Be Discerning What You Pray

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” (1 Timothy 2:1-6 NASB1995)

What kinds of prayers should we be praying for all people and for those in positions of authority over us? The context tells us. Well, the purpose is so we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity, and it is because God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. So, definitely we should be praying for the salvation of all who make no professions of faith in Jesus Christ as well as for all who profess him as Lord but who do not worship him as Lord, for they are still living in sin, going their own way, doing their own thing, regardless of God.

We should not assume that everyone who professes the name of Jesus has come into genuine relationship with him as Lord (Owner-Master) of their lives. For many give lip service to the Lord who are still making sin their practice, and not obedience to God and to his commands. And many of them who have authority over us are “crooked as a dog’s hind leg,” i.e. they are extremely dishonest, untrustworthy, corrupt, wicked, and devious. So even if they claim Jesus Christ with their lips, they are like the Pharisees who were filled with all sorts of evil and sinful practices, some of which were hidden.

And the Scriptures teach us that we are to test the spirits to see which ones are of God. So we shouldn’t believe people just because they give lip service to the Lord, but we should test all their actions, behaviors, life choices, etc., to see if they align with God’s Word, and if they are truly those who practice what they preach. And I am not saying that all of us must be living in absolute perfection with no missteps at all ever, but we should not be those who make sin our practice and whose character reveals the devil and not God in his righteousness and holiness. We must be true servants of God.

The point of what I am sharing here is that we should not just pray for people arbitrarily without thought as to what we should be praying or how we should be praying for them. For we might end up praying for the success of the devil in defeating the godly without realizing that is what we are doing. For there are indeed many who profess faith in Jesus Christ who are praying for the success of those in authority who profess faith in Jesus but who are wicked to the core, and who are against God, if truth be told, for they are really of Satan, and they are the ones doing his bidding, instead.

So, please be aware that Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God.

[Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Romans 6:1-23; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

When in The Stillness  

An Original Work / September 26, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When in the stillness of this moment,

Speak to me, Lord, I humbly pray.

Be my desire, set me on fire,

Teach me to love always.

Help me to walk in fellowship with You,

Listening to You; sit at Your feet.

Whisper Your words to me, 

Oh, how gently, guiding me in Your truth. 

While we are waiting for Your blessing,

Lord, in our hearts be King today.

Help us to live for you ev’ry moment,

List’ning to what You say.

May we not stray from your word within us,

Help us obey You, Lord, in all things,

Walking each moment, Lord, in Your presence,

Our offerings to You bring.

Help us to love You, Lord, our master;

Be an example of Your love,

Helping the hurting, lift up the fallen,

Showing them Your great love.

Teach them to love You, follow You always,

Bearing their cross and turning from sin;

Walking in daily fellowship with You,

Making You Lord and King.

https://vimeo.com/126984144

Be Discerning What You Pray

An Original Work / March 28, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love