How to pray for success

The high-profile failure of a Social Impact Bond (SIB) experiment at Riker’s Island begs the question: how can we de-risk investment in SIBs, and social programming generally?  SIBs are largely predicated on private investors assuming the risk that programs will succeed at producing desired social benefits.  In the Riker’s Island example, Goldman Sachs lost $1.2M and Bloomberg Philanthropies lost $6M because a juvenile recidivism intervention failed to work.  Some backers hailed it a success nonetheless, insofar as the government didn’t have to pay for the program.  But was it really a success?  Will investors be more attracted to SIBs in the future?

Investors can only assume risks that they understand, and quantify.  In the case of SIBs, it appears unlikely that Goldman, or other SIB investors were adequately able to evaluate the risk.  And if they did try to assess the risk, they certainly didn’t guess right.  While the program underlying the Riker’s SIB, Adolescent Behavioral Learning Experience (ABLE) intervention, was purported to be “evidence-based,” the designation remains fairly arbitrary.  What does it take to deem a program “evidence-based”?  Does the program need to be 20% effective?  50% effective?  80% effective?  Proven effective once?  And how reliable does the evidence have to be?  Indeed, a comprehensive academic meta-analysis of the program’s core model, Moral Reconation Theory (MRT), suggests that the intervention was not very effective.  In fact, the meta-analysis, based on 33 underlying studies, found an overall r-squared of .16 (a statistical measure of efficacy), indicating that the MRT intervention was barely effective in the past.  The researchers even suggest that the MRT was “more successful with adult than juvenile defenders” in institutional settings, such as Rikers.  Finally, the vast majority of the evidence on MRT was produced by Correctional Consulting, Inc. the for-profit company that invented the program.

So how can an investor, with no formal training in social science, be in a position to interpret fairly dense academic literature and make a judgment about the likelihood of success for a particular intervention?  They can’t.  No more than an investor can personally assess the underlying creditworthiness of an individual loan or mortgage.  These financial investors typically rely on a qualified third party like a rating agency or credit bureau to appraise that credit risk.  This is absent in the structure of SIBs.  The focus of measurement is ex-post, not ex-ante.  And therein lies a major challenge of SIBs preventing mass adoption.  The rigor, the measurement, happens on the back-end, not the front-end.

“This can unlock new pieces of funding, private capital especially,” said Jim Anderson, who leads the government innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “It also brings a laser-like focus to measurable data. Everyone has an incentive. We’re not doing this to feel good. We want positive results.”  The fact is, failures like Rikers won’t unlock new pieces of funding like private capital; it’ll scare them away.  And that is the entire proposition of SIBs.

Here’s what we can do about it:

1. Bonds need ratings – standardized, independent, predictive assessments of risk and return. There is no other reliable way for investors to assume capital markets risk.  To date, SIB investors like Goldman Sachs have assumed philanthropic risk, and maybe some reputational risk.  But the only way that SIBs or any form of social finance can attract true risk-capital is if investors are able to pre-determine the likelihood of success for an investment.  With advances in meta-analysis and evaluation modeling, like the Impact Genome Project®  investors can derive directionally-right estimations of effect sizes of a social program, before it runs its course.
2. Measurement needs to be done upfront, not after the fact. Most SIBs are designed based on a particular charity or social program that an intermediary has deemed to be “evidence-based.” This program is then brought forward to government supporters and financial underwriters by a SIB intermediary as the basis for a bond. Rigorous measurement happens after the program has been completed, to determine its effectiveness.  This may not be the most efficient way to design a SIB.  Witness Riker’s Island.  Ideally, a government agency would first identify the outcome that they would like to advance via a SIB.  Then the intermediary would partner with a third-party evaluator upfront to evaluate the best, most effective programs that can produce that outcome.  A program would then be selected based on its efficacy score and its cost-per-outcome, based on the broader evidence base of what works.  Governments should be purchasing outcomes, not programs that they hope will produce outcomes. See, e.g., our learnings from the State of Illinois Budgeting for Results Commission.
3. Be intentional about the purpose of the SIB. We’ve seen a variety of explanations of why SIBs are being issued: to teach governments how to be accountable and results-driven, to test innovations that wouldn’t otherwise be funded, to finance the most effective interventions, or to shift the risk of social programs and tap into private sector funding.  The design of the SIB should be tied to its purpose.  If the purpose is to finance the most effective interventions, then this merits a careful upfront analysis of which interventions are indeed the most effective of all interventions ever studied. Finding a program that happens to have been evaluated once or is deemed “evidence-based” is not the same.  If the SIB is designed to test innovative approaches that are too risky for government to invest in, then programs should be evaluated for their highest impact potential regardless of track-record.  The ABLE program selected for the Riker’s Island SIB clearly didn’t fit either of these criteria: it would be hard to justify that this was the most effective recidivism program ever evaluated, and it would be hard to say that (with a goal of 10% reduction in recidivism) this program held the most innovative, breakthrough potential.

