Praying for “The Means to an End”

Text: Romans chapter 10

The End results are most often the product of the previous choices, decisions, and actions

WHAT ARE THE THINGS WE ASK FOR?

Health & Healing -but we don’t practice good nutrition and exercise

Peace & Comfort -but we don’t nurture faith in God

Wisdom, Guidance & Direction - but we don’t spend dedicated time in the study of God’s word

Strength & Deliverance -but we don’t forsake the sin that leads us into our own captivity

Salvation of loved ones -but we don’t witness to them or even pray for them often

Safety & Security -but we reject God’s guidance and limitations on our own desires, and put ourselves in peril

Footnotes:

So often I see behaviors that are leading to disaster, but people don’t want to hear the rebuke, and to be honest I am often too timid to offer it.

But every END result is the natural outcome of the decision and choices made prior to the result. Our choices do have

consequences.

Of all the things we can pray for of the greatest significance is the salvation of others, but today we will look at what

are the means to that end and consider praying for those

steps which lead to salvation

The Desired End: SALVATION

Romans 10:1, 9-10, 13

“My heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for

their salvation”. (verse:1)

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and

believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteous-ness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation”. (vs:9-10)

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be

Saved”. (verse13)

The Needed Means

“How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without one to proclaim?” (Romans 10:14-15)

The essential need is for someone to share the truth of the gospel with them

The Means to the Desired End

Open Doors for the Word (God) Col 4:2-3

Open Mouths to witness (God & us) Eph 6:19

Open Eyes to the Light God & us) Acts 26:18

Open Hearts to believe (God) Acts 16:14

Open Fields to harvest (God & us) Luke 10:2

Footnotes:

Col 4:2-3 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;”

Ephesians 6:19 “pray in my behalf, that speech may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,”

Acts 26:18 “I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God,”

Acts 16:14 A woman named Lydia was listening; she was a seller of purple fabrics from the city of Thyatira, and a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.”

Luke 10:2 The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Praying for Salvations

For God to give US open doors to share our faith

For God to give US boldness to share, even the courage to speak

For God to open the eyes of the lost to give them understanding

For God to open their heart to believe in order to be saved

For God to send US to the lost so they can be saved