How to properly pray for others?

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JoyfulFleur

JoyfulFleur

Senior Member
#1
Feb 2, 2014
230
1
18
#1
God has burdened me to pray for my friend who is engrossed with false doctrines. He exposed the dangers of my friend's belief and that He(God) desires for my friend to be freed from these enslaving beliefs. However, the problem here is that I am unsure how to be fervent in prayer and to keep my heart sincere at all times. I do love my friend very much and wish only the best for them, but at times I find myself being vain and praying on the behalf that I may gain the strong friendship we once had instead of seeking God's glory. It has been hard, but I know this what God desires for me to do. There is no question there. I am comforted with the idea that God must know I am able to do this, but I do not know where to start. For a month now, I have prayed everyday for my friend and their family. I have asked God to awaken them, as well as bless them, but I still sometimes feel a lack of power in my prayer. It feels so forced instead of sincere at moments, if that makes sense. Has anyone here had this trouble when praying for someone? If so, what did you do and how does the Bible spiritually instruct us on how to pray? What methods did you find the most effective? I'm not praying against God's Will either, as God had reminded me of 1 Timothy 2:4 when I questioned if my praying was amiss.

In addition to, I have spoken to my friend about the errors of his beliefs. He has received the true gospel in love, but he rejected it and is truly unable to see without God's intervention(as God showed me). Don't get me wrong, I am moved with compassion towards my friend, but as I said, I feel my prayers lack "oomph" at times and that my heart is not always sincere.
 
dcontroversal

dcontroversal

Banned
#2
Dec 12, 2013
46,515
20,395
113
#2
To the Father dia the name of Jesus and that the will of God concerning the truth and your friend would be done....it is not wrong to pray for God to open his eyes to the truth...!
 
crossnote

crossnote

Senior Member
#3
Nov 24, 2012
30,708
3,650
113
#3
Your prayers are accepted through Christ's blood and righteousness.
We may flub along in our prayers but God still receives them just as if Christ prayed them...

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
(Rom 8:26-27)
 
Willie-T

Willie-T

Banned
#4
Feb 7, 2015
22,418
413
0
#4
JoyfulFleur said:
God has burdened me to pray for my friend who is engrossed with false doctrines. He exposed the dangers of my friend's belief and that He(God) desires for my friend to be freed from these enslaving beliefs. However, the problem here is that I am unsure how to be fervent in prayer and to keep my heart sincere at all times. I do love my friend very much and wish only the best for them, but at times I find myself being vain and praying on the behalf that I may gain the strong friendship we once had instead of seeking God's glory. It has been hard, but I know this what God desires for me to do. There is no question there. I am comforted with the idea that God must know I am able to do this, but I do not know where to start. For a month now, I have prayed everyday for my friend and their family. I have asked God to awaken them, as well as bless them, but I still sometimes feel a lack of power in my prayer. It feels so forced instead of sincere at moments, if that makes sense. Has anyone here had this trouble when praying for someone? If so, what did you do and how does the Bible spiritually instruct us on how to pray? What methods did you find the most effective? I'm not praying against God's Will either, as God had reminded me of 1 Timothy 2:4 when I questioned if my praying was amiss.

In addition to, I have spoken to my friend about the errors of his beliefs. He has received the true gospel in love, but he rejected it and is truly unable to see without God's intervention(as God showed me). Don't get me wrong, I am moved with compassion towards my friend, but as I said, I feel my prayers lack "oomph" at times and that my heart is not always sincere.
Click to expand...
You make me smile. God has moved the most powerfully in my life and petitions when I felt my praying was the most ineffectual.

And, according to Scripture, THAT is exactly what He is waiting for.
 
Angela53510

Angela53510

Senior Member
#5
Jan 24, 2011
11,782
2,947
113
#5
This is a piece of Scripture I pray every night for my loved ones who are not saved or walking far from God.

"I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened." Pray your friend's eyes will be enlightened to the truth!