We believe that the future of SIBs and social finance is brighter than ever.  But if we are to create a true social capital market, we must be more rigorous, intentional and outcomes-driven than the current approaches.

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“…if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father in heaven forgive yours.”

Matthew 6:15, Mark 11:26

Do your prayers work? “Father, bless my enemy with your peace…” is a prayer that makes sense! A lot of people wonder why some prayers are answered while others — or their own prayers — seem to never get answered. Here are some ideas. So here are things to consider, if you actually want power in prayer.

Steps

1. Revere God:

   Do what it takes for following Christ, and to maintain your reverence for God. Know that He is mighty, is the

   creator of the Universe

   and deserves glory, praise and honor. Your prayer life should

   acknowledge the Lord

   in His rightful place in your life.

2. Pray thankfully and praise God and end your prayers positively.

   Overcome attitudes like unnecessarily emotional begging and pleading to God ‘at bedtime’ because — for example this might cause upset sleep and bad thoughts can lead to bad dreams; be peacemaker in your own mind: how — believe that God already knows and wants for you what you need and rightly desire (not coveting or envying). Then give thanks in advance, expecting good results (that’s trusting). There is, of course, a time and a place for that pained, pleading and begging: “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”, anytime you like, but bedtime is not always the best time. Though, happiness is not the goal — rather

   ask for joy

   in whatever you experience — for trying to stop anxious thoughts or bad dreams, ask the Lord to show you the root cause of these and

   take them to him

   in meaningful prayers (personalized), believing. Colossians 4:2, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same

   with thanksgiving; ” — and everyday thanksgiving can bring peace into your life!

3. Increase (or start) thanking, and praising, and lifting up (be a booster of) God and Jesus for any good things (called blessings) in your life.

   God and Jesus have promised to bless one who

   blesses others

   and who thanks God for blessings.

4. Stop harboring sin in your life: Yep, this would kill it from the get-go! God can not look upon sin. I Corinthians 6:9-10, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

5. Forgive others:

   Live as God’s child that He loves “positionally” in Christ, and you will be in His joy forever, including in sorrow He’s your comfort (joy). Yet, you need to access His righteousness and forgiveness, remembering that you must also forgive, or you will not be forgiven “relationally” as a friend (and follower). So that you yourself may be

   more pleasing in His eye, always forgive, as it comes back to you in kind! Mark 11:25, “

   And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. ”

6. Obey God:

   John 15:7, “

   If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. ” Notice what you will should be in His pleasure for you. Sin is disobedience and separates us from Him (out of His pleasure). The Holy Spirit will not dwell in an unclean temple; therefore you must repent often, be saved once and remain yielded to the will and the grace of God. Whatever you

   plant into the lives of others grows in your own life, i.e.: “

   You reap what you sow. ”

7. Believe, never doubting.

   Be wise enough to pray for what you want and be sure that you have the wisdom to believe when you pray, and so you shall receive. Faith makes it possible. James 1:5-8,

   “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

   For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

   A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

   ”

8. See the results and be inspired.

   How?

   Make a prayer journal or a prayer list of things, people and missions you pray about. Your prayer journal may enable you to keep up with the progress in the things you pray about. But be careful. Your prayer journal is a list of things to pray about. However, it’s not a score card to grade God’s answers.

