Bringing Out the Big Gun
Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20
Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 6:18
Maybe you want to share the good news about Jesus with a non-Christian friend. And you figure that starts with explaining all about Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection. Whoa-back up! There’s a step that comes even before that.
Talking to people about Jesus actually begins with prayer.
Prayer doesn’t mean we mumble to God using thee and thou and big words we don’t understand. Prayer is talking to God in simple language about our everyday thoughts, feelings, and concerns. And we can be totally confident that God hears us when we pray. In fact, God eagerly waits for us to come to him in prayer. We are his children, and he values every minute we spend with him.
God really wants to hear us pray for our non-Christian friends. How come? There are two huge reasons:
1. Prayer gets us close to God. Prayer unplugs our minds from music and Web sites and television and video games; and it plugs us into God. Instead of God being a stranger we barely know, he’s an up-close friend. We grow more and more sure he loves us.
When we’ve grown to have a close relationship with God, that’s when it’s time to start talking to him about our friends. As we hang tight with God in prayer, we get hold of his love for the world and the non-Christians he wants to reach through us. And besides that, a close relationship with God is something we can’t pass on to our friends unless we have it ourselves.
2. Prayer is our best weapon in a spiritual battle. When we pray, God acts! Our prayers for our non-Christian friends smash Satan. God prepares our friends to receive our message. And he gives us strength to speak up.
God has his mind made up to do some astonishing things in your school and neighborhood. When you pray, you get hold of God-and you get tuned in to what he intends to accomplish.
Can you see why God wants to spend time with you in prayer? Are you taking advantage of this powerful weapon? Are you making the most of God’s desire to be close to you?
TALK: What would you like to do to improve the time you spend with God in prayer?
PRAY: God, make our prayer life with you deep. Help us to catch your love for the non-Christians all around us.
ACT: Spend some time praying today for someone you want to share your faith with. Go for it!