A podcaster and comedian caught my attention this week talking about prayer. His name is Theo Von and he is the host of the podcast, This Past Weekend. I have been aware of him for some time, but he never appealed to me as an entertainer. He is in recovery from drugs and alcohol, and that common ground led me to check him out last year a couple of times. But his show just was not for me.
That was until I heard him honestly struggling with prayer in a way to which I related and I believe underscores some faulty teaching that needs to be addressed.
Von responded to a caller about changing his behavior and uncovered some troubling truths, I’m sure every Christian has faced:
“I would pray to God to help me get away from certain behaviors in my life. But at the same time that I was praying, there would be a part of me that knew; I was probably going to do those things again.”
Von expressed a desire to overcome his addictions and would pray for God for healing even though he had no confidence in himself or in God to really strengthen him:
“God, please help me to I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to have this behavior. But there would be a little part of me that was like, I know, even as I ask for God’s help, that I’m going to do it again.”
Von’s struggle with sin is real and it exposes an area of teaching where we need to have our swords sharpened. Here is Von, in an unvarnished and painfully accurate conclusion:
“God, even as I pray to you right now, there’s a part of me that knows I’m probably lying to you.”
Wow!!!! Have you ever found it difficult to bring something to God for forgiveness because you know you haven’t fully repented? If all it took were one prayer and I would never sin again there would be no need for drug and alcohol treatment, no one would need to come forward for prayer. The stark reality is this: If I have prayed to God based on confession of sin and repentance from it, there is no doubt I was lying about something.
My prayer for Mr. Von is for God to heal and strengthen him at the motivation level. Help him have faith to move mountains. Help us all to remember, “If we don’t want to slip, don’t go around slippery places.” Help us all to have faith when we ask in prayer that God is capable and willing to forgive me of sin. “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;”-James 1:6-7.
My life is not a series of sins written on Post It notes I must collect and confess each day as I turn from them for eternity. Christians are certainly aware of their need for transformation with help from the Spirit of God (Romans 12:1-2).
Will we stumble on the narrow way? No doubt. Will our cross seem heavy and our burden anything but light? From time to time. Just remember to let your light shine and the blood of Jesus our Savior save us from all sin. Remember children, we have been born again, “by faith into this grace in which we stand.”-Romans 5:2. Pray for faith to believe God can strengthen us to overcome sin. Pray that we can put sinful habits in the dustbin of our personal history and live happy joyous and free.
May God bless Theo Von and his painful honesty. May the Lord turn his pain into a life lived in the light of the world, Jesus our Savior divine.
Von, Theo. “Something New.” This Past Weekend w/Theo Von #654, 20 Apr. 2026.
https://youtu.be/CihTN2GQymc?si=A2-TixBuk9sCqfg1
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