“I tell you, although he will not get up and supply him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs” (Luke 11:8 AMP).
If, as God tells us in 1 Timothy 2:4, it’s His will for all men to be saved, why aren’t we seeing more of the masses of lost people born again every day? Have you ever wondered that?
I have…and as I’ve sought the Lord about it, I’ve come to realize that, for the most part, it’s because those of us who are already saved don’t pray persistently for those who aren’t.
Instead of persevering—staying before the Father, praying for them to receive the bread of salvation— like the man in Luke 11:8 did for his friend, when we don’t see immediate results, we simply give up and go home.
What we don’t realize is this: Perseverance is the key to success in intercession!
Why? It’s certainly not because you have to change God’s mind. He never changes. His mind’s made up. He wants all men saved. The reason you have to persevere in intercession is to put pressure on the demonic forces that are trying to keep God’s will from being accomplished.
Those forces must be broken down through prayer so that strongholds are destroyed and spiritual blinders are removed from the spiritual eyes of the people you’re praying for.
You see, God will not go against the will of any person. But He will move through your intercession to reveal Himself to them. Through your persistent prayers, He will bring them to the knowledge of their need for Him. Then they’ll reach out for Him and spiritual rebirth can take place!
If you’re sitting around waiting on God to save Aunt Mary or Uncle Jim or your best friend…stop sitting around! Get busy interceding for them. Persevere in prayer.
Pray the prayer in Ephesians 1:16-23 for them, refusing to give up until they’re safely inside God’s kingdom. Jesus has already laid down His life so that they can be saved. The question is, will you?
Scripture Reading: Luke 11:1-10
Excerpt permission granted by
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka: Kenneth Copeland Ministries
For the last 50 years Kenneth and Gloria Copeland have been passionately teaching Christians all over the world how to apply the principles of faith found in God's WORD to their lives.
They have seven ministry offices around the world: United States, Canada, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Ukraine and Latin America. Their God-given directive is to preach and teach the uncompromised WORD of God on every available voice, which is being accomplished through a variety of channels, including our Believer's Voice of Victory TV and radio broadcasts, podcast and magazine; Believers' Conventions, Victory Campaigns and Living Victory meetings; published books, website, and social media channels, to name a few.
With the expansion of technology, they have more work to do now than ever. They are determined to let the world know Jesus is LORD, and they are not slowing down anytime soon!