“… Stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.”  Philippians 1:27 (NIV)

Here are four ways you can pray for your friends and family:

1. Pray for an opportunity to talk about Jesus (Colossians 4:3). Ask God to give you an opportunity to tell others about Christ, and to invite them to your small group. God will take you seriously and answer your prayer!

2. Pray for God to prepare hearts. Pastor Rick sometimes asks, “Do you know how God softens hearts? He sends the rain!” Anytime you see someone going through a storm in life, you can know God is softening a heart.

3. Pray for God to tenderize your heart. Ask God to give you a burden, which is just an old-fashioned word that means your heart is tender toward a specific person or group of people.

4. Pray that the words of Jesus will simply take off. Pray that the words of Jesus “will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response” (2 Thessalonians 3:1 MSG), just as they did among the early Christians.

by Jon Walker
used by permission

FURTHER READING

10 Things to Pray for Friends and Family by Sylvia Gunter

Prayer: The Hedge of Protection by John Walker

Prayer-mental, Not Judgmental by Francis Frangipane

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