The Leader and His Praying
LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM
PATH 635 PAPERS
"THE LEADER AND HIS PRAYING"
MY PERSONAL WEAKNESS
BY
MICHAEL GARY WEBB
STUDENT ID #684299
DECEMBER, 2003 What a challenging first sentence is found in "The Leader and His Praying"! Sanders writes, "In nothing should the leader be ahead of his follower more than in the realm of prayer." If I could choose one area of my Christian life where I feel my personal weakness, it is in the area of prayer. I love to read, to visit, and to preach, but each of them is concrete enough to provide some immediate feedback. I can have a quick sense of accomplishment, whether or not I've accomplished what the Lord desires.
While I intellectually agree that I cannot do anything without the power of Christ, and while I acknowledge that His power is released through believing prayer, I pray very inconsistently, especially about the ministry itself. I pray under the pressure of no other option. When all the best advice of leadership books and seminary classes have not worked, then I pour out my heart in prayer, see good results, but soon forget the way they were granted. When conflicts arise in the church and my best counseling skills give no relief, I pray, and God answers. Perhaps there would have been less conflict in the first place if I had given myself to prayer.
Ideas for Improvement of My Prayer Life First of all, I must begin to pray more about the messages I bring to the church. Since I'm accustomed to preaching series, I don't wrestle much about exactly what I will be preaching about this coming Sunday. I do need to begin seeking the heart of God more about how these truths are to be applied to our church in such a brief window of time. I need to appeal to Him for a clarity, conviction, and power of delivery that will make His message impact the lives of His people. I need to pray over every point to be sure I'm wording it in a way that He wants. I must pray
DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM
PATH 635 PAPERS
"THE LEADER AND HIS PRAYING"
MY PERSONAL WEAKNESS
BY
MICHAEL GARY WEBB
STUDENT ID #684299
DECEMBER, 2003 What a challenging first sentence is found in "The Leader and His Praying"! Sanders writes, "In nothing should the leader be ahead of his follower more than in the realm of prayer." If I could choose one area of my Christian life where I feel my personal weakness, it is in the area of prayer. I love to read, to visit, and to preach, but each of them is concrete enough to provide some immediate feedback. I can have a quick sense of accomplishment, whether or not I've accomplished what the Lord desires.
While I intellectually agree that I cannot do anything without the power of Christ, and while I acknowledge that His power is released through believing prayer, I pray very inconsistently, especially about the ministry itself. I pray under the pressure of no other option. When all the best advice of leadership books and seminary classes have not worked, then I pour out my heart in prayer, see good results, but soon forget the way they were granted. When conflicts arise in the church and my best counseling skills give no relief, I pray, and God answers. Perhaps there would have been less conflict in the first place if I had given myself to prayer.
Ideas for Improvement of My Prayer Life First of all, I must begin to pray more about the messages I bring to the church. Since I'm accustomed to preaching series, I don't wrestle much about exactly what I will be preaching about this coming Sunday. I do need to begin seeking the heart of God more about how these truths are to be applied to our church in such a brief window of time. I need to appeal to Him for a clarity, conviction, and power of delivery that will make His message impact the lives of His people. I need to pray over every point to be sure I'm wording it in a way that He wants. I must pray