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Personal Conversion

   People of prayer have a relationship of dependence on God.

But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Hebrews 11:6

 

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

John 15:6-7

     From the verses above, we can see that there are requirements placed upon the one

praying in order to receive the answer. Faith is first. Faith in God is more than the mental acknowledgment that there is a God. To say there is a God and yet deny Him in your lifestyle and words is to deny that God exists. True faith in God is manifested in a changed life that complies with His Word and His Spirit.

 

     Such a life can only be realized by abiding in Christ – living every moment aware of your need and actively seeking His presence to reveal His Word as He supplies for all your inadequacy. It is only then that we have the confidence to “ask what ye will” and expect that it will be given to us. That confidence rests in the fact that such a life of miracles is our daily existence; we constantly need – He constantly supplies.

 

Unconverted Believers Cannot Fulfill God’s Will

 

     Unfortunately, based on these two criteria alone, there are very few who call themselves Christian in our day who are qualified to offer such prayers as God is calling for with any expectation of Him hearing them. Carnality runs rampant, faith in God’s power to do supernatural and miraculous works is nearly imperceptible, and people pray to their own imaginations and to appease their own conscience which rightfully condemns them before God. God is far from the wicked; but He heareth the prayer of the righteous (Proverbs 15:29).

 

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.

Luke 22:31

 

     Before we can successfully pray for the conversion of others, we must be converted. In this verse, Peter was thoroughly convinced of his own allegiance to Jesus. It was he, after all, who had the revelation that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. He witnessed, with his own eyes, the transfiguration of Jesus. He participated in the miracles and in the preaching of the kingdom of heaven, right beside Jesus. Yet, he was not converted. He did not live as Jesus lived. His basic essence was other than the Spirit by which Jesus was sustained. Jesus told Peter, “after you are converted, strengthen the brothers.” Such work is not for natural, carnal persons. While these are consumed with the desires of their own soul, the souls of others will not concern them. While they pursue their own will, God’s will is repulsive. The natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit. Such work as we have before us cannot be effective unless it is God who works through the person. There may be some lost souls which are gathered due to a person’s charisma, charm or logic, but such “converts” are not converted. Flesh gives birth to flesh. Spirit gives birth to spirit.

 

     This does not exclude anyone from participation with the mission to which God has called us. Rather, it is a call to those who are convinced of their lack of personal conversion to pray intensely and incessantly for their own. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal Himself to you. Give up the distractions and pursuits of the world, devoting yourself to find God, and you will discover that He is faithful who has promised, “you will find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13 & Joel 2:12-13).” Let the first soul you truly bring to Christ be your own. Then you will know the cost, in tears and pains, of one soul and be able to labor intelligently with God in the birthing of others into His kingdom.

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