9. Confirm God’s will in prayer, for God is not mocked: as whatever a man plants into other lives and hearts, he will also harvest.

10. Ask for God’s will to be done. “Study to show yourself approved, unto God,” and to know the mind of God and His will from His written word.

11. Stand firm without giving up: Sometimes God wants us to persist in prayer… When we quit: that’s it. Ephesians 6:13-14, “… and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, …”

12. Love your enemy and never treat others wrongly.

    Love one another as He has loved you.

    Love mercy

    and do it! And if they are sick you should

    pray for them to be healed

    Matthew 7:12, “

    Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. ”

13. “Bless and curse-not“.

    Seek goodwill and the good of others in all you do or say! Pray for God to

    bless your enemies

    with good things. Considering that is a direct instruction from His word, we need to practice that whether we like it or not.

14. “Pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

    Remain in a spirit of thankfulness and gratitude: blessing others for God hears such things as a

    living prayer , and it counts as praying ceaselessly as you

    glorify God

    as you treat others as you would want to be treated. And whatever you do to the least of these, you do to the Lord, good or bad.

15. Open up towards God, and ask Him what you will in faith.

    God obviously knows every aspect of your life (lying won’t help), and He knows your struggles and sins. He knows how you feel. He loves and cares for you without limit. Since He is love and mercy, He doesn’t unfairly favor

    anyone because He created and seeks to heal and save all of us if we have faith and follow in God’s will.

    • Jesus said:

      “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:5-6

    • Jesus also said:

      “When you pray, do not keep on babbling like Pharisees, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:7-8

    • Pray with right motives, not self-serving. Let your thoughts be of good reasons, and when you pray ask yourself whether it is going to bring glory to God or not. (James 5:3)

Community Q&A

Add New Question

• Can I use prayer and ask God to help me forgive someone?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Yes, of course! If you find that you are unable to forgive someone, pray to God to give you strength and to take away the pride inside of you.

• Can I pray alone?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Certainly. Praying alone can be just as effective as praying with other people. It allows you to establish a more personal relationship to God. Many people find that they feel closer to God when they pray to him in private than when they pray to him in a group with other people.

• How do I pray to overcome lust?

  wikiHow Contributor

  There are basically three ways of overcoming lusts of the human flesh. First, you must control your mind because it is the storeroom and tap root of all lust. Reject lustful thoughts fiercely by imagining yourself slamming a door on them in your mind’s eye. Secondly, you must meditate on the world of God. Find scriptures that remind you of God’s faithfulness in temptation and help you to think about good and worth things. Lastly, you must pray fervently for the help of the Holy Spirit. Simply ask every day (every minute, if you need to!) to fill you with his Spirit in all power, love, and self-control.

• How can l concentrate on what l am praying about? At times my thoughts wonder as l pray.

  wikiHow Contributor

  Tell God that you’re struggling to concentrate (He knows that already anyway), and then continue with whatever you were praying about. You may have to repeatedly re-focus, but that’s okay. Sometimes it’s helpful to have a list to keep you on track.

• If it is written that we should be able to do the miracles that He did and greater, why aren’t we doing it?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Because humans rarely know the power that is within them, and even less often use that power to do miracles.

• How do I remember how to pray?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Keep practicing until it becomes a habit.

• Can someone who watches porn still pray?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Yes. Anyone can pray, no matter what they do. If you are watching porn, then you should pray to God for forgiveness, and ask him to help you stop watching is, as it is considered sinful by Christian standards.

• How do I pray in the night?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Praying at night is the same as praying in the daytime. Praying is speaking to God, thanking Him and asking for help.

• If I have been praying for several years for my marriage, will I receive an answer from God for my prayers?

  elijah amanor

  Yes of course! The Holy Bible made us to understand in Matthew 7:7 that we should ask and it will be given, seek and we will find, knock and it shall be opened for us. What we must understand in our Christian lives is that God has plans and an appointed time for everyone and everything. Until the appointed time, our prayers might not be answered. Maybe this is not the right time for you. Please kindly exercise patience and wait for the Lord. Remember that marriage is a lifelong journey. Do not cease praying, your time will definitely come. Have faith.

