You Were Blessed to BLESS - Week 2: “Begin with Prayer.”

Devotional

Day 1: Begin with Prayer: The Foundation of Spiritual Influence

Prayer is the starting point for making an eternal difference in the lives of others. When you begin with prayer, you invite God to work in and through you, opening your heart to His purposes and aligning your life with His mission. Jesus Himself modeled this by starting His ministry with prayer, seeking the Father’s guidance before choosing His disciples. Just as Jesus prayed all night before making significant decisions, you are called to begin every effort to bless others with prayer, trusting that God will use your prayers to change someone else’s world. [15:16]

Luke 6:12-13 (ESV)
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles.

Reflection: Who is one person God is bringing to your mind right now that you can begin praying for today, asking Him to open doors for you to bless them?

Day 2: Prayer Opens Our Eyes to See People as God Sees

When you pray for others, your spiritual vision changes—you begin to see people not as problems or annoyances, but as individuals deeply loved by God, often harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus looked at the crowds and was moved with compassion, feeling a deep, gut-level empathy for their struggles. As you pray, God tunes your heart to notice the pain, loneliness, and needs around you, helping you see beyond the surface to the real stories and hurts in people’s lives. [19:57]

Matthew 9:36 (ESV)
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Reflection: As you pray for someone today, what new perspective or compassion do you sense God giving you for their situation?

Day 3: Prayer Moves Our Hearts to Serve Others

Prayer not only changes how you see people, but it also stirs your heart to act on their behalf. Jesus taught His disciples to pray earnestly for laborers to be sent into the harvest, reminding us that the needs around us are great and that God wants to use us as part of His answer. When you pray for others, your heart is moved beyond self-interest, and you become willing to step out and serve, trusting God to add His “super” to your natural efforts. [30:54]

Matthew 9:37-38 (ESV)
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Reflection: What is one practical way you can serve someone you are praying for this week, even if it’s a small act of kindness?

Day 4: God Uses Your Prayers to Change Someone’s World

Your prayers are not just words—they are powerful tools God uses to draw people to Himself, open their eyes, and change their lives. Even when you don’t see immediate results, persistent prayer can have a profound impact, sometimes taking years before you witness the fruit. Like the story of Howard Hendricks praying for his father for 42 years, your faithful prayers can be the unseen force that God uses to bring someone to faith and transformation. [43:05]

Romans 10:9 (ESV)
Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Reflection: Is there someone you’ve been praying for over a long period? How can you renew your commitment to pray for them, trusting God with the outcome?

Day 5: Accepting God’s Call to Be a Blessing

God is inviting you to join Him in His work by blessing those around you—your friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbors, coworkers, even your enemies and strangers. The call is simple: begin with prayer, listen, eat together, serve, and share your story. You don’t have to be someone else; God wants to use you, right where you are, to be a spiritual influencer in your everyday world. The question is, will you accept the call to bless, or will you decline it? [27:22]

Genesis 12:2-3 (ESV)
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Reflection: What step can you take today to intentionally bless someone in your sphere of influence, trusting that God has placed you there for a purpose?

Sermon Summary

Today, I shared a bold prediction: God is calling each of us to join Him in His work, not just in some distant mission field, but right in our everyday world. Deep down, we all long to be part of something bigger than ourselves, and God’s invitation is to partner with Him in blessing others. The greatest thing that ever happened to me was coming to know Jesus, and I believe that’s true for many of us. But that relationship didn’t happen in a vacuum—it took a chain of spiritual influencers, people who prayed, loved, listened, and shared. Now, we are part of that chain for someone else.

We’re walking through the B.L.E.S.S. practices—five simple ways to make an eternal difference. Today, we focused on the first: Begin with Prayer. If you want to see God use you to change someone’s world, it starts with prayer. Jesus Himself modeled this. Before He launched His public ministry, He spent all night in prayer, seeking the Father’s guidance about whom to invest in. Prayer opens our eyes to see people as God sees them—not as problems or projects, but as individuals with real needs, pain, and stories.

When we pray for others, our hearts are moved with compassion, just as Jesus’ heart was moved when He saw the crowds—harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Prayer tunes our spiritual vision. It’s like suddenly noticing the color red everywhere after someone points it out; when we pray, we start to see the people God wants us to bless.

We introduced the “Francis” tool—a way to identify people in our spheres of influence: Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, Neighbors, Coworkers/Classmates, Enemies, and Strangers. God is already at work in their lives, and He invites us to join Him by praying for them. We don’t have to convert anyone; that’s God’s job. Our role is to bless, to pray, to listen, to serve, and to share.

Prayer is not just preparation for greater works—it is the greater work. When we pray, God adds His “super” to our “natural.” Sometimes, it takes years of persistent prayer, as in the story of Howard Hendricks praying for his father for 42 years. But no one is helpless against our prayers. If God answered every one of your prayers this week, would anyone new be in His kingdom? Let’s accept the call, begin with prayer, and trust God to use us to change someone’s world.

