Praying for Others When They Are Far from the Lord
By Vivian Bricker
Bible Reading:
“If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that.” – 1 John 5:16
Over the course of my life as a Christian, I have become more aware of Christian culture. Christian culture is exactly what it sounds like—people like the culture and teachings of Christianity; however, they may not have a strong relationship with Jesus themselves. The college I went to was very much centered around Christian culture and although I was a new Christian, I didn’t fit in. This is because I did not grow up in a Christian home, nor did I go to church each Sunday.
But I did know the Lord and I loved Him. However, for the people at my college, this was not good enough. I tried to make friends, yet most of them tended to be fake and treated me like I was something that needed to be “fixed.” Instead of being uplifted by my fellow peers and friends, I felt like I never belonged. And I didn’t belong, but that is okay.
I didn’t belong with them because we had nothing in common. I had already seen death, I was struggling with depression, and I had to grow up in the real world. My fellow peers had their entire families, they were always happy, and they continued to live in the bubble of Christian culture.
Unfortunately, many of these individuals have since lived lives far from the Lord. When I asked my pastor about this, he told me, “Maybe they didn’t leave the faith. Maybe it was because they never knew the Lord in the first place.” With these wise words, it made me start thinking over various situations, actions, and encounters I have had with other Christians. The Lord tells us that by their fruits we will recognize them (Matthew 7:15-20).
Therefore, if someone bears no fruit, it tells us much about their spiritual walk. If an individual is not bearing fruit and is endorsing sin in their life, it might make us question whether or not they know the Lord. If they knew the Lord, the Holy Spirit would convict them and bring them back to Jesus. However, if they do not have the indwelling Holy Spirit, it would tell us that they never truly placed faith in Jesus.
While we can never know if someone is truly a Christian or not, their actions, words, and behaviors tells us a lot. Whenever we see a loved one or a friend living a life in disobedience to the Lord, we need to pray for them. We cannot change their actions or the course of life they have chosen for themselves, but we can pray for them and ask the Lord to help them.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
The Apostle John tells us, “If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that” (1 John 5:16). As John says here, if we see a fellow brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, we need to pray for them. By praying for them, God will give them life.
Eventually God will cause the person to stop sinning in order to spare them. As believers, we don’t need to pray for any sin that leads to death. Instead, we need to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ whose sin does not lead to death. By doing this, it can help turn them from the error of their ways and bring their heart back to the Lord. What we must do is pray and trust the Lord with the rest.
Is there anyone in your life who is turning away from the Lord? How can you pray for them? Seeing others live in sin can be heartbreaking. How can you help this individual in addition to praying for them? John tells us sin that leads to death should not be prayed for. How can you tell which sins to pray for?
“Dear Lord, my loved one is far from You right now. They have been living a life of sin and it breaks my heart. Please help them to see the error of their ways and turn back to You. I trust You with all things. Amen.”
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