Prayer
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone."
-- I Timothy 2:1
Develop a prayer list. Start by praying for those around you, perhaps the people who live next to you and across the street or hallway, your coworkers or your schoolmates. If you don't know their names, pray for opportunities to learn the names and more information about them.
Prayer also for open doors to share Christ.
Pray regularly and practice "prayer walking" - lifting your neighbors to the Lord as you walk past their homes, cubicles or lockers. Consider teaming up with one or more Christian friends, claiming God's promise to be there when two or more pray together in Christ's name.
Suggestions for prayer:
- Pray for people by name, and ask God to minister to their needs - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
- Ask God to use you to demonstrate His love and care.
- Ask God for opportunities to get to know your neighbors, co-workers etc.
- Ask God to build the relationships. (1 Cor. 9:22)
- Ask God to show you ways to meet real needs.
- Ask God for opportunities to witness. (Col. 4:3)
- Ask God for boldness to witness. (Acts 4:29 )
- Ask God to open their spiritual eyes. (2 Cor. 4:4)
- Ask God to set them free from spiritual captivity. (2 Tim. 2:25-26)
- Ask God to give them ears to hear (Matt. 13:15 ), faith to believe (Acts 20:21 ) and the will to respond. (Rom. 10:9)
- Ask God to send people into their life to witness to them. (Matt. 9:38)
- Ask God for an opportunity to invite them to a local outreach event. (Luke 14:23)
- Pray for wisdom about what you should pray!
- The first step is to pray for those in your area of influence. Take a walk! A "prayer walk." Prayer walking your neighborhood, school, or marketplace will allow you to pray short prayers of blessing for each person or family represented. A simple prayer walk for 20 homes may take only a few minutes, or you can stroll your neighborhood a few times, at each pass praying for one of Five Blessings for each person:
Five Blessings
- Body (health)
- Labor (occupation)
- Emotions (stress, family issues)
- Social life (friends, family)
- Spiritual life (things that would cause them to seek God)
