How To Pray For The Lost!

Many of us - if not all of us , owe our conversion to friends and family who prayed us into the Kingdom. Prayer is the big weapon for the salvation of souls. Argument and debate without prayer is dry and fruitless. Do not spend all your time bashing your head against the arguments of people. Instead bash into Heaven with strong prayers on behalf of those you want to be saved.

Why should we pray for the lost?

1. Out of love - if we love our neighbor as ourselves we will want him or her to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior too.
2. Out of holy fear - if we realize that Hell is for real and for eternity then we will not want our friends, family or neighbors to go there.
3. Out of knowledge of the nature of God - who loves to be merciful and desires that all men should be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
4. Out of knowledge of the power of prayer - prayer often succeeds when all else has failed. It is the only way we have of asking God to move in someone's life and heart. We know that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. We know that prayers according to God's will are answered.

This is not spiritual manipulation from a distance. Rather prayer grants the person the ability to see clearly and make a free and informed choice, free from the manipulative bondages and blindness that the Devil tries to impose.

We can legitimately pray that a person may be able to freely choose between the mercy and glory of God and the temporary things of this world. We can pray that their blindness be removed and Christ shown to them convincingly and clearly. Imagine if we could present every non-Christian with a clear convincing presentation of the facts.

Imagine they were made to choose between the Love of Jesus Christ, eternal glory, a magnificent resurrection body , life in heaven etc. versus pain and torment and death and disgrace for all eternity . Only a crazy person would choose to remain a non-Christian. Prayer allows the unbeliever to glimpse the facts for what they are and to make a sensible choice. It is not unfair or manipulative -it is the fairest, most freeing way we have.

Praying for Structures:

Paul writes to Timothy about his FIRST PRIORITY in 1 Tim 2:1-8
1. 1 Timothy 2:1-8 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--
2 For kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior,
4 Who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
6 Who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time.
7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.
8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.

God wants us to pray - for kings and all those in authority..... in order that people may be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. This points out a sometimes forgotten aspect about praying for the lost - that governments can do a lot to help or to hinder the process of evangelism. Everyone has some knowledge of the gospel and many are saved.
God wants "all people everywhere" - that means the lot of you without exception - to pray for those in authority so that we may openly have permission to preach the gospel without hindrance.

Please pray that:
1 Our school system may remain open to Christian influence and speakers.
2 That tax concessions for some areas of Christian work may remain in place and that more areas example: donations to missionary societies may be made tax exempt.
3 That anti-Christian laws in some States and Provinces may be repealed.
4 That we change from being a secular country to a Christian nation.
5 That we may remain able to proclaim Christianity, in all its truths, in all areas of our society.
6 Also as issues such as pornography laws etc. pop up from time to time we can make them a matter of prayer by "all people everywhere". I look upon such praying is as paving the way for the gospel - it is very hard to sow the seeds of faith in a mind filled with pornographic trash. Pornography greases the path to Hell.
So part of our praying for the lost is praying for structures that blocks the spread of the gospel to be removed.

The second part of praying for the lost is praying for Individuals / Families / Villages and Nations to be saved.

How To Pray for The Lost
The following ideas are taken from a small pamphlet called "How To Pray For The Lost".
The first thing you need to understand when praying for the lost is that the price has been paid. When Jesus died upon that cross He paid the price for every single sinner on the earth. When you are praying for the lost remember that the price has been paid and make that the starting point for prayer.
"Lord you bought Bill X (Mary) at Calvary, he (she) is yours and so is his wife Karen X and now we are asking You to claim Bill and Karen for yourself, to remove the chains that bind them. Don't let the Devil have those you have bought Lord, be glorified in them and through them Lord. Take them back to yourself , set them free, Christ has done it, now we claim it . Amen "

Knowing that Christ has paid the price gives us confidence to pray boldly. It is not as if we have to bargain at all. The price is paid - that person rightly belongs to God who has bought them back out of slavery and sin. The technical name for this is "praying on the basis of redemption" or in some circles "praying for the lost in the power of the blood of Jesus" . Stand before God, confident that He wants your friend saved and confident that He has already paid the price for that to happen.

