One of the major manus of leadership emphasis of today is the near total absence of prayer in the life of many leaders. In our academic pride, the role of prayer and intercession in a leader’s life have been grossly overlooked and deemphasized. Some so led leaders even gleefully advertise their lack of prayer the as if it’s nothing. No wonder such dens usually fall into gross moral scandals. Lots waders of today are neither too busy to pray, intercede and hold up their people in prayer nor humble enough to ask for intercession from their people.
Make no mistake about it, leaders need to pray and have a very strong prayer life, they also need to receive tremendous prayer support from meir people. It is then they can become true spiritual leaders that can make major impact for God in the lives of the people.
A popular Evangelist who had been mightily used by God in our Nation shared his personal story in a meeting where I spoke on ‘Prayer shield for 6 leaders sometime ago. He told us how the Lord called him and 3 wealthy Christians hired and were paying 3 people each to intercede for him everyday. When the 9 intercessors started praying for him, amazing things began to happen and doors opened for him everywhere. Unfortunately, those 3 wealthy people died one after the other in a space of six months and those who were interceding stopped due to lack of money, and his ministry equally stopped and nasty things started occurring!
A Biblical Foundation Exodus 17:11-13; I Thess. 5:25; Rom. 15:30; Phil. 1:19; Col. 4:3.
Ministers, leaders, like Joshua in the battle needs the spiritual and prayer support of Moses, Aaron and Hur on the mountain, in order to prevai over the enemy Apostle Paul repeatedly asked today equally need intercession to deliver them Christians in his days to pray for him. Leaders of from myriads of problems they might find ministerial assignments themselves or come across in the course of their ministerial assignments.
- Many times, we often confuse intercession with prayers:
- All intercessions are prayers, but not all prayers are intercessions. 2.
- While prayer is talking to God, intercession is coming to God on behalf of another Intercession is standing in the gap-Ezek. 22.30, Job 16:20-21:9:32-33
- Intercession is the act of pleading by one who in God’s sight has the right to do so, in order to obtain mercy for the one in need All leaders must pray and have thriving personal prayer life-Acts 6:4
- All leaders must pray and intercede for their people-1 Sam. 12:23: Heb 7:25 Gal. 4:19, Eph. 3:14-21
But much more than that, all leaders need great intercession to succeed in leadership and ministry -Isaiah 59:16, 62:6-7 II Thess 3:1-2
No matter how prayerful a servant of the Lord is, yet he or she will still need lots of prayers as covering if he is to be effective for God.
Willy Bruce said: “No matter how well you pay your pastor, praise him or work for him, it is only through earnest, strategic prayer that you can ever really help him be an effective minister in the hands of the Almighty God”.
B. Why Leaders Need Prayer Support-1 Thess. 5:25; Col. 4:3
Today, many leaders are falling like packs of cards Church leaders are being spiritually attacked here and there. I know of Pastors who lost their voice while preaching in the church. Others lost their breath and died right on the pulpit. Some even lost their wives and children. Church leaders need prayer shield because:
- Leaders have more influence on others -their fall will be the fall of many.
- Leaders are more targeted by spiritual powers smite the shepherd and the sheep will scatter is the eternal strategy of Satan.
- Leaders are more subject to temptations.
- Pastors have more responsibility and accountability.
- The leader must have victory if the church must win.
- A distracted mind of a leader will affect the church negatively.
- The spiritual promotion of the leader is also that of the ministry.
As we look at the scriptures and contemporary history, we find that prayer shield for leaders is a secret practice that greatly helped effective leaders.
- Charles Spurgeon kept an underground room where 500 people are lifting him up in prayer every week.
- Charles G. Finney had father Nash praying for him
- D. L. Moody had an invalid woman as his intercessor.
- Billy Graham had Pearl Goodey and 40 other intercessors.
- David Yonggi Cho of Korea had 2,000 people praying for him daily.
- Jimmy Swaggart lamented that lack of intercessors led to his fall.
- Peter Wagner had 19 people praying for him and his family. John Maxwell had over 100 people praying.
- Elizabeth Dabney interceded for her husband’s ministry.
There were amazing testimonies due to the prayers of these people and the prayers they received. Lots of leaders are not enjoying the benefits of intercession today due to ignorance, pride of academics, fear of the unknown, Messiah status, tendencies and over-humility.
Recommended Reading
PRAYER & SPIRITUAL WARFARE: INTERCESSION FOR GROWTH
TOWARD A SOLID SPIRITUAL TESTIMONY
The Great Commission: Our Responsibility to Reach the Lost
Serving God In These Last Days: OBSTACLES TO SERVICE
C. How To Raise Prayer Partners – Isaiah 59:16; 62:6-7
Before you raise financial partners in ministry, first of all raise prayer partners. There are three recognizable levels:-
- Casual Prayer Partners – This is casual, “Pastor we are praying for you” partners They spend less than 10 minutes once in a while.
- Regular Prayer Partners – Those who see the need and they spend 15 minutes in prayer for you everyday.
- Full Time Intercessors – Those you pay to pray full time for you on daily, weekly and monthly basis.
While it is good to have the casual and regular prayer partners, the full-time intercessors are better. Though it will take time and resources, yet it is better. Moving into action would demand that you ask from God to give you prayer partners.
Prayerfully look for men and women who have the following qualities:
- Spirituality.
- Prayerfulness.
- Submission to authority.
- Dependence on the body of Christ.
- Genuine Christian and heart for God.
- Receiving from the Lord.
- Genuine prayer and Godly life.
- Open communication.
- Confidentiality.
If you can get one, two or three, call and communicate with them. Once you are convinced that God is in it, engage them by agreeing on when, where and what they will be praying on and for Maintain them by praying for them and encouraging them in whatever way possible. Intercessors may change roles and many more be added as time goes on but pray and seek guidance from the Lord.