A Prayer Warrior know the importance of removing the veil

^{Praying for the Lost - Part 3}

²⁵ When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  Matthew 19:25-26 NIV

Principle: A Prayer Warrior knows the importance of removing the veil

A couple years ago, Pam and I attended my 30^th high school reunion.  What a joy to talk with so many friends that knew us way back when.  We lived at a time when we struggled as teenagers trying to figure life out.  One of the most amazing discussions was talking with a Waycasser.  This guy was a known druggie who came to school on a high almost every day.  But He changed, he told me how he had spent most of the last 25 years on the mission field. Almost unbelievable.   

A couple of years after dropping out of school, he told how they were praying for him at church.  The conviction was so strong that one day he went to a service.  At the end, in brokenness, he asked Jesus to forgive him and change his life.  And that He did.  I remembered as a teenager in our church praying for this family.  His sister was a friend in my class.  My brother and I had prayed for God to help them.  Now I was looking and listening to a transformed life that I did not even know about.

Later that weekend, I was talking with my father who is not a follower of Jesus.  I mentioned seeing this Waycasser family.  My dad, remembered him well.  He had stolen from my dad….probably to buy drugs.  I was then able to tell my dad about his transformation and how he had spent the last 25 years telling others about Jesus and the change He makes in your life.

Our prayers for the lost make a difference.  It is like offering the individual up on a platter to Jesus asking him to notice this individual and consider helping him.  Jesus remembers our prayers long after we forget as He “ever liveth to make intercession for us”. Be encouraged that God continues to work even when we are asleep.

In the last blog we looked at a method of praying effectiviely for the Lost by Lee Thomas. 

1.    Ask God to set them apart (sanctify them).

2.    Ask God to bless them

3.    Ask Holy Spirit to bring conviction of THE SIN of Unbelief.  This sin is the one that rejects the working of Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus as savior and lord.

The fourth step is to ask for Illumination of his mind to the truth.   But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, ⁴ whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. 

Because there is a veil, then there has to be a removal a pulling back of the curtain so to speak.  It is as if a huge window picture has been covered.  The view is spectacular, but is hidden until the curtain is pulled back.  So also, the truth about Jesus has been hidden.  All of our attempts of telling about the view on the other side, remain confusing and hidden to the one who is still blinded by the gospel.

How does the enemy cause blindness? 

Usually, he lets the individual experience something in life in which he makes a judgment against another and ultimately against God.  Perhaps he has had a hard childhood upbringing- parent die, or abusive parents, absentee parents, being poor, or being ridiculed.  He concludes internally, “if God is real and He loves me, then He would not have let this happen…therefor I don’t want to trust in a God like this.” 

Another way that blindness is present comes from the pride of hypocrisy.  A child is raised in church in which he experiences the lives of many “so called” Christians.  These people claim to love Jesus, but are riddled with addiction and major inconsistencies that do not reflect a life transformed by Jesus.  The individual concludes, “I’m better than those people who claim to love Jesus, my sins are not as bad as theirs.  If Jesus doesn’t really change them, He probably will not change me.”  Their own pride keeps them blind to the need for Jesus.

One final way that people remain blind is an exaltation of their own sinfulness.  “I am so bad, there is no way God would save me.  I have made too many mistakes.  I was born this way.  God is not big enough to take care of me and change me.”  This blindness is pride and rooted in an unbelief in God’s power to transform.  This person says I am way stronger than God.  God is for the weak, but He can’t really touch me.  Jesus said that those who think that they can see, will remain in their blindness.  He came to call those who know they are sick not those who think they are healthy.

Removing the blindness is God’s work.  He uses all kinds of ways to do it.  Sometimes major life events open doors, sometimes it is a spoken word, sometimes it is a remembrance of event in their childhood like a mother praying or a Sunday school teacher, or it may be the recollection of a conversation with a youth worker or school classmate.  In an instance, God can begin to pull back the veil of the arguments established in their mind that blinded them to the true love of God. 

When the veil is pulled back it is important that the next step is followed up quickly.  Someone needs to present the word of the gospel again.  I will unfold this step in the next blog. 

What is important for you to realize is that God is pulling back the veil for people every day.  This is the white harvest that Jesus tells us is plentiful.  You and I have the opportunity to share with someone who is ripe to be saved.  It is relatively easy when the veil has been pulled back.  They are hungry and looking for answers.  Today, you may have that opportunity.  Someone else has watered and prepared this person in prayer.  Be looking for an opportunity to reap.

Father, we recognize that we see in part, but you see all things.  Thank you for Holy Spirit’s work in our lives to show us our need for Jesus.  We acknowledge that you opened our eyes to our need.  Would you open the eyes of our loved ones?  Would you make the enemy remove the blinders that he has established in their lives so they can truly see that you are a God who loves them?  Teach us how to pray for people to have the veil removed.  Help us to battle for them that the enemy would have to give them up.  Alert us to those who have been awakened so that we may share the good news of Jesus with them.  In Jesus name, Amen.