Have you ever noticed that sometimes persecution or affliction causes some people to grow closer to the Lord, but for others, persecution and affliction causes them to turn away?
The seed (God’s word) has life in itself, so it springs up – but roots are necessary for a plant to remain viable. Jesus says the Kingdom of God is like this.
Prayer Prompts and Discussion Starters:
- What is necessary for anyone to be rooted and grounded in Christ? What are Kingdom prayers you can pray for people without this grounding? Be specific.
- For someone who has joyfully sprung up upon hearing God’s word, what is it about affliction or persecution that causes them to fall away? What are Kingdom prayers you can pray about this?
- Are there people you know who have shallow root systems? What can you do about that? What can you pray about that?
- How is your root system?
- Other prayer prompts:
We can do something very practical for our brother or sister who is falling away because of trial or affliction or persecution: we can go and pray with them, we can help them out by paying the bill that they can't pay, by visiting them at the hospital, taking their kids for an afternoon, just listening to them when they need an ear ...
ReplyDeleteAbout 5 or 6 years ago, one of my sisters in Christ was admitted to the hospital. She was not well at all. She was a fragile baby in Christ, who needed someone to be around to help her and encourage her. Yet, nor her pastor, nor any other member of the assembly she was in, visited her. The only ones that came were non-christians, except for one sister (who had left the congregation a while ago).
This is one of the things that made me pray the Lord to give me a passion for the lost, a heart of flesh, that cries out for the needy and that sees when someone is in need.