• Do I have to pray in English, or can I pray in another language?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Pray in any language you want. God understands all languages. Always remember that He is omniscient (He knows everything).

Show more answers

Unanswered Questions

• How to look out for signs that my prayers being effective? How do I pray for strength and positivity in my life?

• How do I pray in tongues?

• Is it okay to speak with God after smoking weed?

• I have stop going to church but I am a Christian and believe in God always so why can’t I get myself to go?

• How do I know if my prayers are being answered?

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Tips

• Pray sincerely. Pray the sinners prayer of repentance, when you ask Jesus Christ to save you, then accept God’s plan for your real life.
• Persevere in prayer. He knows what your next motives are because He knows the truth (because He is the truth) and knows your life (past, present, future). He has a plan for all of us personally. So, if you give your life to Jesus, and ask for mercy, God will forgive you and your sins.
• Read the Bible. It is full of plain talk on how to pray, what works and what doesn’t. God speaks through the Bible when you read it, not all the time though (for it depends on Him and what you pray for).
• Love your neighbor sacrificially for, what greater love is there that a man should risk or give his own life for a friend (or even for a stranger)?
• “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength; and your neighbor as yourself.”–Luke 10:27
• Read the Gospels on Jesus; praise God, and ask for help “in the name of Jesus.” Jesus said: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; He who seeks finds; and to Him who knocks, the door will be opened.”(Matthew 7:7–8) God will answer if you wait in his time.
• The Bible says to pray for the following things:
  • Matthew 9:37-38 — Workers in the harvest of souls.
  • Isaiah 58:6, 66:8, I Tim 2:4 — Conversion of the lost.
  • I Timothy 2:2 — Presidents, government and

    Peace, holiness and honesty.

  • Galatians 4:19, 1:2 — Maturity in the Churches.
  • Ephesians 6:19, 6:12 — God to open the door for missionaries.
  • Acts 8:15 — Fullness of the Holy Spirit and His anointing for Christians .
  • I Corinthians 14:13 — A double portion of the Holy Spirit and the gifts for Christians.
  • James 1:5 — Christians to receive wisdom.
  • James 5:15 — Physical, mental and spiritual healing for Christians.
  • II Thessalonians 1:11-12 — Power to glorify Jesus in evangelism.
  • Matthew 26:41, Luke 18:1 — Power to overcome temptation for Christians.
  • I Timothy 2:1 — Petitions and any requests.
• Some people use Rosary beads for certainty kinds of prayer rituals.

Warnings

• Pretentious or bragging prayer is not worth your breath.
• When you pray, you need to be in God’s will. If what you are praying for is not in God’s will, then you will not get it. Prayer is not a simple “I ask for it, and I get it.” God will always hear you when you pray, but sometimes God’s answer to a prayer is “No” or “Not now”.
• Don’t ask pointlessly, but ask Jesus when you need help, guidance or mercy — and ask for God’s will to be in your heart (in your “core” being).
• Praying against ordinary people is not going to work!
• Jesus said:
  • “…if you remember that your brother has ‘anything against you’; go and make it right, then come back to the altar…” (Matthew 5:23-24)
• Consider:
  • “…cleanse your minds all you double minded!” (James 4:8)
  • “…he that wavers is unstable in all his ways and should expect nothing from God…” (James 1:5-8).

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“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NLT) 

We are instructed to pray for our unsaved loved ones.  Sometimes it’s just hard to know how or what to pray.  I encountered this same problem, so I did some study and research to find the best ways to pray for unsaved loved ones.  I say “unsaved loved ones” but really these things could be prayed even for those who are saved that may have drifted away from God for some reason.

