How to Keep Your Head on Straight in a World Gone CrazySample

Day 5: How to Pray for Leaders Who Are in Error

Do you know someone who has been led astray by seducing spirits and doctrines of demons? Maybe it is a spiritual leader who has poured into your life for many years, helping to shape and mold you into the child of God you are today, but when you hear of the philosophies and doctrines this person is now teaching and endorsing, you can hardly believe it.

Please realize that being trapped in error is a very serious issue, but getting angry and staying offended with people in this condition will not shake them from their delusion. Verbally assaulting them or cutting them down in the hearing of others won’t help either. Thankfully God gives us clear direction on how we should respond in such situations.

Jude verses 22-23 says, “And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (King James Version).

It is important to note that the word “compassion” here is not just pity. Pity has little to no value. True compassion actually describes the emotions you might feel when you see someone in a deplorable or hopeless situation. In Greek, this word depicts the deep-seated and unsettling emotions a person feels when he has seen or heard something terribly sad or upsetting. It is the picture of a person who is not just profoundly disturbed but also moved to do something about the situation. It is this kind of compassion God wants to cultivate in you that will move you to action on behalf of a compromised leader.

When you see or hear of a leader who has wandered away from the time-tested truth of Scripture, let your concerns move you to pray. The Bible says in James 5:16, “...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (King James Version). This promise lets us know that when you sincerely lift a person up in prayer to God, you can be confident that He will hear you, and the Holy Spirit will begin to soften your heart and release a divine flow of His compassion in you. Compassion is a mighty force that releases astonishing amounts of spiritual power, which has the ability to break the chains that bind people’s minds and hearts.

Jude continues in verse 23, urging us to “...save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh” (King James Version). The word “pulling” is the Greek word which gives us the picture of laying hold of someone and snatching him or her out of a dangerous situation. Through prayer — empowered by divine compassion — we must lay hold of people in spiritually dangerous predicaments and snatch them from destruction. As you draw near to the Lord in prayer, a divine stream of compassion will begin to flow, and the Holy Spirit will show us how to pray so that the lost people in our lives can be delivered from the judgment they are about to bring upon themselves. In the end, your effectual, fervent prayer will make tremendous power available.

If you have a leader, a family member, or a friend who has veered from the truth of Scripture, don’t just sit in a state of shock at their change. Let your concern drive you to prayer that will release a divine stream of compassion in your heart. Your prayers can reach into the fire and pull that wayward person from the flames just in the nick of time.

For Your Consideration:

• Look back over your life. Have you ever been in error and been the recipient of someone else’s prayers that exposed the enemy’s lies and opened your eyes to the truth? How did those prayers make a difference in your life?
• Who in your life needs prayer for their eyes and hearts to be opened to the truth again? Make a list of such people to remind yourself of them in your prayers.