Praying for unsaved loved ones is one of the most important things we can do as Christians.
The Christian walk, if done correctly, is a mighty struggle. It shouldn’t be easy and free of tension and inner conflict. To be in this world and in His word and Will can and should be a challenge. We have to be constantly working on making ourselves righteous and Holy and acceptable to our God.
To show our love for Him, we must be obedient to Christ (John:14:23).
As Christians, we are called to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).. We are called to be the light. By God’s grace, I am that for my sister-friends. They know it. And I know it. More importantly, God knows it. And that really does my heart good.
I find that so many people believe that generically believing that a God exists is enough. They do not look to go further than that. They don’t look to do as Jesus commanded them. They do not wholeheartedly believe in fundamental Christian groundwork, like The Holy Bible and Jesus as God.
Sin is normative. And God is whatever they say He is. That mentality is insufficient, dangerous, and problematic.
Often, people do not want to deal with the hoopla of spirituality or religion, so they make- up their own rules about who God is so they can comfortably live their life of sin and still call themselves “Christian.” They feel guilt-free.
Within the last year or so, more than ever, I’ve had a huge burden on my heart to pray for my unsaved loved ones. I have been very intentional in trying to let them see God and His truth and wonder in me.
Some of them cringe at the thought of sitting through a Church service.
Others are on the fence about their beliefs.
But, in our close relationships and deep talks, I know that they are not saved and do not necessarily care to be or do God’s will. I pray for them earnestly and often. But, it frequently pains me to see women I love, unsure about their salvation, unchurched, and uncovered in this brutal, sinful world. If they died today, they nor I, know where they would go (John 14: 6). My love for them allows me to be deeply scared for them.
My loved ones came to spend a weekend with me. And part of the weekend was for us to go to my Church for Sunday service. I have been looking forward to it for many weeks and have been praying about it too.
I noticed that a few hours before service was to begin, a lackluster energy ensued amongst my friends, as they lay in bed. No one got up for Church with the same enthusiasm they did to go out to dinner or other “fun” places. I can’t lie, I was deeply discouraged. Essentially, a few of them said they no longer felt like going.
In my feelings, I decided to stream Church online. My Pastor was preaching about being an enemy of Christ and being shameless in our sin. I knew they were listening because they began a conversation amongst themselves, essentially mocking the principles that my Pastor was preaching against (sex before marriage, homosexuality, a man and a woman living together before marriage etc..)
When my friends began mocking those sentiments, I couldn’t help but feel like they were mocking me and my beliefs. So, I began praying for myself, that I would not take offense to where they were Spiritually.
I stayed quiet in that conversation and simply continued to pray– a habit I have learned to exercise when I am upset.
Then God began to speak to me. “They are not mocking you, they are mocking Me”, He said (1 Thessalonians 4). He started to speak to my heart and urged me to let the offense go. God reminded me of a lesson that He recently taught me through my Pastor. You cannot expect people who are not in the Spirit to see things Spiritually.
Wordly people,who are not yet willing to be in the Spirit, think in a worldly way. And the Spirit and the world speak two different languages.
Wordly people will only be able to see things in the Spirit when they are willing and ready.
You can engage in a tense conversation with someone who genuinely is interested in trying to understand our Holy Father and trying to figure out their faith. But, many people are hardened and only want to debate Spiritual things for the sake of debating. They have no desire or interest to truly know the one and only living God.
Once, I was done praying for myself. I continued to pray for my friends. And I knew that even though we didn’t make it to the House of God, I am constantly trying to exemplify who God is to them by being the best possible person I can be–by showering them with my service, hospitality, love, grace, forgiveness, and compassion. I am grateful that they at least got to hear the word of God from a man of God.
There is an undeniable anointing, protection, wisdom, power, and blessing over my life. For the life of me, that is all I want for my loved ones. I desperately want them to have the same access to the goodness of God that I do. I am so thankful that God is an understanding and merciful God, who is always willing to accept His children whenever they are ready.
I know that I cannot always explain my Spiritual experience to my worldly loved ones, but I do pray that one day, I can. And I understand that at times I may be ridiculed for holding steadfast to my beliefs and my calling. But, I do know that the perks of being in God’s will and doing His will far exceed the momentary discomfort of being misunderstood or under seige by people.
If you have a loved one who is unsaved, I encourage you to lift up this special prayer on their behalf:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for being a God who sees and wants us all. I lift up [ ] to You. I thank You for placing them in my life so that I can be a representation of You to them.
Give me the Grace and the heart to minister to them in any way You deem fit. God, I pray that You call them away from their sin and protect them from dangers seen and unseen. For we know there are many dangers lurking in our lives that we are not completely privy to. We know there is a constant fight for us and against us in the Spiritual realm.
I know that You are a God that is concerned about every one of Your wandering sheep. I pray that my loved ones are divinely blessed just by being connected to me.
Thank You for Your Grace and Love that covers a multitude of all our sins. May You save them, Church them, and call them back to Your will. I am available to be used by You, for them.
In Jesus’ name, your daughter prays.
Amen.
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