I have sensed for several years that the prince of this world has dropped a veil over the eyes of an elderly friend of mine, preventing him from seeing Jesus as he is.
So I am praying that Jesus will reveal himself in some way to this man who has attended several of the Alpha courses on Christ, but still does not understand and accept the good news. He hangs on to the forlorn hope that God will judge that he has been good enough to enter the kingdom of heaven.
I know of others, too, who have had difficulty grasping the gospel even when it is explained plainly and graphically. One woman I know belonged to a women's Bible study group and had heard the gospel many times, but it was only as she was listening to the radio as she was driving one day that everything clicked and she rejoiced in what Christ had done for her.
In my mind, this reinforces the truth that it is the Holy Spirit who brings people into the family of God. We are called to speak of Jesus and to show God's love to others; but it is the Spirit who changes hearts. And this may happen in unpredictable ways.
Colin Dye, author of Prayer Explosion: Power for Christian Living, says that Satan is actively trying to subvert Christian efforts to reach those who do not know Christ.
Dye, pastor of Kensington Temple in London, England, speaks from experience. His church has a vast prayer ministry that has been praying and sharing the gospel in London and Africa with striking results.
"The main reason people reject [the gospel] is because they're not ready," says Dye. "The ground isn't prepared and there are spiritual forces that are blinding them."
He quotes the apostle Paul who wrote: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4)
So the prayer warriors in his church - and there are many of them - include prayer against Satan along with prayers for those who don't know Christ as they evangelize.
As Dye notes, Jesus has given us authority to trample over all the power of the enemy. (Luke 10:19) But he advises us to pray together - in support of each other - as we pray against Satan's activities in our cities. We need to uphold each other as Satan can seriously impede us - and hurt us - if we operate alone.
As most of us do, Dye says that he prays for God's mercy on people because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross; for the Holy Spirit to convict people of their need for Christ; and for the Spirit's insight into what to say and do. And he brings before God the Lord's promises from the Bible.
But he also prays against "strongholds" that may be binding people - the thoughts that dominate the minds of people. These thought-lives may be so strong that they may affect large numbers of people and be difficult to dislodge in ordinary conversation.
He mentions an evangelistic mission to the African country of Benin some years ago which was plagued with the dark forces of Voodoo. His church had gone there to help local people present the gospel and found resistance to the message of Christ among non-believers.
The church team spent a lot of time in prayer to break the hold of these evil forces on the people. And, in subsequent trips to that country, hundreds became Christians.
He reports similar prayer stories in London.
Dye notes that if I am to pray effectively for my friend, I must draw close to God in my own life. If the enemy finds a chink in my armour, he will exploit it to my detriment. And I need to seek the Spirit's guidance as I pray.
But, above all, I must pray convinced that God is all-powerful and everything is possible with him.
So I am praying that Jesus will reveal himself in some way to this man who has attended several of the Alpha courses on Christ, but still does not understand and accept the good news. He hangs on to the forlorn hope that God will judge that he has been good enough to enter the kingdom of heaven.
I know of others, too, who have had difficulty grasping the gospel even when it is explained plainly and graphically. One woman I know belonged to a women's Bible study group and had heard the gospel many times, but it was only as she was listening to the radio as she was driving one day that everything clicked and she rejoiced in what Christ had done for her.
In my mind, this reinforces the truth that it is the Holy Spirit who brings people into the family of God. We are called to speak of Jesus and to show God's love to others; but it is the Spirit who changes hearts. And this may happen in unpredictable ways.
Colin Dye, author of Prayer Explosion: Power for Christian Living, says that Satan is actively trying to subvert Christian efforts to reach those who do not know Christ.
Dye, pastor of Kensington Temple in London, England, speaks from experience. His church has a vast prayer ministry that has been praying and sharing the gospel in London and Africa with striking results.
"The main reason people reject [the gospel] is because they're not ready," says Dye. "The ground isn't prepared and there are spiritual forces that are blinding them."
He quotes the apostle Paul who wrote: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4)
So the prayer warriors in his church - and there are many of them - include prayer against Satan along with prayers for those who don't know Christ as they evangelize.
As Dye notes, Jesus has given us authority to trample over all the power of the enemy. (Luke 10:19) But he advises us to pray together - in support of each other - as we pray against Satan's activities in our cities. We need to uphold each other as Satan can seriously impede us - and hurt us - if we operate alone.
As most of us do, Dye says that he prays for God's mercy on people because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross; for the Holy Spirit to convict people of their need for Christ; and for the Spirit's insight into what to say and do. And he brings before God the Lord's promises from the Bible.
But he also prays against "strongholds" that may be binding people - the thoughts that dominate the minds of people. These thought-lives may be so strong that they may affect large numbers of people and be difficult to dislodge in ordinary conversation.
He mentions an evangelistic mission to the African country of Benin some years ago which was plagued with the dark forces of Voodoo. His church had gone there to help local people present the gospel and found resistance to the message of Christ among non-believers.
The church team spent a lot of time in prayer to break the hold of these evil forces on the people. And, in subsequent trips to that country, hundreds became Christians.
He reports similar prayer stories in London.
Dye notes that if I am to pray effectively for my friend, I must draw close to God in my own life. If the enemy finds a chink in my armour, he will exploit it to my detriment. And I need to seek the Spirit's guidance as I pray.
But, above all, I must pray convinced that God is all-powerful and everything is possible with him.
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