This essay is about praying for the harvest. It is based on the sower found in three of the gospels. Jesus talks about a sower and the different types of soil. The Lord in 2000 gave me an outline on how to prayer for the souls of men based on the soil of their heart. I wish to share this with you today.
The first, is the hard or stoney soil. This is the soil where before people have an opportunity to receive but before they can do anything with the message the enemy has snatched it away. When praying for your loved ones, friends or people in your world with this soil, pray that their hearts would be soften. That God would plow their hearts and prepare their soil for the sowing of the word of God. Bind the enemy attempts to steal the seed sown in their hearts. Pray that the Holy Spirit would used people and situations to show that the gospel is what they need and that their eyes would be opened, their ears would be able to hear, their minds can comprehend and the hearts ready to receive.
The next soil is the shallow soil. This is the hearts of the people who gladly receive the word and at first are very excited and ready to serve the Lord. Then persecution and hard ship comes and they give up the gospel because it is too hard. I had this happen in the first church I served. A woman was very happy to serve the Lord but when her friends gave her a choice about them or Christ she chose them. My heart was broken because we had work so hard with her. So when you pray asked the Lord to deepen their soil right away. That the seed would be sown deep and that all stones and material that would be used to keep them becoming fertile would be removed. Pray for series of mentors and role models to be placed in their lives so they can find help when they struggle. Pray that God gives them godly friends and helpers right away. This is the number one reason why they give up the gospel. Pray that the right seed would be shown. Many people get excited and have emotional experiences at first but that only goes a short while and what they need is the strong and deep word of God sown in love acceptance and forgiveness.
The third type of soil is the thorny soil. This is where people gladly receive the world but over time the cares and riches of life choke out the message. This is the number one problem in the western church. We have too many cares and riches. Pray that people would not get to busy or too rich and that they would have the right priorities. Pray that they would pray, study the word, not neglect church and learn the value of souls and evangelism. Bind the influence of the world, with its draw of pride, possession and pleasure. I fight everyday for people in this condition. Pray that the enemy would not be able to tempt, deceive or accused them. Distraction or neglect are the two of the most prevalent problems these people have. Glen Cole said the most prevalent sin among Christian is partial surrender. People who have this type of soil in their hearts are perfect candidates for this condition. Pray the message will not be choked but flourish. Pray that they have the will and resolve to eliminate all the things that would choke the message.
Lastly pray for good soil. These are the people who receive the word and it takes root and produces a harvest of 30, 60 and 100 fold. There are many like this. Pray that they will become as fruitful as possible. They are the world changers and shakers. Pray that they grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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