"In admirable transparency, Baptist pastor Mark Littleton says, "Parishioners would never dream it, but there is a segment of the ecclesiastical nobility—myself included—for whom personal worship (aka 'devotions,' 'quiet time,' 'QT') has been a struggle.
First, it's finding the minutes.
Those phone calls in the morning always seem to foul up your communion with God.
Or maybe it's the kids. Or the sweet smell of coffee from the kitchen.' (Excerpt from Mark Littleton's "Some Quiet Confessions About Quiet Time" found in Leadership, Fall Quarter, 1983, p. 81)
(Wagner), "Many church members take for granted that their pastor, as their spiritual leader, spends considerable quality time alone with God on a regular basis.
They love their church and they love their pastor and they assume that their pastor is a 'man of God' or a 'woman of God.'
Little do they know that one of the higher items on the list of pastoral frustrations is the gap between the prayer life that pastors know they need and desire to have, but cannot seem to make happen in real life.
One pastor says, 'Like most busy people, I am plagued by pressures, deadlines, phone calls, 'emergencies,' and on and on. Sometimes I think the devil works overtime just to keep me from prayer.'
Knowing what I know about the devil, I think the last sentence
could be a severe understatement."
Today’s post -#37 Secrets of Pastors' Prayer Lives, in the series taken from C. Peter Wagner’s book, PRAYER SHIELD, How to intercede for pastors, Christian leaders and others on the spiritual frontlines.(pgs. 77,78)
(Google images added)
Let’s pray:
Father, forgive us for not holding up our pastors and leaders in the prayer support that they've needed. We ask that You bring their names to our remembrance during each day, so we can pray for them.
We're beginning to understand that they need our prayer support to accomplish what You've given them to do. Even those who have about given up in their ministry, can become revived if only we'd start to regularly pray for them. This is what You want us to do! We pray this in the Name of our Saviour. Amen.
We're beginning to understand that they need our prayer support to accomplish what You've given them to do. Even those who have about given up in their ministry, can become revived if only we'd start to regularly pray for them. This is what You want us to do! We pray this in the Name of our Saviour. Amen.
Today’s Bible verse: Ps. 92:2 "To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night."
Today’s quote:
Some thoughts today:
- God wants to fill our tanks with the “source”- the Holy Spirit. Everyone’s encounter with the Holy Spirit is different and individual. His touching each of us is unique.
- The devil is out to trick you. He’ll use what you believe about yourself that’s negative. God appeals to your identity, to believe that you’re dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. Live like the King’s kid!
(Be sure to read Sunday's post, "Who Am I?")
(Be sure to read Sunday's post, "Who Am I?")
- Pray for your pastor(s), that they will begin to see their identity is in Christ.
Thursday’s post: #38 How Much Do Pastors Pray? C. Peter Wagner
Saturday's post: Praying With Confidence Dr. Charles Stanley
Sunday's post: Who Am I? God's Promises
Tuesday's post: #39 Clergy Prayer in Other Nations C. Peter Wagner
Thursday's post: #40 Do Pastors Pray Enough? C. Peter Wagner
A popular post: Quiet and at Rest Merlin Carothers tells us, “For most of our lives our happiness depended on having what we wanted. It’s easy for many of us to still have that feeling!"
