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Pray for ONE Reading Plan | Week 4 | Day 4
Prayer
Take a moment to be silent and still. In order to be fully present in body and mind, take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Do this three times. Thank God that He forgives your sins and shows you mercy and grace every day!
Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 2:25-26
Read these verses three times slowly.
Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Reflection & Questions
We’re continuing this week to consider the journey our ONEs take as they come to know Jesus. We’re using the acronym HEART. We saw that the “H” stands for receptive Hearts, “E” stands for Eyes and Ears opened to the truth. “A” stands for an Attitude of Conviction. The next step on the journey is “R”: Repentance from sin and Release from the traps of the devil.
Paul talks about this in our verses today, as he tells Timothy how to “gently instruct” his opponents. Some of our ONEs might be described as opponents, but others don’t quite fit that word, as they may be more agnostic or apathetic. But whatever words we might use to describe them, there is a repentance and release that has to happen. As someone comes to know Jesus, there is a heart work to be done (repentance) and there is a spiritual battle to be won (freedom from the trap of the devil).
Knowing that this is the work of God, fuels two things. Firstly, we pray for our ONEs. Secondly, we are “gentle” with our ONEs. Beating them on the head with the Bible won’t help soften their heart. This is a work of God and as we pray for them, God will soften our hearts for them and guide us on the best approach to reach them.
- Why is prayer so critical in reaching our ONEs?
- How does today’s reading influence your prayers for your ONE?
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
