Praying for your Friends who are Far from Christ

© Copyright 2017 by William R. “Bill” Stevens

All Rights Reserved

Published by The Well Ministries International, Inc.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

Scripture quoted by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2007 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Dear Friends

There is NO prayer formula that will guarantee a person who is far from Christ to become close to Christ.

There is also no formula for creating something out of nothing either, but God did that very thing when He spoke the universe into existence. The things that are impossible with men are possible with God!

God is in the miracle business and I believe He is waiting for us to get in line with His desire to work miracles in our lives, our friends, and our families’ lives.

In this short work on the power of prayer, there are some stories that mean the world to me because they changed me and my family forever. There is also a Scripture guide for understanding how to pray Biblically in line with God’s will for your friends and family who are far from Christ.

I am praying with you for your family & friends who are far from Christ Jesus that they will know Him in His Power and Glory through a personal relationship with Him!

Much Love!

Bill Stevens

Table of Contents

Five Stories of Power Packed Ways to Pray

- #1 The Power of praying together.           5

- #2 The Power of perseverance.            9

- #3 The Power of praying in faith.            10

- #4 Being a Living Prayer.                  13

- #5 The Power of Prayer & Fasting.       15

- #6 Prayer Circle/Target                  17

- #7 Praying for your Neighborhood      18

- #8 Concentric Circles of Concern            19

Praying over the Four Fields                  20

Praying effectively for them to fully receive God’s Word.

#1 Pray for protection from the enemy.       22

#2 Plow up the Hard Soil of their heart.        23

#3 Removing the Shallowness             25

#4 Clearing the Thicket                  27

#5 Pray for the Planting of the Gospel      29

#6 Praying for the Sower/Farmer            30

#7 Praying for Yourself                  31

Thirteen Reasons to Pray for them.             33

Prayer Quick Reference Guide                  42

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Power Packed Ways to Pray

Power Prayer #1:   Power of Praying Together

It was 1993, I was 25 and very far from Christ, but God was about to move and only 5 men really knew this. They were not pastors and only one held a position of unpaid leadership in the small church they attended. They had a heart for God and for those who were far from Christ. They also had a list four typed pages of people they knew who were far from Christ and some they didn’t know if they were or not. These men would get together and pray for these on the list. They went to a little room in the church and would later go to a cabin out in the woods at a camp site. They would literally CRY OUT TO GOD and weep over people who were far from Christ. Six months this continued as they would go out to the cabin at various times each month, crying out to God and adding to the list of those who needed a touch from Heaven. They had been praying for months for those who they thought had a relationship with Christ but had drifted to be revived and for those who did not have a relationship with Christ to be awakened to their need of Him. Revival and Awakening is what our nation desperately needs. On Christmas Eve 1992, God showed up in that cabin with them.

Christmas Eve of 1992, they gave up time from their families, fasted, and went out to the little cabin again, but this time was different. God showed up in glory as they sought Him to move in the lives of those in the church and community who were far from Christ. There was a regularly scheduled yearly “revival meeting” where the pastor would bring in a guest speaker for a few days, in hopes that a few people might choose to follow Christ. This coming year it was in March 1993 and the speaker was Bob Smith, a blind pastor of a very small church who was from an even smaller hometown. But Christmas Eve 1992 as these men had sacrificed time from their family to seek God to move in power, He smiled on them and entered that little cabin. No, they couldn’t see Him, but they all knew He was there giving them a tangible gift of His presence and He spoke a word to their hearts that their prayers would be answered at the upcoming revival meeting in March. Every time I heard these men speak about that Christmas Eve of 1992, they would all tear up and weep over being in the presence of God that day.

Their prayers were answered. They kept praying and kept praying just like a football team that gets a good break and keeps pushing forward down the field until they score again and finish the game. Ultimately that day came and they were praying for people up to the last minutes before each service began.

I was a messed up 25 year old who had been running the clubs and party scene from 14 to the Friday night before Christ changed my life. I had been invited by one lady, Mrs. Murray. I had never been to a revival meeting and I could not get the invitation out of my head. I actually didn’t want to go and there seemed like a war going on to keep me from going. My hair didn’t look right, my shirt wasn’t ironed, and I drove a half-mile down the road and turned around heading back to the house. I drove 100 yards and turned back around heading to the church and sat on the seat closest to the back. It wasn’t five minutes in that message that I knew I did not have a real relationship with Christ and I cried out to God asking Him to forgive me and to be the Lord (leader/boss) of my life. Instantly my life was changed and never went back to the clubbing scene again. I was at the church waiting for the doors to open every Sunday morning, evening, and Wednesday night after the day Christ changed my life.