"15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." Eph. 1:15-23
 
Joidevivre

Joidevivre

Senior Member
#6
Jul 15, 2014
3,838
271
83
#6
It helps to first of all get a sense of the presence of Christ waiting to receive your prayer. Imagine yourself leading your friend up to Jesus. Then tell Jesus how you feel about this friend and what you want for this person in your own words.

No better prayer than that.

The most powerful answers to prayer in our family have come from the children praying something very very simply from their heart.
 
JoyfulFleur

JoyfulFleur

Senior Member
#7
Feb 2, 2014
230
1
18
#7
Thank you all for the encouragement, reassurance, and providing of Scriptures. What a faith booster!! :)

In regards to the advice given to me, what would your advice be on fasting? I have often wondered how long a person should fast for due to the nature of their prayer. We are undoubtedly fighting a spiritual battle when we pray for others; as the Bible has stated that Satan blinds people's eyes and hearts so they may not see nor understand the gospel. I have only fasted for a day so far, since I have not practiced this enough to prolong for a longer period time. However, my goal is to fast for a week if I am able resist my stomach and just concentrate on the Lord and His guidance. :p I personally haven't felt led by the spirit to do a big fast but I have,nonetheless, felt "nudged" to do some sort of fast(which I did even though it was just a day). Are there any Scriptures that you guys may know of that focuses on the topic of fasting? or maybe even have had experience with fasting? I do know God needed people to fast in order to see the result of their prayer. Next to faith, fasting can play a key role in praying!
 
JoyfulFleur

JoyfulFleur

Senior Member
#8
Feb 2, 2014
230
1
18
#8
Joidevivre said:
It helps to first of all get a sense of the presence of Christ waiting to receive your prayer. Imagine yourself leading your friend up to Jesus. Then tell Jesus how you feel about this friend and what you want for this person in your own words.

No better prayer than that.

The most powerful answers to prayer in our family have come from the children praying something very very simply from their heart.
Click to expand...
I really like this idea and can see myself having an easy time with this. Thank you for suggesting this to me. :)
 
Willie-T

Willie-T

Banned
#9
Feb 7, 2015
22,418
413
0
#9
Joidevivre said:
It helps to first of all get a sense of the presence of Christ waiting to receive your prayer. Imagine yourself leading your friend up to Jesus. Then tell Jesus how you feel about this friend and what you want for this person in your own words.

No better prayer than that.

The most powerful answers to prayer in our family have come from the children praying something very very simply from their heart.
Click to expand...
Yep, no formulas... no techniques. We don't do it, He does. All He ever said to do was ask, and mean it.

He even scoffed at (and rejected) the polished and practiced prayer of the Hot Shot at the wall.
 
Joidevivre

Joidevivre

Senior Member
#10
Jul 15, 2014
3,838
271
83
#10
Fasting is done when you feel the Lord is calling you to do it - not because you think it gives you more power in your prayers. If you sense the Lord asking you to do this, He will tell you how long and what to fast from.

I have found that my prayers have more power released when I continually thank the Lord that He is releasing His truth and love to a person. Praise silences the enemy (in Psalms), and praise is faith at its most active.

My daughter was delivered from drugs largely due to my continual praising the Lord that He was setting her free according to one particular promise I found in Isaiah "All your children shall be taught of God and great shall be their peace". I visualized Him with her daily, and kept my thanks lifted to Him. It caused me to focus on what He was doing instead of her weakness.

And each day, He led me to a scripture that I was to pray into her life. I visualized this happening and praised, praised, praised. It happened very quickly when I started doing this. On drugs for 3 years. Only 4 weeks of praying like this. One night she was with a group of friends, wasted and actually heard God audibly speak to her "........what are you doing?" She was completely sober, and ran home from her friends. Never took drugs again.

Just an example of what praise does. Let the Lord show you what He wants to give her... and try it.
 
