2 Corinthians 4:4, New International Version

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Jesus, who is the perfect Lamb of God that was slain for the sins of the world—

the entire world, every person—came to set the captive free. Yet, there are those who are missing out. There are those who love their sin and continue to walk in darkness. The Bible tells us that “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NIV) Jesus tells us that “...He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44, NIV)

Satan is a deceiver. He will make anything look good and offer false imitations of what God has made to pull people away from the truth. He understands the power of the truth and does not want anyone to have access to this truth! Why? Because it brings glory to God and reveals His glory in all the earth. Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV) is prophecy stating about Jesus, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” Jesus Himself took this very scroll and read it to the people in the temple.

It is the power of the Holy Spirit that will draw people to Christ!! We must continue to pray for those who are lost! We must not give up, whether it is a family member, a friend, a co-worker, or the person you saw on the street confused by false doctrines. The enemy wants us to be discouraged, worn out, and to give up and to quit praying, but there is power in the prayers of the saints! The Bible says this about the prayer of faith, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:13-16, NIV) If there is that much power in the prayer for a believer, and it is God’s will that none should perish, imagine the prayer of the righteous for the lost! The Holy Spirit is the One who reveals truth. The Holy Spirit is the one who will bring conviction of sin. It is a privilege and honor to serve the Lord in prayer. Many people put down the power and importance of prayer, but it is the answer to prayer that has made the difference in all of our lives and will continue to do so.

I was standing in a line somewhere to do some business. The person in front of me was talking to the business owner and my heart broke for her. She talked about how she needed help, not prayer. She was putting together a group that would be there to help each other. I am not saying we shouldn’t help each other; but doesn’t our help come from the Lord? Perhaps “help” from another individual is from the Lord—an answer to prayer. Our prayers are a conversation to our Father, the most important One in our life. Let our hearts not grow cold or hard to the One who loves us, gave everything for us, so that we could be with Him for eternity. Let us continue to seek God together and pray for those who need Him, because in reality, they don’t understand what they are doing! In love and in prayer, we can help fight for them.