In that church where there were 165 on a good Sunday, there were 70 people who gave their lives to Christ and followed Him. Strangely enough, there were deacons in the church, Bible study teachers who had taught the Bible for 45 years, 80 year old ladies walking down the aisle on walkers giving their lives to Christ, not to mention the young men, ladies, and the five of us who Christ changed our lives and also called us to full time ministry. God showed up and showed out because God’s people prayed!

What are some principles that we can learn from this example?

Principle of Agreement

Jesus said “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:19-20

You need others praying with you for your friends to know and follow Christ. You need to get together and pray for these and your community to know and follow Christ.

Gift of Tears

“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.”

Psalm 126:5

Tears are a good sign you are in the right place spiritually and praying effectively for a person to know and follow Christ. Jesus actually wept for people to turn to God and follow Him. The Apostle Paul wept for people to know and follow Jesus. Quite likely someone wept in prayer for you or is weeping for you.

Prayer for Revival and Awakening

“Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?”  Psalm 85:6

Pray for revival – the move of the Holy Spirit of God re-viving those who know Christ but have drifted away.

Pray for awakening – the move of the Holy Spirit of God awakening those who don’t have a personal relationship to their need of Him. Keep praying for this!

Power Praying #2:   Power of Perseverance

An old pastor friend in his 80’s had prayed for a friend for 30 years.  He would get up every morning at 3:00 to run, but that run was his prayer time too. He prayed every morning for his friend to know Christ. Many times he wanted to give up but God kept pressing on him and he kept pressing into God. I would hear him pray at times for his friend and others, saying, “Master, open their eyes…” and he would pray for them to have a heart receptive to the truth about Jesus. It took 30 years, but his friend turned to follow Jesus.

Don’t give up.  Do not give up.  Do NOT give up!!!

Keep asking. Keep Seeking! Keep Knocking and the door will be opened for you!

Power Praying #3:   Praying in Faith

Do you have family & friends

who are far from Christ?

This is how I got to be part of my sister’s life changing experience with Christ!

Jesus radically changed my life in 1993 and immediately I began praying for my sister, my only sibling who was two years younger and was far from Christ. I really didn’t know how to pray for my family or friends, but I prayed anyway!

Then I stumbled across a John Maxwell tape from the days when he was a pastor, and he was speaking on praying in faith. I had never really understood it and the vast majority of teaching I had heard was that you always would end the prayer in “not my will but your will be done.” This addition effectively squelched my spirit of actually believing God wanted to do certain things.

I found out there actually ARE things that ARE God’s will! And, He wants them done.

Stop! Let this thought sit there for a minute and get your attention.

Since there are things that are DEFINITELY God’s will, we should pray FERVENTLY BELIEVING those things to be done and become so. When you pray for these things, you don’t have to say “not my will but Your will be done,” because you are praying His will to be done!

Part #1:  God’s Will your friends and family who are far from Jesus.

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  2 Peter 3:9

- God’s does not desire any of them to reject Him and perish.

- It is God’s desire that your family & friends should follow Christ!

Part #2:  God’s Will for your friends and family who are far from Jesus.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

- His will is they would use their will to turn from their ways and follow Jesus.

- He is not going to force His will upon them and God does not predestine people to Hell! Please run from any church that believes this!

Our Responsibility is to Pray for them in faith and share with them the message of Christ!

Here is how I began praying for my sister:

Father,

- Your will is that my sister would not perish, but would have eternal life!

- Your will is that my sister would come to You and put her faith in Jesus!  Please let her start looking to You to put her faith in You. Thank you that she is doing this even now!

- Your will is that my sister would seek for You and find you! Father, please let her start seeking you and we know she will find You!  Thank you that she is doing this even now!

- Your will is for her to be softened toward You!  Father, please let her heart become softened toward you as she turns to You. Thank you that this is happening even now.

- Your will is for her to make a complete turn away from her ways and turn to You! Father, please let her start turning toward you in simple ways and make the full turn! Thank you that she is doing this even now!

