We’re focusing on prayer this month.  In this third devotion, we’ll learn how prayer is critical in opening lives to the gospel and God’s love:
 
IN WORD   Those who do not believe in the truth have been blinded. That’s what 2 Corinthians 4:4 says. The “god of this age,” Satan, has shrouded this planet in a dark haze of confusion. The gospel, as free and simple as it is, remains a mystery to billions. People don’t see it because they are spiritually disoriented. Information usually isn’t the issue; Satan is. Do you understand the implications of that? The stakes of the spiritual war are eternal.
     If we do not stand firm in our faith and wield our weapons, people die and go to hell. Yes, God is sovereign. But the sovereign God commanded us to pray and to take the gospel into a lost world. The tasks we are called to do are the very tasks the enemy resists most fiercely. This is a high-stakes war, and the faint of heart are not helping.
     That’s why Paul asks for prayer. Evangelism is not a game, it is not a career, and it is not an option. It’s the task of the whole church, and only prayer can make it fruitful.
IN DEED   You may not have realized that you enlisted for a war with eternal consequences, but it’s part of your decision to follow Jesus. You can’t have Him without His mission, and you can’t be part of His mission without coming face-to-face with an evil adversary. Your discipleship will be contentious because it can have devastating consequences for the powers of darkness.
     You are more of a threat than you think. Most of us don’t live as though we are threats to the kingdom of darkness. Even though we are children of the King and seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 1 and 2), we assume that our part in the battle is very small. That may be humble, but it’s unbiblical. God has called us to war. Those who do not fight—aggressively and persistently—are missing part of their calling. A blinded world needs us to stand, to fight, and to pray. “Evangelism is not a human enterprise; it is a divine operation.” —Arthur Skevington Wood  (in “God With Us” by Chris Tiegreen)
 
    One of the strongest influences my mother had on me was that she was a woman of prayer.  Every day without fail, before she got up, she would be kneeling on her bed in prayer for 15 – 30 minutes, praying through a list of people.  Many of those experienced God’s power and came to faith.  It is a practice that I continue to do every morning.
    Every semester, when our students share how they came to study at Singapore Bible College, many shared that it was because someone was praying for them – even before they became a Christian.  This confirms the power of prayer in changing people's lives.
    Praying for others is a privilege and power God has given us.  Praying for our own needs doesn’t even scratch the surface of the influence we could have in this world.
    Continue to read E.M. Bounds’ book, Power Through Prayer, and develop a habit of powerful praying to make an impact far greater than you can ever imagine.  Have a power-filled and blessed week! - from Singapore, Pastor Sam