This is how I normally pray for people to receive salvation. Maybe it will be of use to you as well:
Father, I thank you that your name is above every name, and that at your name every knee must bow to you on heaven, on earth, and under the earth (Phil 2:9).
Father, I thank you that when I pray in your will, you hear my prayer and you answer it (1 John 5:14-15).
Father, I thank you said that it is your will that every person should not perish but reach repentance (2 Pet 3:9).
Father, I thank you that your Word never changes and that you cannot lie (Num 23:19).
Therefore, Father, I pray in Jesus' name that you would give [name] the gift of repentance and that you would draw [him/her] towards you (2 Tim 2:25; Rom 2:4; John 6:44).
Father, I pray that you would open the eyes of [name] to see things as they really are so that [he/she] would gain a full knowledge of the truth of you (Rom 1:17-18).
Father, I pray that you would soften the heart of [name] and give [him/her] a new heart to know that you are the Lord (Ezek 36:26; Jer 24:7).
Father I pray that you would help [name] to rescue [himself/herself] from the snare of the enemy (2 Tim 2:26).
Father, I pray that you would send laborers across [name]'s path to bring about a harvest of salvation for [him/her] (Matt 9:38; Luke 10:2).
Father, in the name of Jesus I bind all principalities and powers of the enemy that would prevent [name] from receiving your salvation (Matt 16:19; Eph 6:12). I thank you Jesus that at your name they must bow to you.
Father, I thank you that because I have prayed according your will, you have heard me. Therefore I will rest confident knowing that you will do everything within your power to bring [name] into your kingdom before it is too late.
As a side note, I usually only pray this prayer once unless God leads me to pray for parts of it again. Instead, whenever I think of it I will remind him of this prayer and thank him that he is working even now to bring it to pass. We don't have to talk God into saving people; he already wants them saved and has provided the means of salvation for them. Instead, we must ask God to break down the barriers that a person has setup to prevent the truth of revelation from breaking into their hearts. God can and will break down those barriers, but ultimately it comes down to a person's free will whether they receive it or not. Either way, you've done your part.
As another side note, if you have idols in your home I would do this. When your house is empty, take a small bit of olive oil and go throughout your house touching every doorway and entryway in your house. As you touch the overhead arch of each door, say the phrase "Holy Spirit, you are welcome in this place. Please make this home your dwelling place and break the power of the enemy over this house." Do it in such a way that no one else knows that you've done it and watch how things begin to change in that house.
Previously, we were discussing how sometimes the system will prompt you to review a whole passage set earlier than your expected interval, and how that makes it hard to create a passage set for a whole chapter (e.g., John 6 with 71 verses). I made a discovery this morning. It seems like the reason why the system is prompting you to review the whole chapter early is because one of your verse's review intervals is significantly off from the rest of the set. For example, one of my verses was at 85% while the rest in the set were at 95%.
If you do not want to review the whole chapter for that one verse, you can bypass that feature by clicking on the name of the review set and clicking Learn from the set itself. When you do this, the system does not prompt you to review every verse. Instead, it will allow you to skip through the verses until you get to the one that needs to be reviewed. This feature was my primary reason for breaking up chapters. I may have to reconsider that stance now.
Thanks for the kind words everyone! When I started this journey, I brazenly boasted that I would hit three years in a row. When I said that, I had no idea how hard it would be. Between all the birthdays, vacations, work deadlines, sick times, family emergencies, and just plain absentmindedness, it is so easy to lose your streak! I'm still amazed when people hit two or three years. Before I started trying to memorize the Bible, I knew maybe five verses word-for-word, and the rest I had to google. It boggles my mind that in a short year and a half I'm now over a thousand. This is no celebration of me, but of God and the gift of this website. This was the right tool at the right time to fulfill a desire that the Lord had placed in me to engage with him through his Word. And each of you are a part of that tool, because without your constant encouragement I would have given up by now for sure.
