Growing up in Hastings, England, Jim Perry had only limited exposure to church.

By the time he was 15, Jim enlisted in the British military. The year was 1963, and it was there that he had his first experience in the world of the occult. Sadly, Jim became entrenched in occultism for the next 20 years. It almost killed him.

Then, in 1983, some Christians moved into the community house where Jim lived. They started praying for him. During this same time, my team and I were in London holding a 6 week-long evangelistic festival.

One of the Christians living in the house, a woman named Veronica, decided to take a risk and invite Jim to hear the Gospel. To her surprise, Jim accepted.

Jim says that he heard a message that night that astounded him. He heard that Jesus loved him and had defeated Satan on that Cross, and would forgive his many sins. He knew deep down that this was the truth. So Jim made the decision to no longer live for the darkness, but for the light of Christ.

Because of Veronica’s faithfulness to pray for Jim, he is now in the Kingdom of God! And she later married Jim! And, they started three local churches!

James 5:16 says “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Don’t give up praying for people you know, no matter how far away they seem from the Lord. Like Jim, you never know when they will finally decide to follow Jesus Christ.

My parents raised me on stories about missionaries from the 1800s since I was a little boy. Even today, I get excited when I hear the accounts of these great, amazing, courageous, men and women of God. It reminds me that we’re all called to ‘go preach the Good News.’

One of my favorite missionary heroes is Hudson Taylor. This Englishman was the first missionary to the interior of China. He later founded the China Inland Mission where he saw hundreds of missionaries follow him, establishing Gospel stations all over China.

Taylor’s motto was to “move men through God, by prayer.” He was a man who did everything, so to speak, on his knees before God, and the Lord honored that. I believe that’s why he was so astonishingly successful in his mission endeavors.

Hudson Taylor died a little over a hundred years ago, but his tremendous legacy follow him in China. Even atheists - national Chinese leaders, who I have met, know about him!

Do you spend time on your knees before the Lord, asking Him to move in the hearts of people who don’t know Him? Matthew 21:22 encourages us, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

So, let’s you and I follow Hudson Taylor’s lead, and continue praying for the lost people in our world. God has chosen you to work in answer to prayer.

God says to Jeremiah in ch 1, “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you. And before you were born, I separated you. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Just think about that! Whether you’re a man, woman, boy, girl, teenager, or whoever, God says to you, “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you.” And not only does He know us, but just like Jeremiah, God has a plan for us to spread the message of eternal salvation to our world in our day.

The first time I read that verse, I must have been 18 or 19, and I remember thinking, “This is amazing!” Even before my mom and my dad got together, God knew all about Luis Palau. He knew that someday I would be an evangelist. And He knew all about you, too. He knows exactly what’s going to happen and how He wants to use you to further the Kingdom of God.

If you’re struggling with wondering how God wants to use you for evangelism, try praying this prayer: “Lord, you made me in my mother’s womb. I’m alive today because you wanted me to be born. You made me the way I am. Please reveal your purposes to me, and then strengthen me to accomplish what you’re calling me to do.” The Lord will answer that prayer, so pray.

Children don’t become Christians by osmosis. It’s true that God has no grandchildren. As parents, we should deeply care that our children make a genuine commitment to Jesus Christ. We can’t make the decision for them, but we can take an active part in leading our sons and daughters to a solid and lasting faith.

Proverbs 11:30 says “the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he (or she) who wins souls is wise.”

It’s thrilling to win someone to Jesus Christ. Your life may be full of exciting moments, but none will match that special time when your child gives their life to the Savior.

I made the decision to follow Christ at a summer camp. Still, the seed of the Gospel had been planted and watered by my parents at home. It’s in the home where life’s most crucial curriculum is taught. God designed the home as the place where His word is to be taught, lived and passed on from generation to generation.

The Lord longs to welcome children into His family. Through our instruction, our example and our prayers we can have an active part in seeing God work in our children’s lives.