What Should I Pray For?

We are so glad you have taken your preparation through prayer seriously.  Your Small Group and those you are serving will experience the difference that prayer makes because of your commitment to prayer.  As you have learned the significance of individual prayer, group prayer, and prayer walking it is important that you also know what kinds of issues to pray for.  The focus of prayer should be that God would break down specific barriers that exist in the area that have hindered the Gospel from reaching and being received.  These barriers may be tied to the global evil GIANTS below.

Spiritual Lostness:

For people oppressed by the evil giant of SPIRITUAL LOSTNESS who haven’t yet heard of or accepted Jesus, pray the following:

That God Draws Them to Himself
John. 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”

That They Seek to Know God
Acts 17:27 “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”

Deut. 4:29 “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

That They Believe the Scriptures
1 Thess. 2:13 “And we also thank God continually because when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God.”

Rom. 10:17 “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

That Satan is Bound from Blinding Them to the Truth

Mt 13:19 “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.”

2 Cor. 4:4 “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

That the Holy Spirit Works in Them
John. 16:8-13 “When (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. He will guide you into all truth.”

That They Believe in Christ as Savior
John. 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

John. 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, he has cross over from death to life.”

That They Turn From Sin
Acts 17:30, 31 “(God) commands all people everywhere to repent.”
Acts 3:19 “Repent, then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”

That God Sends Someone to Lead Them to Christ
Matt. 9:37, 38 “Then he said to his disciples, 'the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

That They Confess Christ as Lord
Rom 10:9, 10  “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

That They Yield All to Follow Christ
2 Cor 5:15  “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Phil. 3:7, 8  “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ.”

That They Take Root and Grow in Christ
Col. 2:6, 7  “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

Ego-centric Leadership

Where people are oppressed by the evil of EGO-CENTRIC LEADERSHIP, pray:

That God would deliver them from the cruelty of those in leadership
Psalm 10:17-18  “O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause terror.”

Poverty

Where people oppressed by the evil of POVERTY, pray:

For God to hear their cries and minister peace to them
Psalm 12:5  “The Lord replies, 'I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor.  Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.”

Job 34:28  “So they cause the poor to cry out, catching God's attention.  Yes, he hears  the cries of the needy.”

That they would hear the Gospel to give them hope
Luke 4:18  “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.”

For God to release the poor from their poverty
Job 5:11  “He gives prosperity to the poor and humble, and he takes sufferers to safety.”

Disease

Where people are oppressed by the evil of DISEASE, pray:

That God would bring healing
Matt. 4:23  “Jesus Went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”

Ps. 103:2-3  “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases.”

Ignorance

Where there are people oppressed by the evil of IGNORANCE, pray:

That they would receive knowledge and wisdom to give them freedom and hope
Hos. 4:6  "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

Prov. 2:6  “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

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