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Illustration: Praying for people you love to come to Jesus—taking years.  Praying for someone to return who has rejected or simply running from Jesus. 

Our journey with God goes to the next level when we become burdened for others and we begin praying for them—sometimes desperately.   

Why the letter of 1 John? -- To believe in Jesus and to be assured you have eternal life. (13) 

1. Knowing Jesus is the key to life and life eternal. 
2. Assurance of that life gives confidence for yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  
   • Confident people are not afraid to keep going forward. 

Confidence in praying to God is thriving when you know you are aligned with God’s will. (14) 

1. Entering his presence with confidence to speak with him.  Hebrews 10:19-25 
2. Knowing God’s will requires knowing Him and His heart more each day.  Romans 12:1-2 
3. Praying in dependence upon the Spirit to take over praying when you do not know how to pray.  Romans 8:26-27 
4. Praying honestly, passionately, yet submissively.  Matthew 26:36-44 

Praying in alignment with God will bring you into what God is doing. (15) 

1. Prayers of the righteous, those standing with God, accomplish much. James 5:16 “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.” 
2. The wonderful mystery of human prayers and God’s sovereign plan. 

God has invited us to pray for a brother and sister in Christ who are struggling to walk with God due to sin in their life.  (16) 

1. All sins lead to death.
   • All sins lead to death. Romans 6:23 
2. Sins that do not lead to death are likely referring to sins of a believer. (17) 
   • Likely referring to sins that are not a rejection of Jesus. 
   • Not intentionally, habitually, or unrepentantly sinning. 
3. Sins that lead to death are a rejection of Jesus and an embrace of a sinful life.  
   • This likely changes our prayer to praying for salvation.   
   • It is impossible for one to be saved but by the grace of God he makes the impossible possible.  Mark 10:26-27  

Children of God will receive protection from the external forces of evil. (18) 

1. We cannot be indwelled by the spirit of the devil as we are indwelled by the Spirit of God.  Ephesians 1:13-14 
2. We are protected from external temptations. 1 Corinthians 10:13 
3.  Our greatest threat to giving in to sin is our own internal flesh. James 1:14-15 

Children of the world are conduits of the work of the enemy.  (19) 

1. They have no protection from external evil pressures. 
2. They are controlled not protected. 

We must rely on the truth of who Jesus is and the assurance of our future as pray into the lives of others.  (20) 

1. People need the truth of Jesus not your view of truth. 
2. People need to be saved to have the assurance of eternal life.   
3. You can love the people around you by praying for them to see the truth of Jesus and to be given salvation.  This is a prayer that is in alignment with God’s will. 

Praying with confidence: 

1. Who can you pray for right now that you know loves Jesus but is hindered by a sin in their life?  Pray that they can see truth of Jesus’ character in this and rely upon the Spirit to repent and walk anew. 
2. Who can you pray for right now that might be in full rebellion towards God and needs to have an encounter with Jesus and to come to Him as Lord?