations away.

Prayerful persistence is essential in our personal, spiritual battle with the devil. It is a simple truth that the common man struggles with choosing between the flesh and spirit. Jesus Christ tells us we need to, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak,” (RSV Mark 14: 38).

The Cure d’Ars also said, concerning prayer, “There are two cries in man, the cry of the angel and the cry of the beast. The cry of the angel is prayer; the cry of the beast is sin.”

This goes to show how important and powerful prayer actually is. It is our constant, spiritual weapon which Christ gave us to fight our battle with the devil.

Prayer is speaking to God from the heart. Or, as St. Ignatius of Loyola puts it, “We must speak to God as a friend speaks to his friend, servant to his master; now asking some favor, now acknowledging our faults, and communicating to Him all that concerns us, our thoughts, our fears, our projects, our desires, and in all things seeking His counsel.”

And if we find ourselves struggling to find the right words, the Our Father is an exemplary prayer given by Jesus Christ Himself: “And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven,” (RSV Matthew 6: 7-9).

Furthermore, the Our Father is a prayer of adoration, contrition, and supplication; making it the perfect prayer to recite every day.

Praying with the family is a particularly great spiritual practice that fights against the evil temptations of the devil.

Whether said in the morning or at night, an Our Father prayed together with the family can do wonders for the soul and ward off any spiritual evil that may be trying to destroy you or your family.

I personally love praying with my family each day. It refreshes my soul spiritually and redirects my focus to God, Our Heavenly Father.

Another great spiritual practice is keeping a prayer journal. I have a personal prayer journal that I write in every day. It really helps me grow and blossom in my faith. Sometimes, I write a prayer intention for a special person that day or list all my blessings in life.

There is so much to be thankful for and at the same time, so much spiritual assistance that we and our loved ones need. I encourage you to wholeheartedly give your heart to God through the power of the pen.

Share your thoughts, experiences, and life with Him. He is there and He is reading your work.

Another way to give your spiritual life a daily boost is to sing to the Lord. You can easily be going about your daily routine humming a hymn that reminds you of Our Loving Creator and brings spiritual nourishment to the soul.

You can be gardening or cleaning, but as long as a song of God is on your lips and He is in your heart, you are pleasing Him and bringing yourself closer to Him with each beautiful note being sung. So, sing a song to God every day. He is there and He is listening.

It is also easy and spiritually beneficial to offer up your work to the Lord. You can easily offer up all the chores you do for the day and the Lord will hear your prayer.

Whether you’re cooking or at the office, you can be offering what you’re doing to the Sacred Heart of Jesus or to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Or you can offer up all the work you do that day for the pope and his holy intentions, or for others who need special graces.

It is God who helps us and leads us to the eternal kingdom. The simple truth is that we need Him in our daily lives and we can do that by praying the Our Father or singing a hymn each day.

No matter how busy we are, there is no reason we cannot manage at least one prayer to God every day.

Try it and you’ll see the spiritual fruit it bears for your soul and how you become more Christ-like in a world that desperately needs Christ.

With heartfelt devotion and persistence, we can all become closer in relationship with God, and by this, be led to the eternal kingdom, Heaven.

Header photo CC Sharon Mollerus

About Diana Ragsdale

Diana Ragsdale is currently a high school student enrolled in Seton Home Study School. She is the tenth child of a Catholic homeschooling family of twelve children. She eagerly awaits the joyous celebration of the birth of Our Savior Jesus Christ.