We’ve been looking at the biblical principles that a believer needs to practice to pray powerful prayers. Our theme verse for the entire series has been
James 5:16b (NIV) The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Now this verse does not say that prayer by just anyone is powerful and effective. Only the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. A righteous person is a believer walking rightly before God, a believer that is not walking in any known sin. When you are living righteously, then you can be confident in your prayers being powerful.
In this mini-series within our Power Prayer series, we’re looking at how we can pray powerfully and effective for those dear to us to be saved and walk with God. Last week, we began the discussion of why it is often not any easy task to seeing a loved one come to salvation.
One of the first barriers is simply that most people think they are Christians already. 84% of adults in America think they are Christians. 88% say they feel accepted by God. Yet only 38% of adults actually believe they are saved by confessing their sins and accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Only 7% of adults have a correct understanding of 8 basic Christian beliefs. So, whereas the vast majority of people believe they are Christians, the true Christians are a distinct minority. Jesus came to save the lost, to set those in spiritual bondage free.
Luke 4:18 (NIV) “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,”
As a Bible-believing church, our mission is the same as Jesus, to set the lost free. Today we’re going to continue to talk about how to do that through prayer.
Late one night, a woman named Chrissy was awakened as the phone rang. When she answered, it was her older brother on the line. He shouted. “Sis, I just invited Jesus into my life, I’m saved. The preacher said to tell someone immediately, so I called you because you’ve been praying for me for so long.” Chrissy was speechless. Her brother had screamed at her at their mother’s funeral when she tried to share Jesus with him. He had broken up a pastor’s home to marry his third wife. He had been antagonistic to the things of God for years and years. Yet somehow, her prayers had finally been answered. A captive had been set free.
God wants to do the same for you, as you pray for your lost loved ones. So, let’s continue with the question, How can I pray for lost loved ones?
Listen to my September 19, 2010 message “How to Pray for Lost Loved Ones – Part 2.”