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I don't want to pray for this person anymore. - 11/5/2008 9:11:17 PM
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ladyichigo
Posts: 540
Joined: 10/23/2007
From: Honolulu
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I used to be friends with this guy who I lead worship with like 10 years ago. He used to be in the same youth group in our church. I witnessed him getting baptized, and watching him walking in Lord, being lead by the Holy Spirit to intercede for people who needed prayer, devoting his time in studying the Word, and prayer.....so, I know that this person has heard and knows the Truth. But now, he's so back-slidden, so much so that he's basically rejected God's truth, and very involved in the world.
The lifestyle he lives is so ungodly, that it would be very difficult to believe that he was once a "worship leader".
Quite frankly, I'm disgusted with this person's disobedience to the One he used to serve. And, yeah I know I should be praying for the Lord to soften his heart and such, but I totally feel like this guy is just a lost cause and I don't want to pray for him anymore.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I humbly ask that you please pray for me, that the Lord will give me the heart, the strength to persevere and pray for this lost lamb. Please pray that the Lord will help me with my unbelief that He will restore this person's faith in Him. Please pray that the Lord will remove the pride in me and empty me of the selfishness inside in not wanting to pray for this back-slidden soul.
_____________________________
Mari
I'm not cool enough to come up with a witty quote, but God is still good.
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RE: I don't want to pray for this person anymore. - 11/5/2008 9:26:45 PM
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mvic
Posts: 1792
Joined: 1/17/2008
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Sometimes, for a variety of reasons, people lose their Faith. Sometimes it's only temporary, and they come back to the Lord eventually. Sometimes it is permanent.
God allows this to happen. He knows people's hearts and the reasons they sometimes lose Faith. Yet, He let's it happen. Because He loves us He gives us free will to choose what we want to do.
At other times God intervenes and sets people back on the "right track" as it were. Remember Paul on the way to Damascus?
It is quite understandable how you feel about this person. It's understandable that you don't want to pray for him. But do this just the once: hand him over to God. Say "God, you know how I feel about this situation. I really can't pray for this person; but I hand him over to your care. If it is your will, he will come back to you."
And then, just leave it at that.
God bless.
_____________________________
Visit http://www.holyvisions.co.uk
My Book My Blog
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RE: I don't want to pray for this person anymore. - 11/6/2008 12:03:16 AM
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Liveloved
Posts: 2069
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ladyichigo
I used to be friends with this guy who I lead worship with like 10 years ago. He used to be in the same youth group in our church. I witnessed him getting baptized, and watching him walking in Lord, being lead by the Holy Spirit to intercede for people who needed prayer, devoting his time in studying the Word, and prayer.....so, I know that this person has heard and knows the Truth. But now, he's so back-slidden, so much so that he's basically rejected God's truth, and very involved in the world.
The lifestyle he lives is so ungodly, that it would be very difficult to believe that he was once a "worship leader".
Quite frankly, I'm disgusted with this person's disobedience to the One he used to serve. And, yeah I know I should be praying for the Lord to soften his heart and such, but I totally feel like this guy is just a lost cause and I don't want to pray for him anymore.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I humbly ask that you please pray for me, that the Lord will give me the heart, the strength to persevere and pray for this lost lamb. Please pray that the Lord will help me with my unbelief that He will restore this person's faith in Him. Please pray that the Lord will remove the pride in me and empty me of the selfishness inside in not wanting to pray for this back-slidden soul.
Oh Mari, Thanks for your honest confession. I have and will pray for you, dear sister. The Lord has revealed this to you so you will intercede for this man---and to show you your own heart. Yup, it takes the pride and throws it right down where it belongs. Bless you. And we cry thank You for Your grace, Lord. Were it not for His intercession, where might we be? Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere. That is the path your friend is headed down. Listen to Larnelle Harris sing 'Were It Not For Grace'. It will encourage you, your heart and your intercession for your friend. The Lord bless you,  Liveloved
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RE: I don't want to pray for this person anymore. - 11/6/2008 6:49:04 AM
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Walker311
Posts: 1343
Joined: 4/11/2005
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quote:
but I totally feel like this guy is just a lost cause and I don't want to pray for him anymore.
I read this and thought how we were all a lost cause and Jesus even said "take this cup from me" knowing that He must die for all the lost causes.
You may be the only one praying for this person. However, if you never pray for this person again, God remembers your burden for this soul.
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RE: I don't want to pray for this person anymore. - 11/6/2008 8:01:51 AM
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URForgiven
Posts: 1211
Joined: 3/22/2008
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ladyichigo
I used to be friends with this guy who I lead worship with like 10 years ago. He used to be in the same youth group in our church. I witnessed him getting baptized, and watching him walking in Lord, being lead by the Holy Spirit to intercede for people who needed prayer, devoting his time in studying the Word, and prayer.....so, I know that this person has heard and knows the Truth. But now, he's so back-slidden, so much so that he's basically rejected God's truth, and very involved in the world.
The lifestyle he lives is so ungodly, that it would be very difficult to believe that he was once a "worship leader".