JoyfulFleur

JoyfulFleur

Senior Member
#11
Feb 2, 2014
230
1
18
#11
Joidevivre said:
Fasting is done when you feel the Lord is calling you to do it - not because you think it gives you more power in your prayers. If you sense the Lord asking you to do this, He will tell you how long and what to fast from.

I have found that my prayers have more power released when I continually thank the Lord that He is releasing His truth and love to a person. Praise silences the enemy (in Psalms), and praise is faith at its most active.

My daughter was delivered from drugs largely due to my continual praising the Lord that He was setting her free according to one particular promise I found in Isaiah "All your children shall be taught of God and great shall be their peace". I visualized Him with her daily, and kept my thanks lifted to Him. It caused me to focus on what He was doing instead of her weakness.

And each day, He led me to a scripture that I was to pray into her life. I visualized this happening and praised, praised, praised. It happened very quickly when I started doing this. On drugs for 3 years. Only 4 weeks of praying like this. One night she was with a group of friends, wasted and actually heard God audibly speak to her "........what are you doing?" She was completely sober, and ran home from her friends. Never took drugs again.

Just an example of what praise does. Let the Lord show you what He wants to give her... and try it.
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That's a wonderful testimony. :) I am so happy to hear that your daughter was delivered. How great is God!

That is to say, I definitely see your point on how fasting is something God will call us to do if He feels it's necessary. Personally, I did feel led to fast when I did. There was this constant nudge during my time of prayer that didn't seem to leave until I ended up going through with the fast. It was a good experience and l felt a sense of closeness to God as I primarily focused on Him. Now that I thought over what you said, I'm not sure if I'm going to do another one. I think God will nudge me again when He feels I should do it, so I'll wait for that. :)
 
crossnote

crossnote

Senior Member
#12
Nov 24, 2012
30,708
3,650
113
#12
I would only fast if you have time to accompany it with prayer and bible devotion.
Prayer and fasting seems linked in Scripture...


Mat_17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Mar_9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

Act_10:30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

Act_14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

1Co_7:5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency
 
secularhermit

secularhermit

Banned
#13
May 3, 2013
8,719
75
0
#13
JoyfulFleur said:
God has burdened me to pray for my friend who is engrossed with false doctrines. He exposed the dangers of my friend's belief and that He(God) desires for my friend to be freed from these enslaving beliefs. However, the problem here is that I am unsure how to be fervent in prayer and to keep my heart sincere at all times. I do love my friend very much and wish only the best for them, but at times I find myself being vain and praying on the behalf that I may gain the strong friendship we once had instead of seeking God's glory. It has been hard, but I know this what God desires for me to do. There is no question there. I am comforted with the idea that God must know I am able to do this, but I do not know where to start. For a month now, I have prayed everyday for my friend and their family. I have asked God to awaken them, as well as bless them, but I still sometimes feel a lack of power in my prayer. It feels so forced instead of sincere at moments, if that makes sense. Has anyone here had this trouble when praying for someone? If so, what did you do and how does the Bible spiritually instruct us on how to pray? What methods did you find the most effective? I'm not praying against God's Will either, as God had reminded me of 1 Timothy 2:4 when I questioned if my praying was amiss.

In addition to, I have spoken to my friend about the errors of his beliefs. He has received the true gospel in love, but he rejected it and is truly unable to see without God's intervention(as God showed me). Don't get me wrong, I am moved with compassion towards my friend, but as I said, I feel my prayers lack "oomph" at times and that my heart is not always sincere.
Click to expand...
Maybe these lines help you, a little.

https://misspurpletouch.wordpress.com/2015/06/10/answered-prayer/comment-page-1/#comment-38
 
B

BarlyGurl

Guest
#14
#14
Fasting is a way to purify YOURSELF and draw closer to God. It is to bring your flesh/body into subjection while seeking the Lord, thus strengthening you in spirit. Fasting is a practice which can help you achieve better spiritual insight and intimacy with God. I encourage you to fast and grow spiritually. Feel free to PM me if youhave private questions.
Be encouraged!
 