To answer your question, vader, it is hard to measure the impact that daily memorization has had on me, but I have noticed a few things. First, it has established a habit with me to be in God's presence daily. Before, my engagement with Scripture was sporadic at best. Now it is something I look forward to (most days ha!). Second, I've noticed that when I pray the scriptures that I've memorized pop up. This has always happened to some extent, but it seems different now, more targeted. Third, when my mind starts to eat itself with negative thoughts (doubt, condemnation, etc.), the Holy Spirit readily brings to my remembrance the scriptures I need to keep myself from self-deception. Fourth, when pastors quote passages (in John at least) in or out of context, I can recognize it. This is not always a good thing, ha! Finally, I find that I often have a Bible verse for someone who looking for direction in their life.
For example, we had a guy whose daughter was a believer flirting with atheism and was troubled by it. In the conversation, I was instantly reminded of John 10:27-29 where Jesus says that his sheep hear his voice and that no one is strong enough to snatch God's chosen out of his hand. I told him that whenever he thinks about his daughter's potential turning away, to quote these scriptures to God as both a thankfulness and a reminder to the Lord of what he said. This has been a source of comfort for him that I would not have been able to provide had I not put in the time to memorize John 10. We study to show ourselves approved not because we earn our salvation, but because other people need us to know God's Word so that we can be a comfort for them when they need it.
Congratulations onfire247! What a beautiful milestone. If you’re willing, could you please share a little testimony about how God has used this daily time in His Word to impact your life? I always love to hear how God is working in the lives of others.
Agree with all. Rejoicing with you on reaching this level and giving thanks to our Father for faithfulness! He has used you to be a blessing to many. Such JOY!
Thanks for the kind words everyone! When I started this journey, I brazenly boasted that I would hit three years in a row. When I said that, I had no idea how hard it would be. Between all the birthdays, vacations, work deadlines, sick times, family emergencies, and just plain absentmindedness, it is so easy to lose your streak! I'm still amazed when people hit two or three years. Before I started trying to memorize the Bible, I knew maybe five verses word-for-word, and the rest I had to google. It boggles my mind that in a short year and a half I'm now over a thousand. This is no celebration of me, but of God and the gift of this website. This was the right tool at the right time to fulfill a desire that the Lord had placed in me to engage with him through his Word. And each of you are a part of that tool, because without your constant encouragement I would have given up by now for sure.
To answer your question, vader, it is hard to measure the impact that daily memorization has had on me, but I have noticed a few things. First, it has established a habit with me to be in God's presence daily. Before, my engagement with Scripture was sporadic at best. Now it is something I look forward to (most days ha!). Second, I've noticed that when I pray the scriptures that I've memorized pop up. This has always happened to some extent, but it seems different now, more targeted. Third, when my mind starts to eat itself with negative thoughts (doubt, condemnation, etc.), the Holy Spirit readily brings to my remembrance the scriptures I need to keep myself from self-deception. Fourth, when pastors quote passages (in John at least) in or out of context, I can recognize it. This is not always a good thing, ha! Finally, I find that I often have a Bible verse for someone who looking for direction in their life.
For example, we had a guy whose daughter was a believer flirting with atheism and was troubled by it. In the conversation, I was instantly reminded of John 10:27-29 where Jesus says that his sheep hear his voice and that no one is strong enough to snatch God's chosen out of his hand. I told him that whenever he thinks about his daughter's potential turning away, to quote these scriptures to God as both a thankfulness and a reminder to the Lord of what he said. This has been a source of comfort for him that I would not have been able to provide had I not put in the time to memorize John 10. We study to show ourselves approved not because we earn our salvation, but because other people need us to know God's Word so that we can be a comfort for them when they need it.
Congratulations, onfire247, on reaching this milestone! Thanks also for sharing your testimony about your journey in the Lord while using this site. Such a blessing, indeed. 👏🏽🙏🏽