Prayer As Warfare

Prayer is warfare. When we pray, we are engaging in battle against the forces that would seek to hinder the advance of the gospel in individual lives and our city. Along with the declaration of the gospel and the display of mercy, prayer is a weapon that God has given to us with power to destroy the grip that the enemy has on people and places.  As you intercede for those whom you desire to encounter God’s grace, pray with confidence that you are wielding a weapon of love that can overcome all the deception, hardness and doubt that would keep others from embracing Jesus. I’m praying for you as you pray. Don’t grow weary in this good warfare.Sometimes when we pray, we struggle with exactly what to pray and how to pray. I find that praying God’s word back to him is an effective way to keep me focused in praying and to assure that I am praying according to God’s desires. As you intercede for your friend, consider using the following Scriptures below as a guide or aid in your prayer.“And when he [The Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:” John 16:8, ESVPray that the Holy Spirit would convict your friend of their sin before a righteous God, and of their need for a Savior.“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, ESV 

“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, ESV

 Pray that God would remove the veil that blinds your friend from seeing the truth of Jesus and that they would see Christ as the glorious Savior that He is.“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8, ESVPray that you would be filled with the Spirit and have the boldness to share the gospel with your friend even as you pray for them.“As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” Matthew 13:23, ESVPray that your friend will hear the Gospel, understand it, believe it and bear the fruit of God’s transforming grace.These are just a few of the passages that you could use as a guide in your prayer time. As you pray, open up your Bible and you will find that there are countless other Scriptures you can pray through as you intercede for your friend by name.Please register your participation by emailing byname@theparadoxchurch.com Please include your name and the names of those you are praying for.You can download wallpaper for your phone or computer as a reminder to pray for them daily. Download hereFind this blog, and others at the By Name Blog.