Changing People Through Prayer

Changing People Through Prayer

*READ | **Colossians
1:9-12*<http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?version=49&passage=Colossians+1:9-12>
* *

*Look around any day, and you€ ’²ll see people who need to make changes in
their lives. Maybe you have a sister who does not know Christ or a believing
neighbor who struggles to tame a gossiping tongue. The most powerful way to
effect change in another person€ ’²s life€ ’·or your own€ ’·is by praying. God,
through the apostle Paul, has given us a prayer pattern that is
Christ-centered and specific.*

*Too often, believers are lazy in prayer. We say, € ’³Lord bless so-and-so€ ’´
without giving a single thought to what form the blessing should take. God
does not work in generalities; He makes deliberate movements in every
person€ ’²s life. And He is pleased when we use His Word in communicating with
Him. The prayer from **Colossians
1*<http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?version=49&passage=Leviticus+23:10>
* includes God€ ’²s greatest desires for His children. When we go before the
Lord and continuously read our own name or the name of a friend or family
member into this passage, we are praying His specific will for that person.*

*God answers the Colossians prayer with a transformation of the one whose
name is being called. He delights in responding positively to requests that
someone be filled with knowledge of His will and a desire to please Him!*

*Results may not be instantaneous. We could wait weeks or even years before
we see a loved one turn to Christ or finally witness that gossipy neighbor
bear loving fruit instead of rotten. But behind the scenes, the Lord is
working to build that per-son€ ’²s spiritual understanding and impress on him
or her a desire to choose a faithful lifestyle. Our responsibility is to
keep praying in a Christ-centered and specific manner.*

*Written by Dr. Charles F. Stanley*

*In Touch Ministries*

http://enigo.com/shortlink?s9