In Jesus’ name!  Amen

I was praying this one beautiful Saturday morning for my sister, and as I was in the very process of praying, I heard someone drive up abruptly. I had began pastoring a small church down the road, and she came to the door with a handful of money and change and said “Here, this is for the church,” and left just as quickly as she came. She wasn’t attending church anywhere, much less with her brother!

I was startled, taken aback, but overwhelmingly elated! This was God’s sign for me! It wasn’t long before she had her life changing experience with Christ! And I had a new sister! God wants to work through us!  Learn how to work with Him

Power Praying #4:   The Living Prayer

Sometimes family can be the most difficult to talk to about faith. Why? They know you or think they know you better than yourself. They may not know what to think about the change Jesus had made in your life. Even more than that, you choosing to follow Jesus may have caused them conviction that you don’t even realize, and they may be fighting against God convicting them of their need to follow Jesus.

This seemed to be the case in my family with a very close family, my mother. She was far from Christ.

And I could not talk to her about following Jesus without serious contention, so I prayed for her everyday for years and years.

I prayed “Father, send Spirit-filled believers across her path and give them the courage to speak life and faith in Jesus to her.”  Years I prayed this, but it seemed like nothing was happening.

I prayed one day, saying “Father, what is wrong?!  Is there something I am missing?”  Instantly, the Holy Spirit convicted me saying, “You are asking Me to move on people to do this for her, but you are unwilling to do the same it for others. I want you to be the answer to someone else’s prayers for their family and friends.”  I was overwhelmingly convicted. I had really slacked in sharing the faith with strangers.

So, I began looking for opportunities to speak to others about faith in Jesus and watching for “Divine Appointments” that God was setting up for me.  Instantly, it was like a faucet being turned on that I began getting opportunities to share the Gospel.

I would share the Gospel with these strangers, knowing as I was answering someone else’s prayers that God was sending someone to do the same for me to my mother and others I was praying for!  It filled me overwhelmingly with joy and excitement as I was being obedient to what God wanted me to do and that I knew He was answering my prayers in the same way.

Fast forward a year or so and our oldest daughter gave her life to Christ and later wanted to be baptized. It just so “happened” to be that she wanted to be baptized when we had a guest coming to speak at the church where I was pastor. Of course, all the family was invited.

The guest speaker’s name? Jack Daniels, who had lived the life of his namesake before Christ changed his life. He shared the message of Jesus in a way that God used to connect with my mom. The same day that my daughter was baptized, my mom asked Christ to be Lord of her life.  God is in the business of bringing people to Himself but He uses ordinary people like you and me.

Be that answer to someone’s prayers! Ask God for those Divine Appointments and ask Him to slow you down to be able to recognize them and connect with them in such a way they will understand and want to follow Jesus.

Power Praying #5:  Power of Prayer & Fasting

I was two years into my first pastorate and wondering what in God’s green earth had He gotten me into. The previous two pastors had been fired before me in a matter of 18 months. It was a little country church not far from where I grew up. It was tough, to say the least. The reputation of the church in the community was very bad, and I ultimately addressed it with the church and how the community saw them. Some didn’t care, most did.

But it seemed like there was this spiritual darkness over it. Something was wrong.  All I knew to do was to pray and preach/teach the Bible. It wasn’t until 1998 that God called me on a 40 day fast that we saw a serious breakthrough. I went to my doctor and told him what I was doing, and he said just take some protein shake with it since I had low blood sugar. After lots of research and preparation, I went on a 40 day fast and prayed through all kinds of things. Yes, only water, fruit juice, a protein shake, and V8’s which wound up tasting like a ribeye steak for 40 days. But God honored that time of seeking like He did Jesus’ and Daniel’s and Moses and others.

Lots of God things happened but when the fast was over, something spiritually had broken over that little church and we saw 25 people in the following 30 days of the fast, give their lives to Christ and join in the fellowship of the church.

God honors when you take time to fast and pray. Fasting is simply doing without food, what your body needs, so your spirit may grow and soar. Another definition is that fasting is going without food for a spiritual purpose. It is not a weight loss program although some use a form of fasting for that today.

Biblical fasting is a process of seeking God, not drawing attention to yourself, and simply dissociating yourself from your-selfish desires so that you may seek God.  One of the best places to read about this is Isaiah 58. God used it to free 25 people to know and follow Him in 30 days in that community. Only a few of them were even going to the church during that time. God honors it when you seek after Him!