It’s very hard to see someone you love so lost or far from God or even questioning God.  You want so much to help them, to fix them but you inevitably know that it’s not within your control.  To receive Christ and to have a life-changing relationship with God is a personal and individual decision that we can never make for someone else, no matter how badly we want it for them.  We can “plant seeds” (i.e. talk to them in a non-threatening and non-pushy way and/or show example in our own life), and we can pray for them.  The rest is up to them.  God gave us free will.  Jesus Christ is his free gift to us, ours for the taking.  However, a gift demanded or forced is no gift at all.  We don’t have to take it.  Sometimes we want something more for someone than they want it for themselves.  It kind of stinks to feel this way, but guess what…You’re in good company.  That’s how God feels all the time.  All is not hopeless though!  Prayers are extremely powerful!

“…The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16b (NLT) 

I have heard numerous people tell stories, my pastor included, that they are where they are today as a result of someone praying for them.  God will go to work on our behalf, but we have to ask.

After studying and researching how and what to pray for unsaved loved ones, I compiled a list of things that I started to use.  I actually wrote the list of what to pray in my notes of my phone and would open it and pray through the list for my unsaved loved ones.  However, you don’t have to pray ALL of these things all of the time.  I have done that, but for the most part I just picked a couple of these things to pray for each day (or whenever my unsaved loved ones came to mind—not necessarily every day).

Take Some Practical Steps to Pray for Unsaved Loved Ones (text in red are example prayers):

• Pray for God to remove the blindness from their eyes, to open their eyes so they can see.  The bible says the god of this world, Satan, has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.

“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT)

“Open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Acts 26:18 (ESV)

Lord, please remove the blinders from _____’s eyes and open his/her eyes.

• Pray that as they are able to see that the eyes of their understanding would be enlightened and that God would bring about situations, circumstances and grant them repentance in their lives to lead them to the truth.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people” Ephesians 1:18 (NIV)

“Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth” 2 Timothy 2:25 (NIV)

Lord, I pray that as _____’s eyes are opened that you would bring about situations and circumstances that would lead him/her to the truth.

• Pray for God to turn and soften their heart to make it tender and responsive.

“For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes–so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.” Matthew 13:15 (NLT)

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)

Lord, I ask you to turn and soften _____’s heart.  Put a new spirit in him/her.  Take out _____’s stony, stubborn heart and give him/her a tender, responsive heart.

• Pray that they will be drawn to God and develop a hunger and desire for Him.

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:44 (NIV)

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

Lord, please draw _____ to you and give him/her a hunger and desire for you.

• Pray that God would send “laborers” across their path.  Basically, this is just witnesses to speak into their lives.  I found this post here to be extremely helpful.  I love how it says that “laborers” can come from a variety of sources: bumper stickers, billboards, magazines in a waiting room, something on the radio or TV, overheard conversations, or people who share the gospel with them personally.  I like to pray that God would just surround them with all things “God” that they can’t escape Him!

“Therefore said he to them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray you therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.” Luke 10:2 (AKJV)

Lord, please send laborers from variety of sources across _____’s path.  Let him/her see you wherever he/she goes, so much so that he/she cannot escape you!

• Pray for God to put a hedge of protection (or of “thorns”) around them so that any ungodly influences would lose interest and depart.

“But I will fence her in with thorn bushes. I will block the road to make her lose her way. When she runs after her lovers, she won’t be able to catch up with them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will think ‘I might as well return to my husband because I was better off with him than I am now.’” Hosea 2:6–7 (NLT)

Lord, please put a hedge of protection around _____ so that any ungodly influences around him/her would lose interest and depart.

• Pray for any chains that bind them to be broken, any strongholds to be removed and that they will be free from Satan’s influence over their mind, will and emotions.

“’LORD, help!’ they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom; he snapped their chains.” Psalm 107:13-14 (NLT)

“For God will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the vast host of the Midianites by Gideon’s little band.” Isaiah 9:4 (TLB)

Lord, please break any chains, stronghold or barriers that bind _____ and free him/her from Satan’s influence over his/her mind, will and emotions.

• Pray that their mind, heart and lives would be transformed and renewed.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 (NIV)

Lord, I pray that _____’s mind, heart and life would be transformed and renewed.

• Pray that they would be convicted by the Holy Spirit and change their attitude toward sin.

