fusionatl

I'm having some trouble understanding this and my instructor didn't have enough time to go indepth, so if any of you can give me insight scriptually, i'd greatly appreciate it!!!

When praying for the unsaved, i'm told to:
pray against Satan's blinding power over their minds. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
pray against pride which prevents men from receiving the truth of the gospel 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
pray for the illumination of the light of the gospel to penetrate their mind. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
take down all known stronghold and thought patterns on religion, materialism and fear.

As i'm trying to grasp this, i'm also reading the book of John where the Jews are rejecting Jesus and then He says to them,"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up in the last day." John 6:44

I'm just trying to understand the blinders thing and God drawing people to Him. Are we to pray both?

Am I taking anything out of context? Am I mixing scripture? I just want some more understanding about this.

Thanks!

Paul writes in Romans 10:17 "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

God has determined to use us as His instrument, as His means of accomplishing His will on earth.

We pray and evangelize for the lost because, first and foremost, we have been commanded to do so.

Now, what Christ came to earth to start, He has commissioned us to continue until He returns. We have been commisioned of course to tell the "Gospel".

Here is an example of how this plays out.

In John 9:5, "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

In John 8:12, "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Now in Matthew 5:4 he refers to us in exactly the same way.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

*I recommend you read both chapters I quote to get the full context.* I am only highlighting a particular principle in these texts.

Christ calls himself the light of the world, but when he leaves we are the light of the world. And in Matthew 5, he urges us to fulfill what he commands.

John 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. "

To sum it up, God has privileged us by using us as His means to accomplish His will. That isn't to say that we can thwart His will in this context. Simply put, What God decrees will come to pass, we are just fortunate to be apart of how it happens. Our prayers are not in vain or useless because ultimately, it is God himself who compels us to pray what we pray. And it is the Word of God that arms us in spiritual warfare.

ok, makes more sense after reading it on here, than earlier tonight- i wasn't focused.

I will re-read those scriptures that you talked about, and really meditate on those and others. There is so much information that I'm trying to retain and it gets frustrating sometimes..

Thanks!