ahigherway
Member
Hello to all here,
We read that Jesus told his disciples that if they prayed for anything according to the Father's will, it would be done for them.
Do you pray for other people to get saved? If so, do they?
Many times, we pray and pray for people, such as family members, friends, enemies, etc, to get saved. Yet they do not.
Why?
I am now beginning to understand, after many years of knowing the Lord, that He is not wanting to save all people at this time. (I have heard this message in the past, but I wasn't able to “get it†until now.) And after years of praying, hoping, and being “disappointed†by how “slack†the Lord seemed to me to be, I am now being shown that God is sovereign. He has also been showing me that it is not me who came to Him, but He who came to me.
What a revelation! God is not waiting for us to “get our act together.†He does all things according to HIS purposes, in HIS time.
After so many years of hearing messages about the need of others to “come to Christ,†the Lord is now showing me that NO ONE can “come to Christ†unless Christ first comes to him.
Yes, I know. We read in many places where God calls people to obey Him, to choose life, etc.
But if we are praying and asking God to save other people, and He is not doing it, what's the deal? Furthermore, where in the scriptures do we read of the disciples praying for people to get saved, and then seeing them “accept Christ?â€
What we do read, however, is that God adds to the church daily, “such as should be saved.†(Acts 2:47)
God does “call†us in scripture, but He knows that we will not come unless He intervenes. We cannot “see†unless HE opens our eyes.
I believe most Christians today are still not understanding this. They believe that it is THEY who have chosen Christ, that it is THEY who “pulled themselves up by their bootstraps.†But they are wrong.
What we should be saying is, “God helps those who CANNOT help themselves.†A Savior is one who saves another who is in peril. Indeed, I was lost on my own. I had no desire for the things of God.
The one day He came to me, and changed me! Praise God! No one else could've done it. No preacher, pastor, televangelist or priest. No one. Not even me. Not even those closest to me, who loved me more than these.
And when He did save me, then others were telling me that I made the choice myself, and I began to despise others who hadn't made “my†choice! But now I see more clearly that it is HE who saved me, and others can do nothing until it is HE who intervenes in their lives, too.
Only GOD is able to see what's in our heart, and work our heart until it is conformed to how HE wants it to be. He knows what we need and how to provide it. We do not. We cannot save ourselves. Only He can do it.
Pray for peace.
Blessings to all,
brian
We read that Jesus told his disciples that if they prayed for anything according to the Father's will, it would be done for them.
Do you pray for other people to get saved? If so, do they?
Many times, we pray and pray for people, such as family members, friends, enemies, etc, to get saved. Yet they do not.
Why?
I am now beginning to understand, after many years of knowing the Lord, that He is not wanting to save all people at this time. (I have heard this message in the past, but I wasn't able to “get it†until now.) And after years of praying, hoping, and being “disappointed†by how “slack†the Lord seemed to me to be, I am now being shown that God is sovereign. He has also been showing me that it is not me who came to Him, but He who came to me.
What a revelation! God is not waiting for us to “get our act together.†He does all things according to HIS purposes, in HIS time.
After so many years of hearing messages about the need of others to “come to Christ,†the Lord is now showing me that NO ONE can “come to Christ†unless Christ first comes to him.
Yes, I know. We read in many places where God calls people to obey Him, to choose life, etc.
But if we are praying and asking God to save other people, and He is not doing it, what's the deal? Furthermore, where in the scriptures do we read of the disciples praying for people to get saved, and then seeing them “accept Christ?â€
What we do read, however, is that God adds to the church daily, “such as should be saved.†(Acts 2:47)
God does “call†us in scripture, but He knows that we will not come unless He intervenes. We cannot “see†unless HE opens our eyes.
I believe most Christians today are still not understanding this. They believe that it is THEY who have chosen Christ, that it is THEY who “pulled themselves up by their bootstraps.†But they are wrong.
What we should be saying is, “God helps those who CANNOT help themselves.†A Savior is one who saves another who is in peril. Indeed, I was lost on my own. I had no desire for the things of God.
The one day He came to me, and changed me! Praise God! No one else could've done it. No preacher, pastor, televangelist or priest. No one. Not even me. Not even those closest to me, who loved me more than these.
And when He did save me, then others were telling me that I made the choice myself, and I began to despise others who hadn't made “my†choice! But now I see more clearly that it is HE who saved me, and others can do nothing until it is HE who intervenes in their lives, too.
Only GOD is able to see what's in our heart, and work our heart until it is conformed to how HE wants it to be. He knows what we need and how to provide it. We do not. We cannot save ourselves. Only He can do it.
Pray for peace.
Blessings to all,
brian
