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.
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.