Power Praying #6:  Prayer Circle

It was late 1993 when I was introduced to Prayer Targets or Prayer Circles. It was explained to me to put God’s perfect will in the center and then supporting prayer affirmations around the center.  I began praying for my sister like this and nine years later, she gave her life to Christ!

Prayer Power #7:

Praying for your Neighborhood

This was given to me by a friend years ago. We have used it since then in a number of churches and have seen their neighborhoods turn around radically. Why? They came to know and follow Christ because they were being prayed for!

- Make a list of your neighbors to pray for.

- Think of the word BLESS to remember five important ways to pray for your neighbors:

B - Body—health, protection, strength

L - Labor—work, income, security

E - Emotional — joy, peace, hope

S - Social—love, marriage, family, friends

S - Spiritual—salvation, faith, grace

Power Praying #8:

Concentric Circles of Concern

Who can you pray for?

•      People you know

•      People you used to know

•      People you would like to meet.

1. _______________________________

2. _______________________________

3. _______________________________

4. _______________________________

5. _______________________________

Praying over the four Fields!

Praying Effectively for them

to Fully Receive God’s Word.

Jesus gave a clear picture of how people receive the word of God.  This gives us easy Scriptural ways to pray for those far from Christ.

Mark 4:1-20 is a Parable by Jesus about how people receive the Gospel and the things that keep them from receiving it.

Mark 4:1-20 (NKJV) 1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:

3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.

5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.

7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’” 13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

14 The sower sows the word.

15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.

18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

I want to use this parable to paint a picture in your mind as how you should pray for someone who doesn’t have a personal relationship with Christ.

1.  Pray for their Protection from the work of the Enemy.

3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. … 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. Mark 4:3-4,14-15

Pray for Protection from the Enemy that will snatch the seed from their life

- Satan’s influence and works would be stopped in their life.

- Satan’s influence and works would be reversed in their life.

Pray for Protection from anyone who would walk on their life and harden it.

- Other people can harden their life toward God.

Pray from Jesus’ Victory of Redemption.

Jesus death on the cross, His blood sacrifice, and suffering made atonement for our sins and theirs. He gave us permission to operate in His name, His power and character to carry out His will. We get to pray from the place of victory, not of defeat. Christ is our Victor and has given us His victory. We pray in faith from His Victory and His authority.

2.  Plow up the Hard Soil of their heart through Prayer.

Pray that their hardened hearts would break and be softened. Many are hardened by unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, and hatred. Pray that the Holy Spirit of God would break up their hardened heart. Many are trusting in a false salvation experience and never really repented of their sin and turned to Christ as Lord. Many are angry at God because of adverse situations in their lives. Pray that God would break up that hardened ground with His loving power.

Pray for the stronghold of Satan would be demolished in their lives. They have hardened fortresses of Satan in their minds.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NKJV) “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

Pray that God would tear down all of the works of Satan such as false doctrine, unbelief, atheistic teaching, anger and hatred. Pray that these very thoughts would be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ and that they would recognize and believe the truth of the Gospel.

Pray for their hardened consciences would become tender to the reality of sin.  Just like the religious men who wanted to stone the woman who was caught in adultery. They were convicted of their errors, so pray your friends and family would be too.

John 8:9 (NKJV)  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Paul told young Timothy that some have sinned so much that their consciences are seared to the truth and so hard that they believe the truth is wrong. See 1 Timothy 4:2.  Pray that God would open their eyes!

Pray for their will to be freed from the bondage of Satan.  The hardened soil is their will and is now being controlled by the enemy Satan.  The ground has been Satan’s and now it is time to claim it for Jesus. It has been beat down and hardened by Satan, controlled by him, and he has been snatching the truth of God’s Word away from their lives. Pray that God would protect them from the enemy stealing the truth away from their lives, that the enemy would not use the past pain to turn them away from the Gospel and that no person would come and speak lies into their lives. Pray that they would be receptive to the truth of the Gospel.

I love what Ron Dunn says. “In praying for the lost person, we are not forcing the person’s will - we are freeing his will from the bondage of Satan.” (Ronn Dunn, Don’t Just Stand There, Pray Something, pg121)

3.  Prepare the Soil by Removing the Stones of Shallowness through Prayer.

5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. Mark 4:5-6

16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. Mark 4:16-17

Mark 4:16-17 MESSAGE  “And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. 17 But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.

