2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Sometimes if we or someone close to us is still hanging onto old things Jesus has redeemed us from, we may need to start picturing ourselves or that person for who God created them to be, rather than how they currently appear.
We can pray Scripture over them, knowing God desires to transform our loved ones through His Word. If you have never used Scripture to pray for someone, simply take a verse and put their name in it, then use it as a prayer for their life. For example,
Father, I pray that Christ would dwell in (name’s) heart through faith; that (he or she), being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that (name) may be filled with all of Your fullness God. (Taken from Ephesians 3:17-19.)
As we read this, we see God filling our hearts and increasing our wisdom to walk in love towards each other. We can and should thank God that we and our loved ones are being transformed by His goodness. Another great thing to pray is 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Put both your name and your spouse’s name (or a family member) in it as you read, and picture the two of you acting this way. We realize this may be a really big stretch for some of you right now, but as the old saying goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Always remember, through asking Jesus for help, we are able to become consistently Christ-like in our actions.
Romans 4:17 tells us our God “…gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist” (ESV). What does this mean? It’s kind of like calling a dog to come to you when it’s out of your sight at the moment. You keep calling the dog when you want it to come to you because you know it is within hearing distance and will eventually appear.
In other words, even when things aren’t going the way we want or the way God wants in our life, when we consistently pray and declare God’s Word over ourselves and those we love, we bring His power on the scene. As we are persistent to pray daily, meditating on praiseworthy reports, it may take some time, but we will eventually see results because God’s Word does work when we don’t give up on applying it. (See Isaiah 55:11.)
Maybe, as you’re reading this today, having a relationship with God is a new concept to you. Maybe you grew up hearing about religion that was legalistic and unkind, but never learned about true loving relationship. God is not mad at you. He’s madly in love with you! If you don’t know God’s love in a personal way, He’s just waiting for you to invite Him in. God wants to help you with every area of your life! If you want to connect with God and have the help He greatly desires to give you, all you need to do is ask Him into your heart today. As Romans 10:9-10 encourages us,
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (NIV)
Praying that you are encouraged and strengthened in Christ,
Pastor Shaun
