Sermon Outline

A Life-Changing Prayer

Dr. Charles Stanley

Scripture: Colossians 1:7-14

I. Introduction: How do you respond when people ask you to pray for them? Do you know how to lift others up before the Lord? In the first chapter of Colossians, the apostle Paul gives us a powerful model for intercession. We can have confidence that God will answer this life-changing, biblical prayer in the lives of people we know.

II. Message:

1. The Power of the Prayer: Paul’s petition has the power to rescue someone from all kinds of difficulty and destruction. One couple began praying the apostle’s words years ago for their little ones. Today, all their kids and grandchildren walk in the ways of the Lord.
   
2. The Content of the Prayer: When interceding for someone else, pray that he or she will . . .
   
   1. Be filled with the knowledge of God’s will (Col. 1:9). Every believer needs to know the Lord’s specific plans for his or her life. As a parent, allow your children to pursue their heavenly Father’s best for their lives.
   2. Walk in all spiritual wisdom and understanding (v. 9). Ask God to help the other person walk in a manner worthy of Jesus’ name. Believers’ conversation, character, and conduct should be Christlike.
   3. Bear fruit in every good work (v. 10). Christians should have an eternal influence on the world. As we obey God, He makes our lives fruitful. Consider the powerful impact that Wycliffe missionaries have on the remote tribes they reach.
   4. Increase in the knowledge of God (v. 10). A believer should grow closer and closer to the Lord over time. On a practical level, that means we should study God’s Word, apply what we learn, and observe the results of obeying or disobeying Him.
   5. Be strengthened with all power (v. 11). Pray that the other person will experience the power of God in his or her daily life. It pleases the Lord when we realize our helplessness and cry out for His supernatural strength. For instance, Dr. Stanley needed God’s healing to preach one Sunday because of his seasonal allergies.
   6. Joyously give thanks to the Father (vv. 11-12). This request has to do with the person’s attitude. God wants us to meet life with thankfulness, trusting Him in the midst of hardship. He brings good out of suffering and deepens our character.
      
3. The Results of the Prayer: While Dr. Stanley was on an In Touch cruise, he met a godly 11-year-old who offered one of the most powerful biblical prayers he had ever heard from a child. Because her parents cultivated an atmosphere that encouraged her to seek the Lord, she’s already making an impact for Him.

III. Closing: Colossians 1 gives us a model prayer we can offer for anyone, no matter how young or old the person is. Commit yourself to intercede consistently for others, and have faith that God will work in their lives.