PERSISTENTLY AND REGULARLY - praying for people to be saved can at times be a very long battle. We need to pray persistently and regularly for those we want to be saved. In Luke 18:1 Jesus makes it clear that persistence pays off and tells us that we ought to "pray and not get weary.."

PRAY WATCHFULLY - It pays to be alert to the spiritual state of the unbeliever and to pray appropriately - are they curious about God yet? Are they convicted about their sin? Are they attracted to Jesus? Are they involved in something they would find very difficult to give up if they became a Christian? Pray specifically for where the person is at spiritually so they can take one or two steps closer to faith in God. "Lord you know how Bill (Karen) finds it hard to believe your Bible - please show him (her) it is true and that it can be relied on..."

SPECIFIC THINGS TO PRAY FOR:
1. That God will make them curious about spiritual things. The first hurdle is often sheer apathy with regard to the truth. Pray that God will stir them up to search out the truth about Life, The universe and everything - for themselves.

2. Pray that God will surround your friend with witnessing Christians. Pray that they will feel absolutely surrounded and unable to escape from God. This forces people to consider Christ and the difference between their lives and the lives of true Christians.

3. Ask that they may clearly grasp that they are sinful. Unless there is a clear perception of sin there can be no true repentance from sin. They must know that they are in the wrong.

4. That God will grant them an almighty thirst for God's Word. That even as unbelievers they will want to read the Bible especially Gospels, Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs, and the New Testament.

5. Plead for a clear understanding of Jesus as Savior and Lord. With some of the heresies abroad today Jesus is often misunderstood. Pray that your friends may see Jesus as real and historical and also as divine. Pray that God may clear up any misunderstandings in these areas and be prepared to answer questions. Be clear about Jesus being the only way to a true and favorable relationship with God.

6. Intercede for your friends at any points where they are being held under Satan's power. Ask for release from wrong ways and bad influences. Their friends may be a real obstacle to their salvation, pray that they may not give in to them but may instead have the courage to believe in God. There is today an increasing interest in the occult and the new age movement and some people are badly hooked -pray for their release from these dark addictions so that they may be free to believe.

7. Ask for grace toward your friends so that they may develop godly tastes which lead them toward God and salvation. Pray that in everything from bush walking to building models that somehow their tastes will be drawn to that which witnesses to Christ.

CHALLENGE I am going to leave you with the challenge of making a list of people you will pray for . Also get your home groups to buy a small notebook, rule it up, "Person," "What We Will Pray", "When It Was Answered." We can really see things happen when we persistently pray for the lost on the basis of what Christ has done on the cross.

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A Daily Bible Method Reading of the Bible Done Successfully here
(Bible Reading Methods, Structures of the Bible, Best Translations to Use,Where to Start )

The Kneeling Christian by An Unknown Christian here

A Daily Morning & Evening Reading Devotional Plan from Jan to Dec here

All about Prayer - 65 eBooks on Prayer here

Corporate Prayer for Revival by Jonathan Edwards here

From Grace To Glory Or Born Again by Octavius Winslow here

Helps to Intercession by Andrew Murray here

How to get the Most From Reading Your Bible by Thomas Watson here

How To Pray by R. A. Torrey here
(The Importance of Prayer, Praying Unto God, Obeying & Praying, Praying in the Spirit, Always Praying & Not Fainting, Abiding in Christ, Praying with Thanksgiving, Hindrances to Prayer, When to Pray, The Need of a General Revival, The Place of Prayer Before & During Revivals)

How to Pray so as to get What You Ask by R. A. Torrey here
(To God, With Intense Earnestness, The Church, For Him)

How to Work for Christ Volume 1 Personal Work by R. A. Torrey here

How to Work for Christ Volume 2 Methods of Christian Walk by R. A. Torrey here
(House to House Visitation, Cottage Meetings, The Church Prayer Meeting, Use of Tracts, Open-Air Meetings, Tent Work, Organizing & Conducting a Gospel Mission, Meetings in Jails, Hospitals, Poor Houses, Revival Meetings, The After Meeting, Children's Meetings, Advertising the Meetings, Conduct of Funerals, etc.)