JoyfulFleur

JoyfulFleur

Senior Member
#15
Feb 2, 2014
230
1
18
#15
Thank you for the encouragement, guys! :) I appreciate it! And that testimony that secularhermit shared was awesome! It gave me a lot of hope for the future.

Also, I thought I'd share something that had just happened to me earlier this afternoon:

Today, I went downstairs to do my usual daily prayer. As I sat on the couch thanking God and praying for my friend, I opened up my Bible to do some reading. When I opened it up, the very first thing I read was, "Thus says the Lord, keep judgement and do justice; for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed." - Isaiah 56:1. My only response to that was, "Oh my goodness!"

I continued to read the entire chapter, and as I had finished, I thought to myself, "Lord, is this from you or am I just interpreting this for my own cause?" Immediately, I felt 'read Isaiah 56:1' in my spirit. The feeling was so strong and I knew right then, this was God speaking to me through His Word.

In addition to what makes this incident more interesting, is that I said my prayer a little differently today than I usually do. I decided to ask God to purify and sanctify my friend, as well as convict him. Before, I never asked that in my prayers. I'm not sure why haven't, but it just never crossed my mind until someone had mentioned doing that. So I decided to take their advice into action and...yeah, that's what happened. :)

It may not seem spectacular but I think it is, considering I've been praying everyday. Just knowing God is answering a prayer that you've prayed for 3 months straight, is the best feeling ever. My faith is growing big time right now!

God is amazing, and I can't wait to see what God is going to do for my friend. :eek:
 
secularhermit

secularhermit

Banned
#16
May 3, 2013
8,719
75
0
#16
He does things like that...

Follow God´s Spirit. Human´s heart is so deceiving.
 
B

BarlyGurl

Guest
#17
#17
JoyfulFleur said:
Thank you for the encouragement, guys! :) I appreciate it! And that testimony that secularhermit shared was awesome! It gave me a lot of hope for the future.

Also, I thought I'd share something that had just happened to me earlier this afternoon:

Today, I went downstairs to do my usual daily prayer. As I sat on the couch thanking God and praying for my friend, I opened up my Bible to do some reading. When I opened it up, the very first thing I read was, "Thus says the Lord, keep judgement and do justice; for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed." - Isaiah 56:1. My only response to that was, "Oh my goodness!"

I continued to read the entire chapter, and as I had finished, I thought to myself, "Lord, is this from you or am I just interpreting this for my own cause?" Immediately, I felt 'read Isaiah 56:1' in my spirit. The feeling was so strong and I knew right then, this was God speaking to me through His Word.

In addition to what makes this incident more interesting, is that I said my prayer a little differently today than I usually do. I decided to ask God to purify and sanctify my friend, as well as convict him. Before, I never asked that in my prayers. I'm not sure why haven't, but it just never crossed my mind until someone had mentioned doing that. So I decided to take their advice into action and...yeah, that's what happened. :)

It may not seem spectacular but I think it is, considering I've been praying everyday. Just knowing God is answering a prayer that you've prayed for 3 months straight, is the best feeling ever. My faith is growing big time right now!

God is amazing, and I can't wait to see what God is going to do for my friend. :eek:
Click to expand...
That is definitely a personal rhema to YOU... I had to read it a couple times before I was able to perceive it... at first I was like hmmm...wha?... then Oh YES!!!!
 
JoyfulFleur

JoyfulFleur

Senior Member
#18
Feb 2, 2014
230
1
18
#18
BarlyGurl said:
That is definitely a personal rhema to YOU... I had to read it a couple times before I was able to perceive it... at first I was like hmmm...wha?... then Oh YES!!!!
Click to expand...
Haha, oops. Was it Isaiah 56:1 you had to read a couple times? Maybe I should have put the important part of the verse in bold and explained myself better there. :p But ,hey, at least you got it. That's the whole point, right?

It definitely is. :eek:
 
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