10 Daily Prayers to Strengthen Your Evangelism
By Kevin Harney
Are you unsure what to pray to strengthen your evangelism efforts? Consider these ideas.
Sharing the love and grace of Jesus with the world is the call of every Christian. Young or old, bold or shy, new believer or long-time follower of Jesus … we are all called to tell the story of the Savior and show people that he is alive. We are partners in God’s work of bringing the message of hope to the world. But, we are never the senior partner. God is!
The apostle Paul was clear that we have the privilege of scattering seed and watering it. But, only God can change lives, forgive sins, save and transform (1 Cor. 3:5-7). If we are going to be effective in scattering the seed of the gospel of Jesus, we must keep things in their proper perspective.
Our Part: loving deeply, serving humbly, speaking wisely, reflecting the presence of Jesus consistently and scattering seed everywhere we go.
God’s Part: drawing people, changing hearts, convicting, washing clean and offering heavenly grace.
When we realize our part and God’s part, we will grow as people of prayer. If God is the senior partner, then recognizing his part in the process is essential. If hearts are changed only by the work of the Holy Spirit, asking for his presence and power is a must.
If God does the work and gets the glory, following his lead is the heartbeat of true and organic outreach. Our part is to engage in prayer through the flow of a normal day. This is the starting point of all effective evangelism.
Prayers You Need for Evangelism
As you go throughout your day, here are 10 prayers that will position your heart, mind and soul for scattering and watering:
1. “This day is yours … your will be done in and through me.”
Lift this prayer up before your feet hit the floor. Lie quietly in your bed, or roll out of bed on your knees, and talk to God. Commit the day to him. Surrender your dreams, desires and schedule. In particular, tell God that you are ready to scatter the seed of his love, grace and truth wherever you go.
2. “My mouth is yours. Let me speak words that will glorify you and point people to Jesus.”
As you stand in front of the mirror getting ready for the day, and as you brush your teeth, pray quietly for God to let the words you speak honor him. Invite the Holy Spirit to give you boldness to articulate your faith and his story at just the right moments and in just the right ways. Consecrate your mouth to tell stories of Jesus and to share his story whenever the moment is right.
3. “Equip me for the battles I will face today.”
Ask God to protect you from the attacks of the Enemy. If you have family (children in particular), pray for their protection. The apostle Paul teaches us that our battles are not against flesh and blood, but they are spiritual (Eph. 6:10-18). With this in mind, pray for God’s power and protection as you bring his good news into your world.
4. “Open my eyes to see the people around me the way you do.”
When you travel through your day—walking, running, driving or flying—invite the Spirit of Jesus to help you see people as he does.
I remember a time I was walking quickly through O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, trying to make a connection, and I was irritated at all of the people in my way. All of a sudden, God opened my eyes to actually see deeper than people’s faces. He gave me a heavenly glimpse into their hearts. I saw hurt, fear, loneliness, depression and sorrow. I had no doubt this was a unique gift from God for that specific moment. This moved me to compassion and even deeper prayer. Dare to ask God to give you eyes to see people as he does.