Pray against the Shallowness of Emotionalism

Some make an emotional commitment, but it only lasts until they are persecuted a little. I have seen hundreds and hundreds of people come through major high persuasion evangelistic presentations make “decisions” to follow Christ and afterwards hardly able to find one or two who were truly following Christ.

Some make an emotional commitment because they don’t want to go to Hell or they don’t want to be left out of the group. When things get a little hard for following Jesus, then they bail out because they really didn’t have a personal relationship with Christ to begin with. Those who have a personal relationship with Christ, will not fall away. They will preserve.

Pray against the Shallowness of Impulsiveness - acting without thinking. Pray for a deepening of their character and integrity.  Pray for Deep reception of the Word of God with a deep surrender of their heart to Jesus as Lord.

A commitment is not enough. A commitment is something a person makes and can undo. Surrender is giving up of one’s will to the Father and submitting to His rulership over your life.

4.  Prepare the Soil by Clearing the Thicket of Worldliness through Prayer.

7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. … 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Mark 4:7,18-19

Mark 4:18-19 (CEV) The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. 19 But they start worrying about the needs of this life. They are fooled by the desire to get rich and to have all kinds of other things. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything.

Mark 4:18-19 MESSAGE “The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news 19 but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.

Pray that the seed of the Word of God would not be choked out by the cares of this world and the seedling would grow in their lives. Worrying about the things of this world will choke out the life of God in a person’s life.

Pray that the Word of God would not be choked out by the lure and deceitfulness of riches. The lure and enticement of gaining more and more will choke out the life of God in a person’s life.

Pray that the Word of God would not be choked out by the desire for other things. Materialism and the desire to have, own, and get, will choke out the life of God in a person’s life. Remember, the Rich Young Ruler’s heart was controlled by the love of the world (see Mark 10) but Zacchaeus who had been in love with money turned completely from it to follow Jesus (see Luke 19).

There is nothing wrong with wealth, but when wealth controls you and keeps you from following Jesus, it is a huge problem with eternal consequences.

5.  Pray for the Planting of the Gospel Seed

Colossians 4:2–4 (ESV) Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Pray that they would be open to hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and faith would rise in their lives.

Romans 10:17 (NKJV)  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

“We are praying them to a place where they can hear and understand the gospel in order to be saved. The choice is ultimately theirs. You can’t pray someone into heaven.” (Peter Lord)

Pray that they would have the Gospel explained clearly to them.

Pray that they would understand it.

“No amount of human power, logic or argument can penetrate the darkness of the unsaved mind. We cannot explain the way of salvation simply enough for him to believe. The devil doesn’t have to make a drunkard and or a murderer of a person to keep him from being saved. He only has to keep him blind to the gospel of Christ.”  (Ronn Dunn, Don’t Just Stand There, Pray Something, pg121)

“An unsaved person does not have the capacity to see himself as a lost sinner or to understand the gospel message. He has been blinded spiritually by Satan.” See 1 Cor. 2:14 (Ronn Dunn, Don’t Just Stand There, Pray Something, pg121)

Pray that they would Believe it and Receive it into their life, like the Fertile Ground!

- Pray that they would Surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

- Pray that they would Trust in Christ’s death to as complete payment for their sins and deliverance from their sins.

- Pray that they would Call out to Jesus for this salvation.

- Pray that God would reveal Himself so amazingly that they would know for certain of their eternal life.

6.  Pray for the Farmer: The One who Plants and Harvests.

Pastors, church planters, evangelists, everyday followers of Jesus are sowing the Word of God into people’s lives.  Pray for them.

Pray for someone to be sent to tell them about Jesus. If God lays someone on your heart, then God laid them on your heart for yourself, not the pastors, staff, or Bible study teachers.

Remember!

Romans 10:13-15 (NKJV)  For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Who is a preacher?  Anyone who proclaims Jesus as The Way, The Truth and The Life is a preacher. It could be someone standing behind a pulpit or a little widow lady telling her neighbor about the love and life of Jesus.

Pray for Laborers in Christ’s Field.

Jesus said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Luke 10:2

Pray that….

- God would call out workers into His harvest.

- God would send out workers into His harvest.

- Pray for them to be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led.

- Pray for them to be able to be-friend them and earn their trust.

Pray for them to be ready with the Gospel. There was a lady who pulled out a Gospel tract to tell her new neighbor about Jesus. The new neighbor said, “I don’t know if I want to hear what you believe if you need a cheat sheet to tell me about it.” If you don’t know how you need to learn how to share it effectively without notes.

