It is actually possible for the Lord to tell us to stop praying for someone, because He knows their heart and that they will either become born again or they have made the choice for eternity to reject Him.
I have had this sense lately about people that I have been praying for, for more than 40 years. Nothing changes in their attitudes, the pride still abound, even greater than it was when they were younger as though the culture helped them to lean into the popular enticing ways rather than fight against them.
When we see a "Christian" getting worse,more prideful, more arrogant, more superficial, instead of better as they grow older, we have a clue that they have either never been born again or they have allowed the culture to shape their mentality. Most have never been born again because they have not understood trusting Christ for salvation, they are still trying to be good, while trusting in themselves.
Mark 4:
1 He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land.
2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,
3 “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;
4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
5 Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.
6 And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
8 Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
9 And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
2 Timothy 4:3
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,"
Jeremiah 11:14
""Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster."
Jeremiah 7:16
""As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you."
1 Corinthians 5:5
"I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
Matthew 7:6
""Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."
This is a sad day when we realize we can do nothing to help those who have regressed or have never been born again. However, it is also a joyous day, because the burden of their foolishness no longer hangs on us, it has been given to the Lord and He knows exactly what to do.
1 Peter 5:7
"casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."
God has recorded all my prayers over the past 40 years, they count for now and for eternity. Sometimes we beg God as though He must continually be reminded, I am tired and weary from the stress of the rebellion of my children, I have released them to Christ, He will do what is necessary in His timing!
In the mean time I am going to get on with my life, desiring to grow in the Lord with no one holding me back or distracting me.
Colossians 2:18
"18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,"
Those who are in rebellion, thinking up reasons to treat us with contempt, refusing to resolve matters to enslave us to their petty quarrels, must be removed from our lives. They can keep us in a one down position, continually preoccupied with foolishness even ruining relationships because of their jealousy while manipulating to control us.
Let no one control you but Christ.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the SPIRIT (Christ) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
"14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf."
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