Key Takeaways

1. Prayer is the starting point for spiritual influence. Before Jesus chose His disciples or began His ministry, He spent time in prayer, seeking the Father’s direction. This shows that true impact in others’ lives begins not with action, but with aligning our hearts with God’s through prayer. When we pray, we invite God to guide our steps and open doors we could never open on our own. [14:35]
2. Prayer transforms our vision and helps us see people as God sees them. When we pray for others, we stop viewing them as obstacles or annoyances and start seeing their pain, loneliness, and need for hope. Compassion grows in us, and we become more sensitive to the Spirit’s nudges to bless and serve. Spiritual vision is cultivated in the secret place of prayer, not in the busyness of activity. [19:15]
3. God uses our prayers to change the world, but often in ways we don’t expect. Sometimes, we pray for someone and God sends another person to reach them, or He uses us in someone else’s life as an answer to their prayers. The outcomes are in God’s hands; our responsibility is to be faithful in prayer and available for His purposes. This keeps us humble and dependent, knowing that the results are supernatural, not manufactured. [33:16]
4. Persistent prayer is powerful, even when results are delayed. The story of Howard Hendricks praying for his father for 42 years reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace, and no prayer is wasted. People may resist our words or actions, but they are helpless against our prayers. God works in hidden ways, often over long periods, to draw people to Himself. [43:05]
5. Blessing others is not about pressure or performance, but about joining God in what He’s already doing. We are not called to “sell” Jesus or force outcomes; we are called to bless, to pray, to listen, to serve, and to share. The “Francis” tool helps us identify those God has placed in our lives, and the B.L.E.S.S. practices give us a simple, relational way to participate in God’s mission. The pressure is off—God does the heavy lifting; we simply show up in faithfulness. [10:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:24] - God’s Call on Your Heart
[01:55] - The Greatest Thing That Ever Happened
[03:20] - My Story: Coming to Know Jesus
[05:09] - The Power of Prayer in Salvation
[06:17] - Longing for Something Bigger
[07:21] - What Is a Spiritual Influencer?
[08:31] - The Pressure Is Off: Bless, Don’t Convert
[09:28] - The B.L.E.S.S. Practices Explained
[12:06] - Jesus Begins with Prayer
[13:18] - The Importance of Spiritual Vision
[15:16] - The Significance of the Twelve
[17:34] - Why Did Jesus Pray?
[19:15] - Jesus’ Compassion for the Crowds
[22:51] - Developing Spiritual Vision
[24:33] - The Francis Tool: Who’s in Your Life?
[27:54] - Prayer Moves Us to Serve
[30:54] - The Harvest Is Plentiful: Pray for Laborers
[33:16] - God Uses Our Prayers in Surprising Ways
[35:35] - Blessing Your Francis: Getting Practical
[36:49] - Four Prayers for Your Francis
[39:36] - Responding Together as a Church
[41:43] - The Power of Persistent Prayer
[44:13] - No One Is Helpless Against Our Prayers
[45:38] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 6:12-13 (ESV) — > In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles.

Matthew 9:36-38 (ESV) — > When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Observation Questions

According to Luke 6:12-13, what did Jesus do before choosing his twelve apostles? Why do you think he spent all night in prayer? [14:35]
In Matthew 9:36, how did Jesus see the crowds, and what was his emotional response to them? [19:15]
The sermon mentioned the “Francis” tool. What are the categories included in this tool, and what is its purpose? [24:33]
What is the first step in the B.L.E.S.S. practices, and why is it considered foundational? [09:28]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus model beginning with prayer before taking action, even though he is God? What does this teach us about our own approach to spiritual influence? [17:34]
The sermon says, “Prayer opens our eyes to see people.” How does praying for someone change the way we see them, according to both the Bible passages and the sermon? [12:42]
The story of Howard Hendricks praying for his father for 42 years was shared. What does this story reveal about the power and persistence of prayer, even when results are delayed? [43:05]
The sermon asks, “If God answered every one of your prayers this week, would anyone new be in His kingdom?” What is the significance of this question for how we pray? [05:09]

Application Questions

The “Francis” tool helps us identify people in our lives to pray for (Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances, Neighbors, Coworkers/Classmates, Enemies, Strangers). Who are one or two people in your “Francis” list that you sense God might want you to begin praying for this week? [24:33]
Jesus saw the crowds and was moved with compassion. Is there someone in your everyday world you tend to see as an “annoyance” or “problem” rather than as a person with real needs? How might praying for them change your attitude or actions? [19:15]
The sermon said, “Prayer is not just preparation for greater works—it is the greater work.” How does this challenge or encourage you in your current approach to prayer? [35:07]
Have you ever felt pressure to “convert” someone or make something happen spiritually? How does the idea that “the pressure is off—God does the heavy lifting; we simply show up in faithfulness” change your mindset? [10:21]
Think about a time when you prayed for someone over a long period. Did you see any changes, either in them or in yourself? What kept you going, or what made you want to give up? [43:05]
The sermon encouraged us to pray specific prayers for people (e.g., that God would draw them, convict them, send someone to them, and help them confess Jesus as Lord). Which of these prayers could you start praying for someone on your Francis list this week? [36:49]
The question was asked, “If God answered every one of your prayers in the last month, would anyone new be in the kingdom?” How might you adjust your prayer life in light of this challenge? [05:09]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What is the significance of beginning with prayer in spiritual influence?

How does prayer transform our vision of others like Jesus?

In what ways does God use our prayers to change lives?