7. Pray for Your Self as you go and Sow the Gospel Seed!

There are two keys: First, pray in faith believing God and second, live a holy and clean life or the enemy will destroy you.

“It is important, also that we confess our own sins and have them forgiven. The Enemy will use every possible means to silence our intercession and to block our attack against him. We must not only understand our Enemy, our authority in Christ and how to use our spiritual weapons, but also how to wear the armor that God has provided for our protection.  Thus equipped and protected, we need not have any fear. But let us always remember that we have no power and not authority other than that of Christ.” (Peter Lord, p29, 2959 Prayer Planner)

If you are not living a holy and clean life, your bad witness will give the enemy an opening to snatch the seed from their life and harden their heart.

Wait in Faith

Trust God to grow the seed because you can’t make it grow. You must trust God to allow His Spirit to do the work. Don’t force it upon them.

Pray with the Right Motivation

Some pray in worry and fear. Some pray for a family member’s salvation, so they won’t embarrass the family. These are not the right motivations at all. The best motivation is to pray for them to follow Christ is for God’s glory, not that you won’t be embarrassed by them anymore. God wants to be glorified in their lives and yours. Pray this way for them!

Pray with Persistence

“Intercession must be persistent - not to persuade God, for redemption is by God, but because of the Enemy. Our prayer and resistance are against the Enemy - the awful powers and rulers of darkness.  It is our duty before God to fight for the souls of whom Christ died.” (Peter Lord, 28, 2959 Prayer Planner)

“Satan yields only what and when he must, and he renews his attacks in subtle ways. Therefore, prayer must be definite and persistent, even long after definite results are seen. And we must pray for the new Christian even after he begins to be established in the faith.”  (Peter Lord, 28-29, 2959 Prayer Planner)

Thirteen Reasons Why We Should Pray for Those Far from Christ

1.  The Love for God Compels us!

2 Corinthians 5:14 (NKJV)  “For the love of Christ compels us, ...”

2.  Our Love for our neighbors

Matthew 22:37-39 (NKJV) “ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

3. Holy Fear!  Hell is Real and God is Serious!

It is an unpopular subject today, but I don’t ever know when hell was popular. The reality is that people who reject Jesus as Lord and Savior do go to a real place, forever separated from God and all that is good.

Revelation 20:14-15 (NKJV) “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

4.  We have a Merciful & Gracious Loving God.

John 3:16-17 (NKJV)  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

1 Timothy 2:4 (NKJV) “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

He desires everyone to be saved and doesn’t want anyone to go to hell. His desire is different than decree. This does not mean everyone is going to be saved. He has not decreed for everyone to be saved. He has not decreed for some to be saved and others to be damned to hell. God does not predestine people to Hell.

5. Biblical Example of the Apostle Paul

Romans 10:1 (NKJV) “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.”

6.  Christ Interceded for the Lost.

Isaiah 53:12 (NKJV) ...  Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

Luke 23:34 (NKJV)  Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.

7.  The Imminent and sudden Return of the Lord Jesus.  Jesus could return at any moment!

1 Thessalonians 5:1-4 (NKJV)  But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

8.  Those far from Christ are incapable of understanding spiritual things. They have no natural capacity to understand the Gospel.

1 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV)  But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

9.  They are Captive & Controlled by Satan.

Trapped by Satan

2 Timothy 2:25-26 (NKJV)  in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

Luke 11:21-23 (NKJV)  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. 23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

Their Decisions are made Under Demonic Influence

Ephesians 2:2 (NKJV) “in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,”

The whole world is under the sway of the wicked one - 1 John 5:19 (NKJV)  We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

Satan has blinded the minds their minds.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NKJV)  But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

10.  The Lord Jesus Christ’s Victorious Atonement for our sin and defeat of Satan is the greatest reason to pray for our friends and family who are far from Christ.

Jesus came and defeated Satan

Hebrews 2:14-15 (NKJV)  Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He [Jesus] Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

- Ultimately Satan will be destroyed

- Jesus came to set the captive free from being in bondage to the fear of death

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil

1 John 3:8 (NKJV)  He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Jesus defeated Satan and disarmed Him completely.

Colossians 2:14-15 (NKJV)  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

- All Satan has is lies and deception.

- The power he has comes from people believing his lies.

