Here’s how I teach people to pray—especially when interceding for someone else.
I begin with thanksgiving:
“Father, thank You that You are the atonement for our sins—not only for ours, but for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
You’ve already dealt with sin through the finished work of Jesus. You’ve already died for this person’s sins.
Then I shift to spiritual authority:
“I rebuke the god of this world”— the one who blinds their eyes (2 Corinthians 4:4).
“Satan, I command this blindness and deception to be removed in Jesus’ name.”
Next, I declare truth, because it is through truth that freedom comes:
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
Then I pray for divine appointments:
“Father, send laborers across their path” (Matthew 9:38).
Whether they’re in a bar or going about their day—no matter where they are—someone is coming across their path with truth, light, and love.
I also pray according to John 14:26:
“Holy Spirit, bring back to their remembrance everything You’ve spoken to them.”
If they were ever in Sunday school or heard the Gospel before—remind them. Bring back Scriptures. Bring back those moments when You touched their heart.
And finally, I practice what Jesus instructed in John 20:23 regarding remitting sins.
This doesn’t mean I’m forgiving their sins—I can’t do that. But remitting is like when a disease goes into remission: the evidence and effects begin to disappear.
So I’ll say:
“In Jesus’ name, I remit their sins. I break the power and influence that sin has had over their life. I declare freedom from the residue, the chains, and the blindness that sin has caused.”
