Friends, Family, and Foe (Empower Me! Prayer Series 9 of 15)

How to pray for the lost: friends, family, and others in  your sphere of influence.

We pray for ourselves.  We pray for the sick.  We pray for our church.  We pray for our nation.  We pray for the unreached people of other nations.  We pray for the lost, in general.  

Do you pray for the lost people you know?  Do you pray for your family members who do not know Christ?  Do you pray for friends and coworkers/schoolmates who are lost?  Do you pray for your enemies who are lost?  This is our circle of influence, the people we regularly come in contact with in our daily lives.  Often we overlook these people because we know them so well, we know their sins, their mistakes.  

Luke 19:10 says, "...to seek and to save that which was lost."  If this was important to Jesus, how much more important the lost should be to us.  What can we do everyday to save those around us.  We can pray.  We can pray that the Holy Spirit opens their hearts.  My favorite prayer for the lost is based on Ephesians 1:17-19:

"that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding[a] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power "  

Do you remember Lydia? 

"Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us"

Spend time today, praying for the lost within your sphere of influence.  Pray that their heart be open.  Pray that they receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.  Pray that their eyes and hearts be opened.  Pray that they come to know that God loves them so much that He gave His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, so whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  (John 3:16)



Who do you know does not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior?  Family?  Friends?  Coworkers?  Classmates?  Today, right now, write down their names.  Begin to pray for them.  

A few may only require a prayer or two.  However, many will require persistence in your prayers.  Do not quit.  Do not give up.  Their life depends on it.