Prayers of the faithful using the Bible and prayer. Prayers of the faithful will create an excitement of answered prayer. For prayers of the faithful using the Bible and prayers you will pray effectively for the salvation of others.
Prayers of the faithful – how to pray for the unsaved
Suggestions, for prayers of the faithful, on how to pray effectively for the salvation of others
1. Prayers of the faithful – Pray expectantly
1 John 5:14-15 promises us, “This is the assurance we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.” “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24).
How different our prayers would be, if we were fully convinced of the fulfillment of these promises. Mark 11:27. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 11:27). According to this verse, no one or nothing is in the `too hard’ basket.
2. Pray specifically
Claim by naming your friends and family as God’s purchased possession, in the Name of the Lord Jesus and on the basis of His shed Blood.
3. Pray authoritatively
Although it is God’s will that all be saved, and although He has made provision for the salvation of the whole world, this salvation is entirely limited if we do not take our authority in prayer and claim the salvation of that soul.
Many times our prayers are not answered because we expect God to do something he has given us the authority to do. The Bible says we, as God’s children, have been given authority, “To all who received him, to those who believed on his name, he gave the right (authority) to become (and act like) children of God.” (John 1:12)
4. Pray scripturally
It is Satan’s plan to prevent every unbeliever from receiving Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they can not see the light of the gospel..” But the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:4,5, “I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by man, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding him. With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to God, and change them into men whose heart’s desire is obedience to Christ” (TLB). I love this verse and so does the writer of the Back to the Bible Broadcast tract called, `How I learned to pray for the lost.’
Back to the Bible Broadcast tract
She states: `After more than 20 years of fruitless praying, it seemed that there was no possible chance for my loved ones to come to Christ. But after a few weeks of praying this verse their whole attitude toward Christianity has changed and all resistance seems to be gone.’
How did she do it? She used God’s mighty weapons to pull down Satan’s strongholds by “casting down every argument (or reasoning) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:5a). She cast down imaginations, that forms Satan’s strongholds. Strongholds such as; false doctrine, unbelief, atheistic teaching and hatred, which the enemy may have built up in their thinking.
A professor’s wrong thinking
A professor at a leading Teachers College in Brisbane said to the prospective teachers, `There is enough evidence to cancel out evolution as scientifically viable, but the alternative is untenable to me, so until something else comes up, I will stick with evolution.’
What was he saying? If he accepted creation, he would have to face the fact that there was a Creator. Satan had built up strongholds in his mind to keep him from that commitment. The result of deception and unbelief was that his mind and conscience was corrupted. (Titus 1:15.)
Having cast down imaginations, claim that their thoughts be brought captive to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5b says, “And bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (KJV).
5. Pray deliverance
Claim also their deliverance from the power and persuasion of the evil one. We are literally taking that soul from the kingdom of darkness and translating them into the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13). We bind Satan and his lying spirits and command him to give up the one we are praying for.
6. Pray the conviction of the Holy Spirit
Pray that they will be convicted of sin and their need of a Savior. ‘The only power that overcomes Satan and releases souls from his stranglehold is the power of the Holy Spirit and the only power that releases the energy of the Holy Spirit is the power of believing prayer,’ wrote Paul Billheimer.
The Holy Spirit has the power to so enlighten the mind, awaken the spirit and move the emotion of a man that he will find it easier to yield than to continue in rebellion. We see this of Saul on the Damascus road (Acts 9).
7. Pray that they will ask questions
Questions such as – What is my purpose in living? Whom can I trust? Where will I go when I die? How can I cope? As you pray with love and passion for your loved ones and friends, you will be alert to the Holy Spirit to take opportunities that He will give to you to lead them to Christ, or provide the opportunity for you to invite them to come under the sound of the gospel. That is exciting!
8. Build in the Spirit
Picture with the eyes of faith. See the ones you are praying for coming to Jesus – see them delivered and transformed. By that I mean; just as an architect drafts a plan and sees what his building is going to look like before he commences it, so we too can see, through the eyes of faith, that one we are praying for coming to Jesus, delivered and transformed. Some have `tough cookies’ as loved ones to pray for, but begin to see them through the eyes of the Spirit and God will build that which you declare.
9. Pray frequently
Daniel prayed three times a day (Daniel 6:10). David prayed three times a day (Psalm 55:17). Also, Jesus prayed four times for us to be one (John 17). Claim your loved ones and friends regularly. To remind you, write 2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV.) on the fridge door, bathroom mirror or on the dashboard of the car. Don’t give up. Keep pressing in. “Ask (lit. keep on asking) and it will be given you; seek (lit. keep on seeking) and you will find; knock (lit. keep on knocking) and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7-8). When you are tempted to give up, remember God is always active. It is just that for some, more travail in prayer is needed to set them free from the powers of darkness. This is a principle of intercession.
Click here for a suggested prayer for others to discover the truth.