Jesus has given us power over Satan, his demonic horde, and his works

Matthew 18:18 (NKJV)  “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

James 4:7 (NKJV)  Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Our Victory is through our faith in Jesus’ Victory on the cross

1 John 2:1-2 (NKJV)  My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

11.  God can do the impossible.

Mark 10:27 (NKJV) “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

12.  God uses the intercessions of His people to Accomplish His Will

John 15:7 (NKJV) “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

Four men who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus.  They interceded for their friend by personally carrying this man to Jesus.

Luke 5:20 (NKJV) When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

- Intercessors are persistent and bold!

- Intercessors bring their spiritually paralyzed friends to Jesus!

- Intercessors believe Jesus can do the things impossible with men!

God has always used intercessors

- Job prayed for his friends.

- Moses prayed for the nation of Israel to be spared.

- Abraham prayed for Lot to be spared the judgment coming upon Sodom & Gomorrah.

13.  Prayer is Powerful!

1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV) “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

“In 1872 D. L. Moody made a short trip to England for rest, with no intention of doing any preaching while there. While Moody was in London, a Congregational minister asked him to preach in his church the coming Sunday morning and evening. Moody consented. The morning service was marked by smug, stolid drowsiness, making Moody rue his acceptance of the service.

At the evening service he gave an evangelistic message and asked all those present who would decide to receive Christ to rise; hundreds did so. Surprised and thinking they had misunderstood him, Moody asked them to be seated.

He repeated his invitation more clearly and again the response was the same. As a result of the meetings that followed, four hundred were received into the membership of the church.

Moody began to make inquiries as to the secret. Finally he learned of a bedridden girl named Marianne Adlard. She had read about Moody’s work in Chicago, and putting that report under her pillow, she began to pray that God would send Moody to her church for a revival.

When her older sister returned from that lifeless morning service and told Marianne that a man named Moody from Chicago had preached, the bedridden sister asked not to be disturbed that afternoon so she might give herself to unhindered prayer. As she prayed assurance filled her heart that God had heard her prayer for revival in their church.

Learning about Adlard, Moody visited her. During the visit she asked Moody to write his name in her birthday book, promising him that she would pray for him as long they both lived.

The visit left Moody with a deepened and abiding sense of the importance of the ministry of Christian intercession. Both Scripture and church history establish that it is a vital ministry in the furtherance of God’s redemptive work.[1] God clearly uses intercessory “prayer in the implementation of His will. It is God?’s way of getting things done.”[2]"”[3]

Prayer Guide Quick Reference

1. Pray for conviction of personal sin and that Jesus is the only way. John 16:8-11

2.  Pray that spiritual blindness will be removed and the enemy's strongholds demolished. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

3.  Ask God to restrict the activity of the enemy in their lives and to soften their hearts toward the Good News of Jesus. Jesus defeated Satan and Sin through His death on the cross and resurrection. (Matthew 12:29, John 16:11, Colossians 2:9-15, 3:3).

4. Pray that God would grant to your friends

- ears to hear - Matthew 13:15, Romans 10:14

- faith to believe - Acts 3:19, Romans 10:14, Ephesians 2:8

- the will to respond - Romans 10:9-10

- deep repentance - Romans 2:4

- an abiding and fruitful new life in Christ - John 15:3-8

5.  Pray for yourself to have a clean life and a good witness. Psalm 139:23-24

6.  Pray for Divine appointments for yourself to share the Gospel.

"The effective fervent prayer of a righteous

man or woman is very powerful."  James 5:16

Friends & Family I am Praying For:

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Please contact us to order additional copies of this booklet for your Bible Study Group or Congregation.

God called us to plant a church in Loveland, Colorado that will plant other church for the glory of God, to reach northern Colorado, the west, and the world. The mission of The Well is to connect people to the hope and joy of Jesus. The greatest way for that to happen is for us to help them know Christ personally.

Please pray with us for the Holy Spirit to move across Loveland and northern Colorado quenching every thirsty soul with the Living Water of Christ Jesus! We are praying with you for your family and friends who need to know Christ!

Bill & Stephanie Stevens

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Notes

[←1]

For a listing of history-changing answers to prayer see Harold Lindsell, “Prayer and the Battle for the World,” in Unleashing the Power of Prayer, 294-96.

[←2]

Jack Taylor, “The Laws of Prayer,” in Unleashing the Power of Prayer, 115.

[←3]

BSac—V149 #593—Jan 92—21, D. Edmond Hiebert,  The Significance of Christian Intercession

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