Dr. Wesley L. Duewel- 4. Claim God's promise for salvation or need (a) Plant your faith firmly on the promises of God which apply to the person for whom you are praying. (b) Keep alert to any other promise which may apply as new situations develop. (c) Ask God to make some special promise come alive to you for this person.
While you are reading the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit may grip your heart by impressing upon you a particular verse or passage. Hold on in prayer and plead that Scripture again and again. (Google image, Pointing to Scripture)
5. Persevere in prayer: (a) Remind God that you love the person and know that His divine love will never cease reaching out. (b) Recognize that some of God's greatest answers to prayer do not come instantly. The seeming silence of God does not imply that God is inactive.
Often it takes time to disentangle a person's thinking from error, prejudice, or willfulness. He may not be able to recognize God's voice or fully understand what God is trying to say. Be willing to be as patient as the Holy spirit.
(c) Remember that no prayer you pray is ever lost. Perhaps every time you pray, the Holy Spirit speaks in some new way to the person. (d) Recognize that God's purposes are usually accomplished within a person's mind and heart. God may choose to use overt means of intervention—such as blocking a trip, causing cancellation of plans, permitting illness.
But whether or not you can discern God's activity in the life of the person for whom you are praying, you can be sure God is at work. (e) Remember that outward appearances are often the exact opposite of what is happening within.
God may be knocking the most loudly at the very time the person puts on a brazen exterior and seems totally unresponsive. God reminded Saul that it was painful to kick against the promptings of the holy Spirit.
Thus Saul, the persecutor, seemed most violently opposed to Christ at the very time the Holy Spirit was goading his conscience with the memory of the radiant face and forgiving prayer of Stephen (Acts 26:14).
(f) Believe God in the face of discouraging symptoms and hostile reactions. It is not God's will that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). (g) God may lead you to enlist the prayer of others. This must always be done with the assurance of God's guidance and with subtlety and discretion. You want to unite in prayer to bring power and blessing, not to offend.
(h) God may lead you to tell the person that you are remembering him or her in loving prayer. Even if that person does not show appreciation a the time, God may bring to his memory your patient and persistent intercession.
This can be a particularly powerful witness when you pray for a person whom you have no hope of contacting personally. (i) When God has confirmed to your heart a specific prayer assignment, expect God's answer at any time. When a person has been covered and saturated with much prayer for a protracted period of time, it may be that the final yielding to the Lord will come quite suddenly. God does not call you to pray in vain. Pray, believe, and praise till the answer comes.
Sometimes those for whom we pray may appear to be spiritually unresponsive for years after we have made them an object of our prayers. At such times it is natural to wonder why our praying seems so ineffective. Do not be discouraged. God may be accomplishing far more than you realize.
Father, help us plant our faith firmly on Your promises as we pray for others. Keep us alert to other promises that may apply to new situations, to make them come alive for the ones we're praying for.
Today's Bible verses-
~ Dane Ortlund- "It is our regenerate state that has more deeply sensitized us to the impropriety of our sins. Our sins feel far more sinful after we have become believers than before. And it's not only our felt perception of our sinfulness; we do indeed continue to sin big sins. And that's what Christ's advocacy is for. It's God's way of encouraging us not to throw in the towel. Yes, we fail Christ as his disciples. But his advocacy on our behalf rises higher than our sins. His advocacy speaks louder than our failures. All is taken care of." [p. 91 of GENTLE and LOWLY]
~ Where we pray may differ from where others pray, but if it works for you, make it a place where you can meet alone with God. The needs of family and friends come to mind, as we recall various needs and requests. The Lord hears our heart’s cry, and knows what to do. He understands and moves to help each one.
Today's popular post-
The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,
located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,
broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15
You can view past services too.
Sermon listing: https://www.
Thanks for sharing Jean. Good word
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Jean. Good word
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Jean. Good word
ReplyDeleteThanks Jean for sharing
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