Begin with Prayer

Billy Graham once said, “Prayer is crucial in evangelism: Only God can change the heart of someone who is in rebellion against Him. No matter how logical our arguments or how fervent our appeals, our words will accomplish nothing unless God’s Spirit prepares the way.”

So why pray for people who are far from God? Why not just share the Gospel with them and move to the next person? Sharing the good news of the Gospel is always appropriate, but without prayer, our good intentions can be like planting good seeds in dry, hardened soil.

Prayer is like a tool that softens people’s hearts to receive the Gospel, much like a plow tills the ground for the seed to take root. Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.” When we pray for people, the Father draws them to His Son.

The first habit in the B.L.E.S.S. lifestyle is to begin with prayer. As we draw close to God, He lets us feel His passion for souls and invites us to do something powerful—something that defies logic and confounds the enemy. He asks us to pray.

God loves partnering with people. He could have liberated the Israelites from Egypt with a single thought, but He sent Moses. God could have killed Goliath with a word from His mouth, but He sent David. He could have preserved the Jews in Persia by single-handedly eliminating their enemies, but He worked through Esther. And while our role in saving mankind may not become a motion picture as theirs did, God still invites men and women like you and me into this epic battle for souls. We don’t fight with swords or machine guns. Prayer, the weapon God has given us, defies logic and confounds the enemy. Prayer is a two-way conversation between God and us about the people He loves.

Praying for 5 people far from God is something every believer can do on a consistent basis. So why don’t we pray for our unsaved friends and family now?

GUIDED PRAYERS

1. Father, draw them to your Son, Jesus (John 6:44).
2. Father, remove their spiritual blindness so they will believe the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4; Acts 16:14).
3. Father, give them the gift of repentance to turn from their sins (John 16:8; 2 Timothy 2:25-26).
4. Father, give me opportunities and boldness to share the Gospel with them (Colossians 4:3-4; Acts 4:29-31).
5. Father, save them and their whole family (Acts 16:31).

REFLECT

1. Why do you think God wants us to talk to Him about the people He already desperately wants to save?
2. What is one important thing you do consistently in your daily life? What benefits do you gain from it? What do you think might happen if you prayed as consistently for your five as you do this one important thing?