“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”
1 Corinthians 9:16 (NKJV)
It is an obligation for every child of God to have a core drive to proclaim the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ—otherwise known as the Gospel—and to ensure that people of all nations come to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Saviour. This responsibility is commonly referred to as “soul winning.”
There is a general belief that only pastors or church leaders are called to have a fervent passion or desire to win souls and to lead people to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. On the contrary, every child of God is called to this selfless action and heartfelt burden through evangelism and the preaching of the Gospel. Most importantly, passion for souls must be driven by the manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18; 2 Corinthians 5:14; Romans 5:5).
A deep sense of divine calling and passion for souls is the heartbeat of God. This is why Scripture declares in Luke 15:7 (AMP): “I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.” This clearly explains the need for every believer to make intentional and consistent efforts to share the Gospel with the aim of bringing people to salvation (Matthew 28:19–20).
During the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, innumerable people were perishing, and this moved Him with compassion (Mark 6:34; Matthew 15:32; Luke 7:13–15; Matthew 20:34; John 6:10–13; Lamentations 3:22; Hebrews 4:15), leading Him to reconcile them to God. In the same way, our Lord Jesus Christ has entrusted us with this message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19). It is this same message that we must passionately proclaim to people (Acts 3:19; Romans 5:10) in order to bring them to salvation—even if it requires enduring hardship, just as the apostles of old did. The willingness to sacrifice all for the sake of the Gospel should be our priority.
It is important to emphasise that no formal qualification is required to have passion and burden for souls. The only requirement is to be a child of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, and living a consistent Christian life (Acts 2). Ask yourself this question: Do you have a concern or burden for people who have not yet confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Saviour? (Luke 5:10; John 9:4).
In this year 2026, let the burden for souls become your greatest priority (Matthew 9:36; Romans 9:1–3). As you do, you will begin to rejoice over every soul that is saved (Luke 15:6; Acts 11:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:19–20; Psalm 126:6).
Prayer Points
1. Thank God for His grace, mercy, and the power of the Holy Spirit to draw men unto Himself (Ephesians 2:8–9).
2. Thank God for all missions across the globe.
3. Thank God for sending His only begotten Son to save the world, and thank Him for the salvation of your own soul.
4. Pray that God will give you a genuine burden and passion for lost souls.
5. Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more labourers into His field (Matthew 9:38).
6. Pray that the Spirit of the living God will remove every stronghold and release lost and unsaved souls from every bondage holding them captive.
7. Pray that as we go out to minister to the lost, many will come to the knowledge of Christ and be saved.
8. Pray that God will grant every lost soul genuine repentance and the grace not to look back or fall by the wayside (Luke 9:62).
9. Pray that the Holy Spirit will remove every heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).
10. Pray for yourself and for all evangelists around the world, asking God to continually grant them grace not to grow weary or discouraged.
