Hey everyone, it’s Louis. I wanted to share something real that happened to me the other day while I was praying. Maybe some of you have gone through the same thing. I sat down, ready to pray, ready to give God my time, and right when I started, I started hearing this negative voice. It wasn’t God. It wasn’t peace. It was the enemy trying to creep in, reminding me of every bad thing I’ve ever done, making me feel like I wasn’t worthy enough to even talk to God.

At first, I felt crushed by it. You know that heavy weight that just sits on your chest? That voice telling you, “You messed up too much. You’ll never be forgiven. You can’t pray. God doesn’t want to hear you.” I felt all of that. But after I sat with it for a second, I realized something: this is exactly what the enemy does. This is his trick. He tries to shut you down by throwing your past in your face. He tries to make you feel small, weak, and scared so you’ll give up before you even get close to God.

And you know what? That just showed me that the enemy is real, but even more, it showed me that God must be up to something in my life. Why else would the enemy fight me so hard when I’m just trying to pray?

Here’s the truth I’ve learned: God is saying the opposite of what the enemy says. The enemy says, “You’re unworthy.” God says, “You are mine.” The enemy says, “Remember your past?” God says, “I already forgave that.” The enemy says, “You can’t do it.” God says, “Through Christ, you can do all things.”

When I caught myself in that battle, I stopped and went straight to God about it. I literally said, “God, I’m feeling this way. I feel unworthy. I feel scared. I feel like my past is too heavy. Help me.” And you know what? God showed up. Not in a thunderstorm or a giant miracle moment, but in peace. He reminded me in that quiet way that He’s not going anywhere. That He will never leave me or forsake me.

That’s when it clicked for me. The best way to shut down the enemy when he’s running his mouth in your head is to run to God even faster. Don’t wait. Don’t sit in shame. Don’t beat yourself up. Go straight to the Father and be real with Him. He already knows what you’re feeling, but when you talk to Him about it, you open the door for Him to step in and give you strength.

So here’s my advice if you’ve ever had the enemy talk to you while you’re praying or reading your Bible: don’t stop. Don’t quit in that moment. Instead, pause and say, “God, this is what’s happening right now. Help me.” Ask Him to show you the truth. And He will. That’s what builds your relationship with Him. Every time you bring those ugly, heavy feelings to Him, you’re showing trust. And God honors that.

Sometimes I think we forget how much God actually wants to help us. We think we’ve got to fight everything on our own, like we’ve got to be strong enough or holy enough to push through. But the Bible says His strength is made perfect in our weakness. That means we can be real, we can be broken, we can even be scared—and still come to Him. He’s not pushing us away. He’s pulling us closer.

Now whenever I start to feel that wave of “you’re not good enough” or “remember what you did?” I flip it around. I tell myself, “This must mean I’m doing something right. The enemy wouldn’t bother me if I wasn’t trying to grow.” And then I just keep pushing forward. I open my Bible. I pray anyway. I say Jesus’ name out loud. Because the devil has no power when you know who your God is.

If you’re reading this and you’ve been feeling beat down by your thoughts, hear me out: don’t give up. Don’t let the enemy win by making you quit before you even start. Run to God with every single feeling you’ve got. Cry if you need to. Be honest if you’re mad or confused. God can handle all of it. And the more you practice that, the stronger you get.

The enemy wants you to feel isolated, but you’re not alone. All of us who are chasing God face these battles. The difference is, we don’t fight them alone. God is with us every step. His Word is true. His promises stand. And His love doesn’t change.

So keep praying. Keep fighting. Keep trusting. And when those lies come up again, remember this: you are not who the enemy says you are—you are who God says you are. And that’s more than enough.

Stay strong, y’all. Don’t quit.