Silas
Beloved of All
Your prayer for those caught in selfishness and neglect is good and right before the Lord, who wants all people to turn from sin and find life in Jesus Christ. It is loving to ask Him to lead them out of darkness and into His light, and to help them see the harm of their ways.
Scripture makes an important distinction that will help you as you pray for them. There is a difference between sorrow and repentance. Godly sorrow is the work of the Holy Spirit showing a person that they have sinned against God, and that sorrow leads to repentance. Repentance itself means a change, a turning away from the old life and a turning to God to walk in a new way. Worldly sorrow is different. A person can feel sorry because of the painful consequences of what they have done, or because they have been caught, or because they have lost something, yet never actually turn from the sin. That kind of sorrow does not bring life.
You can see this in examples the Bible gives. When Peter denied the Lord and heard the rooster crow, he remembered the words of Jesus and wept with a godly sorrow that led to a real change in his life. Esau is the opposite example. Hebrews tells us that afterward when he wanted to inherit the blessing he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance though he sought it with tears. If you read the story in Genesis, his tears were not tears of repentance for despising his birthright. He was weeping because he had lost the blessing and inheritance to his brother Jacob. His tears were bitterness and anger over the loss, not a turning from his sin. Many people are sorry that they lost something, but they are not sorry toward God and they do not want to change.
John the Baptist preached the same truth when he called people to be baptized as a sign that the old life had died and a new life was beginning. When religious people came to him without any real change, he told them to bring forth fruit that proves repentance. The axe is laid to the root of the tree, and a tree that does not bear good fruit shows there has been no true turning. In the same way, a person who only says I am a sinner, or who is sorry for a moment but keeps living the same way, has not yet repented. True repentance forsakes the sin. When anyone is in Christ, he becomes a new creation, and that new life shows itself in carefulness, in a desire to be clear before God, in a hatred for the sin itself, and in a new desire to do what is right.
So as you continue to pray, pray not only that their sins would teach them a lesson, but that God would grant them godly sorrow that works repentance leading to salvation. Pray that the Holy Spirit would convict them that their selfishness and neglect is sin against a holy God, that they would confess it frankly without excuse, turn from it, and receive forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Pray that God would bring godly influences around them and that they would bear fruit that shows a changed heart, learning to live in simplicity and sincerity by the grace of God and to care for others as Christ has cared for us.
May the Lord encourage you as you intercede. He hears the prayers of His people and He is merciful to forgive all who truly turn to Him. Pray that these for whom you are burdened would not settle for feeling sorry, but would experience the real change that comes with new life in Jesus, and that you would see the fruit of that transformation for the glory of God.
Father, we bring before You those who are living for themselves and neglecting what is right. Convict them by Your Spirit, grant them godly sorrow that leads to repentance, forgive them through the blood of Jesus, and make them new. Lead them into a life that loves You and loves others. In Jesus name, Amen.
Scripture makes an important distinction that will help you as you pray for them. There is a difference between sorrow and repentance. Godly sorrow is the work of the Holy Spirit showing a person that they have sinned against God, and that sorrow leads to repentance. Repentance itself means a change, a turning away from the old life and a turning to God to walk in a new way. Worldly sorrow is different. A person can feel sorry because of the painful consequences of what they have done, or because they have been caught, or because they have lost something, yet never actually turn from the sin. That kind of sorrow does not bring life.
You can see this in examples the Bible gives. When Peter denied the Lord and heard the rooster crow, he remembered the words of Jesus and wept with a godly sorrow that led to a real change in his life. Esau is the opposite example. Hebrews tells us that afterward when he wanted to inherit the blessing he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance though he sought it with tears. If you read the story in Genesis, his tears were not tears of repentance for despising his birthright. He was weeping because he had lost the blessing and inheritance to his brother Jacob. His tears were bitterness and anger over the loss, not a turning from his sin. Many people are sorry that they lost something, but they are not sorry toward God and they do not want to change.
John the Baptist preached the same truth when he called people to be baptized as a sign that the old life had died and a new life was beginning. When religious people came to him without any real change, he told them to bring forth fruit that proves repentance. The axe is laid to the root of the tree, and a tree that does not bear good fruit shows there has been no true turning. In the same way, a person who only says I am a sinner, or who is sorry for a moment but keeps living the same way, has not yet repented. True repentance forsakes the sin. When anyone is in Christ, he becomes a new creation, and that new life shows itself in carefulness, in a desire to be clear before God, in a hatred for the sin itself, and in a new desire to do what is right.
So as you continue to pray, pray not only that their sins would teach them a lesson, but that God would grant them godly sorrow that works repentance leading to salvation. Pray that the Holy Spirit would convict them that their selfishness and neglect is sin against a holy God, that they would confess it frankly without excuse, turn from it, and receive forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Pray that God would bring godly influences around them and that they would bear fruit that shows a changed heart, learning to live in simplicity and sincerity by the grace of God and to care for others as Christ has cared for us.
May the Lord encourage you as you intercede. He hears the prayers of His people and He is merciful to forgive all who truly turn to Him. Pray that these for whom you are burdened would not settle for feeling sorry, but would experience the real change that comes with new life in Jesus, and that you would see the fruit of that transformation for the glory of God.
Father, we bring before You those who are living for themselves and neglecting what is right. Convict them by Your Spirit, grant them godly sorrow that leads to repentance, forgive them through the blood of Jesus, and make them new. Lead them into a life that loves You and loves others. In Jesus name, Amen.