Quite frankly, I'm disgusted with this person's disobedience to the One he used to serve. And, yeah I know I should be praying for the Lord to soften his heart and such, but I totally feel like this guy is just a lost cause and I don't want to pray for him anymore.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I humbly ask that you please pray for me, that the Lord will give me the heart, the strength to persevere and pray for this lost lamb. Please pray that the Lord will help me with my unbelief that He will restore this person's faith in Him. Please pray that the Lord will remove the pride in me and empty me of the selfishness inside in not wanting to pray for this back-slidden soul.
God works through us. There is a brother who needs your help. Go to him and be his friend. Share with him the truth. Be the truth....love him.
Peace
_____________________________
"Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" Galatians 3:3
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RE: I don't want to pray for this person anymore. - 11/10/2008 4:10:22 AM
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RJR_fan
Posts: 827
Joined: 4/12/2005
From: RTP, in sunny NC USA
Status: offline
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quote:
Please pray that the Lord will remove the pride in me and empty me of the selfishness inside in not wanting to pray for this back-slidden soul.
But suppose, perhaps, just maybe, God's Word for this situation is Jeremiah 7:16? "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee."
My beloved mentor, R. J. Rushdoony, once wrote about "the sin of titanism" ... focusing our attention on unrealistic tasks, as an excuse for overlooking the doable things we actually are responsible for. It's another form of pride. When Jesus sent out the 12, it was with orders to focus on those who wanted to hear, and not to waste time on the hostile or indifferent.
Granted, God is God. He may indeed supernaturally impress upon you the assignment to continue praying for "lost causes." Aside from that kind of extraordinary leading, though, He gives us the wisdom to use our limited resources of time, energy, and focus to their best advantage.
James 1:7 -- ask. It's a prayer God does delight to answer.[1]
[1] Not necessarily in the way you may expect. After decades of begging God for wisdom in interpersonal relations, I realized He'd answered my prayer -- but dumped the wisdom inside my wife's skull. As long as I carefully maintain my communication circuits with her, I am able to avoid a lot of embarrassment!
_____________________________
Blogging my way through the Turkish New Testament
Meet my beloved mentor, RJR
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RE: I don't want to pray for this person anymore. - 11/10/2008 6:09:15 PM
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ladyichigo
Posts: 540
Joined: 10/23/2007
From: Honolulu
Status: offline
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quote:
But suppose, perhaps, just maybe, God's Word for this situation is Jeremiah 7:16? "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee."....
...focusing our attention on unrealistic tasks, as an excuse for overlooking the doable things we actually are responsible for. It's another form of pride. When Jesus sent out the 12, it was with orders to focus on those who wanted to hear, and not to waste time on the hostile or indifferent.
Hmmm,
The verse in Jeremiah did come into mind and the thought of what you heard from your mentor popped into my head also. BUT, what if those thoughts are based on my own feelings of apathy? What if they are not from God and just me making excuses for the sake of...just not wanting to? Of course, having to NOT pray for this person would help me "feel" free from worry that he may end up in eternal damnation. I only worry because he was once a friend, who seemed to have been after God's own heart...
Would it be wrong for me to think that this person's eternal well-being is no longer my concern because he, himself is indifferent towards it?
_____________________________
Mari
I'm not cool enough to come up with a witty quote, but God is still good.
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RE: I don't want to pray for this person anymore. - 11/12/2008 12:28:59 PM
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KyivJoy
Posts: 5
Joined: 5/14/2008
Status: offline
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I know how you feel. We took a young man off the street and then took his children in as well. He seemed to learing love and the Christian way of life, then suddenly he changed. He started beating his girls and stopped working for us, which was his way of paying his rent. he then moved out thinking that one of the neighbours who had loads of land and a much larger house would marry him and by Ukrainian law make him an inheritor of half of her land.
He has really started beating his girls badly and dumped one of them back on her mother and when she came to stay here for the weekend he got the police here telling them that we were taking the children we had back to England to sell. thankfully, the police didn't believe him, although they did come here in the middle of the night and stayed for nearly an hour.
I had to pray for several weeks to ask God to let me forgive him for everything he's done. In my mind one night jumped the words, 'You can only forgive him what he's done to you. What he has done to his family, they have to forgive.' I then found it easier to forgive him. I think this is the same with you, he has offended against God, not you personally so you have to let God forgive him. With this in mind you may find it easier to pray for him.
I also prayed every night that God with give me the daughter who still lived with him, he still beats her and has forbidden her to come near us. Again one night when I was praying I heard in my head 'No. I will give A... to you.'
I don't think it will be soon, but he has actually started acknowledging us again now, instead of looking straight through us and I have realised that his daughters situation will not change until he does and I have noticed in the last few weeks that he is beginning to.
I suggest you think through the situation, what he has done, forgive anything he has done to you and you only, they start praying that he sees what he is doing to himself and starts the road back to salvation.
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RE: I don't want to pray for this person anymore. - 11/12/2008 12:37:14 PM
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DeeAnnBailey
Posts: 2636
Joined: 3/23/2006
From: SC
Status: offline
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Praying that God will give you wisdom and compassion. The wisdom to know if you should continue to pray or if God has said 'no more'. Compassion for him regardless of that answer.
_____________________________
D. Ann Bailey
My Blog Dee's Delights and Delusions
<<<<<<The love of my life - precious Erin!
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