Man's Ruin - God's Redemption by L. R. Shelton here

Personal Declension & Revival of Religion in the Soul by Octavius Winslow here
(Incipient Declension, Declension in Love, Declension in Faith, Declension in Prayer, Doctrinal Error, On Grieving the Spirit, The Fruitless & the Fruitful Professor, The Lord, the Restorer of His People, and The Lord, the Keeper of His People)

The Day of Golden Opportunity by R. A. Torrey here

The Place Of Prayer In Evangelism by R. A. Torrey here

The Power of Prayer by R. A. Torrey here
(The Secret of Christians Powerlessness, The Early Church's Victory, Steadfast Prayer, Present-day Departure From Prayer, Prayer will Bring the Power of God into Our Work, Examples of God's Power Evident in Prayer)

The Secret Place by Smith Wigglesworth here

The Strait Way to Heaven by William Dyer here

The Thomas Welch Story by Thomas Welch here

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WHAT SHALL I DO?

Be Available – Abandon yourself to God and to His call on your life. Tell Him you will go
anywhere and do anything that He shows you as His will for you.

Be Informed – Don’t hide behind ignorance. Gather all the information you can so you
can pray and seek the Lord intelligently. Subscribe to missions publications and make
it a priority to know what’s going on in the world. If you know where the needs are,
it will be easier for you to meet some of them.

Be Inspired – Checkout our booklist and get hold of some inspiring biographies of
Christian missionaries. You will find out that most “missionary greats” are just common
people who decided to let their love for God and their love for the lost overrule their
own desires in life – allowing God to use them in bold and wonderful ways.

Expect An Open Door – Expect God to give you an opportunity to fully serve Him
through this new information you are exposing yourself to. Then when He opens the
door – walk through it!

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The Bible says, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

You are in one of two groups: Either you are a Christian, or God is now calling you to be one. You would not have gone to this web site if God were not at work in your life.

If you are a Christian, you are not your own. Christ has bought you at the price of his own death. You now belong doubly to God: He made you, and he bought you. That means your life is not your own. It is God’s. Therefore, the Bible says, “Glorify God in your body.” God made you for this. He bought you for this. This is the meaning of your life.

If you are not yet a Christian, that is what Jesus Christ offers: doubly belonging to God, and being able to do what you were made for. That may not sound exciting. Glorifying God may mean nothing to you. For someone that is not a Christian we have many pages for those searching for God's Truth. We recommend these pages Know God here and Searching for More in Life here. For Christians that are searching for more on knowing God we recommend Christianity here and Spiritual Growth here.

We recommend you check out our newest website www.questionsgod.com for those searching for a purpose for their life here.

Now I see that millions of people waste their lives because they think these paths are two and not one. There is a warning. Jesus said, “Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” In other words, it is better to lose your life than to waste it.

If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full. This is not a web site about how to avoid a wounded life, but how to avoid a wasted life.
Please know that I am praying for you, whether you are a student dreaming something radical for your life, or whether you are retired and hoping not to waste the final years.

That is my prayer.
For now, I thank God for you. My joy grows with every soul that seeks the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Remember, you have one life. That’s all. You were made for God. Don’t waste it. If you are Searching please check out these pages Knowing God here and Searching here. If you want more from your Christian Walk we recommend Spiritual Growth here.

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"…if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

There is one God who made the world and therefore all people on earth are accountable to King Jesus. This is true whether people believe it or not. Oxygen continues to exist and keep one alive whether one believes in it or not. Only because of God do we live and breath, and have our existence. God is not going to stop existing because some people don’t believe in Him! And the same is true with Jesus. Whether one believes it or not, we will all stand before Jesus one day and give an account as to how we lived in His Father’s world. Ignoring this fact about the future doesn't change the future – we will all meet King Jesus.

And so we all face a choice. Will we live in God’s world like Adam in rebellion and independence from God, or will we live with Jesus as our Lord? If we choose to continue in our rebellion, then we must understand that we will face Jesus as our Judge one day. It will be a terrible judgment of eternal punishment. The Bible describes this as “hell”.

However, the good news of the Bible is that if we choose God’s way through faith in Jesus, we receive forgiveness and acceptance with God. From then on we have a right relationship with God and live in His Kingdom, under His loving rule and blessing. We become His children and followers of His Son Jesus.

We will all meet King Jesus one day. The Bible presents it as an unavoidable fact. The question is: Will it be as JUDGE, or as Savior AND KING? THE CHOICE IS OURS.

Prayer Requests here or How to Pray here

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