There are some things that you can never see unless Christ lives and dwells in you. There are some things you see, but what you see on the surface isn’t the whole and true picture. More important than what your physical eyes can see is what you can see and perceive with your spiritual eyes. When a person can’t see beyond the surface, beyond outward appearance, the person is spiritually blind. A spiritually blind person can’t discern, understand and appreciate the ways of God. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”. The first problem of someone who hasn’t received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour is that he is a natural man who takes everything at face value. His judgement is clouded, his understanding of the things of God is very shallow. It’s hard for him to place any importance on the things of God. We see this play out on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came on the disciples and they began to speak in new tongues. Some people mocked them and said they were full of wine and basically drunk. The natural man, the person that isn’t saved, mocks the people of God and the things of God because they appear foolish to him and an utter waste of time. And the reason why these things appear foolish to the unsaved person is because he lacks spiritual understanding; he is spiritually blind.
Spiritual blindness is a terrible thing. It can keep you from receiving what God has planned for you. It can set you on the wrong path. It can block your mind from hidden truths that can transform your life.
In 1 Timothy 2:1-4 God tells us to offer supplications, prayers, and intercessions for kings and all those in authority. The reason for this is twofold: God wants us to enjoy a peaceful life, and God wants all men to be saved. For our prayers and intercessions to affect the souls of those who are not saved, we must pray with understanding. We must pray, addressing the key issues that hold people in bondage and captivity and keep them from coming to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 tells us that the gospel is veiled to those who are perishing; to those who do not know Christ. Their minds have been blinded by Satan, who is the god of this age, and who keeps people from receiving and believing in the gospel of Christ. And so, we must always pray that every scale covering the eyes, minds and destinies of lost souls fall off, so that they can turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God (Acts 26:18).
Jesus was very passionate about the things He prayed for. When Jesus saw the lost, He had compassion for them (Matthew 9:36-38). Moved by a heart of compassion, He told His disciples to pray to the Lord of harvest to send in labourers into His harvest field. The prayer point Jesus gave His disciples to pray for lost souls was not a mechanical, ritualistic, half-hearted prayer. It stemmed from a heart of compassion and a deep burden to see lost souls saved.
The prayer of a righteous man for lost souls is powerful and effective, if the prayer is rooted in God’s Word and comes from a place of spiritual understanding and compassion. Paul said in Romans 10:1, “…My heart’s desire and prayer for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” Paul didn’t just pray; his prayer was backed with a strong desire to see souls saved. When our heart’s desire, prayer and God’s will all come together and work together, beautiful things happen in the spiritual realm. We become vessels God uses to recuse lost souls from the clutches of Satan. A soul winner is one who wins spiritual battles on his knees. Armed for battle, he devotes time to pray and intercede for the release of people from the prison of sin and darkness.
As we pray for lost souls, let’s remember that faith without works is dead. Praying for the lost and not taking any practical step to reach out to lost souls, robs our prayers of life and testimonies. The equation for reaching out to lost souls is balanced when there is a heartfelt desire for lost souls, which generates persistent and fervent prayers for the lost, and is accompanied with acts of evangelism.
We have been saved to bring others to Christ; we have been saved to not rest in the place of prayer and evangelism, until the Lord has given spiritual rest to our spouses, children, family, friends, and others connected to us. We have been saved to fill heaven with the joy that comes from one sinner who repents.
PHOTO CREDIT: PIXABAY