“And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” John 16:8 (NLT)

Lord, I pray that _____ would be convicted by the Holy Spirit and that he/she would have your attitude toward sin.

• Pray that God’s kindness would lead them to full repentance, and that they would turn away from their sin.

“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 2:4 (NASB)

Lord, please let your kindness lead _____ to full repentance and help him/her to turn away from their sin.

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I think it’s also important to let you know…As you start praying for your unsaved loved ones, don’t be surprised if they seem to be doing exactly the opposite of what you’re praying at first.  They might get worse before they get better.  This post helped me when I read that “conviction produces friction”.  It’s a good sign that God is at work within them.  Keep praying!

When God starts to work on your unsaved loved ones, most likely you’ll see small changes, little by little.  Big changes do happen, but I have noticed they are usually not the norm.  In fact, I kind of got angry one time, because I had been praying and praying, and I flat-out asked God, “Why hasn’t this person turned their life around?!”  What I heard was, “If this person made that dramatic of a change, you wouldn’t believe them anyway.  You wouldn’t think it was sincere or genuine.  Lasting change happens little by little.  You want them to have lasting change, right?”  I was reminded of this verse…

“The LORD your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you.” Deuteronomy 7:22 (NLT) 

Joyce Meyer’s Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind even has a chapter title “Little by Little”.  She really helped me to understand that sometimes progress is slow, and that’s okay (it’s even on purpose at times).  We need to celebrate the small changes.  Focus on the positive and don’t get discouraged.  Know that God is working behind the scenes and that these types of changes are from the inside out—it may take a while to see a difference.

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin…” Zechariah 4:10a (NLT)

God actually showed me this verse for a different circumstance last week, but it’s well-suited in this scenario too.  Funny how the bible works like that!

Remember… “…The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16)  And if you DO get the opportunity to lead your unsaved loved ones to Christ, check out this post on How to Lead Someone to Christ!

What are your experiences in praying for unsaved loved ones?  Leave a comment below (click on the post link to join the conversation if you’re viewing through e-mail) or take the conversation to your favorite social media channel (sharing links below). 

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are rude, disrespectful, offensive, or off-topic.  By posting on this site you agree to my Comment Policy.

P.S.  If you liked this post, you might enjoy receiving new posts delivered right to your inbox each week!  Sign up here. 

If you have benefited from this post or if you know anyone that could benefit from this, please pay it forward and share this post with them via the sharing links below! “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 1 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV) 

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With God on our side, we can be successful in many things. This is a collection or prayers for success, asking for positive outcomes in life, business, academics, and health.

Please submit your own prayer request at the bottom of this page.

A Prayer for Success In Life

Your Word teaches us that it is acceptable to ask for a successful life. Expand our borders, God, and let us find prosperity and success in this life.

You said that You came that we may have life and that we may have it more abundantly. Grant us that abundant life, God.

Let my life be pleasing to You so that I will be able to receive the fullness of Your blessings both in this life and in the life to come.

Amen

Prayer for a Successful Business

Lord God, I come before you today to ask for success in my new business venture. Help me pull the plow of progress, and perform my duties in an honorable way.

Please Lord, bless me with abundance so that I may honor you with good works by supporting my community.

I trust You in all things. In your name I pray,

Amen.

Prayer for Success on an Exam

Heavenly Father, I ask you to watch over me today as I take a test that is very important to me. Help me to concentrate and and perform at the height of my ability.

With you, all things are possible. Give me a peaceful heart and a quiet mind. Guide my hand and lift my heart towards success with this exam.

Amen.

Prayer for a Successful Meeting

Heavenly father I give you thanks for all my blessings and answered prayers. In the name of Jesus please guide us towards the fruition of a successful meeting.

Please guide our hearts to pursue dedication and hard work in your name.

Let the meeting go well and watch over the proceedings. Thank you Jesus.

Amen.

Prayer for a Successful Surgery

I come before you lord to ask for a successful surgery today for someone very important to me. As the scriptures say, in your hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

Hold my loved ones and I in your hand, and breath life into our bones. Give the surgeon a steady hand, and a sound mind. I trust you to no end, my Lord and saviour.

Amen

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