| Prayer Partners continued...
Developing an effective prayer life depends
on keeping your relationship with God strong and uncluttered
by sin and disobedience. 1 Peter 3:12 says, "The eyes
of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive
to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against
those who do evil." If we strive for righteousness and
confess our errors, we can remain close to God. But
maintaining our relationship with Him is an ongoing
process. A Christian can't simply pray once through
a list like these ten prayer killers and expect to be
done with it. Every day we need to go to God and ask
Him to reveal anything that may be hindering our progress.
Look at Psalm 139:23-24. It contains the words of David,
a man after God's own heart, who had one of the best
relationships with God in all the Bible:
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Test me and know my anxious thoughts, See if there
is any offensive way in me, And lead me in the way
everlasting.
David overcame some horrible sins in his
life to be close to God. He was a murderer and adulterer,
yet he humbled himself before God and confessed his
sins. And that allowed him to come closer to God and
keep growing and building in his relationship with Him.
David is a great model for us to follow. If God was
able to forgive him and build a special relationship
with him, then He can do the same with us. If we are
faithful, God will draw us close to Him. And He will
answer our prayers.
[That is the end of these excerpts. These excerpts were
taken from pages 1-28, and 51-63 of "PARTNERS IN PRAYER"
by John C. Maxwell. These have been given as an appetizer.
For the main course, which I guarantee will make the
prayer life of both you and your congregation healthy,
but sure to buy PARTNERS IN PRAYER online at http://www.christianbook.com
, then click on "authors list" and then on "John Maxwell"
and then on "Partners In Prayer."
Partners in Prayer, the first book in the John
Maxwell Church Resources series, shows church leaders
and laypeople how to unleash the potential of prayer
on behalf of themselves, one another, and the church.
If your church--or private devotional life--is starving
in the area of prayer and you want to tap into the power
and protection prayer provides, Maxwell gives practical
insight into
- the fundamentals of prayer
- improving personal prayer life
- praying for others, including church leaders
- building a prayer partners ministry in the local
church
- encouraging prayer revival nationwide
Are you missing out on God's gift and blessing
of prayer? Is there someone you know who would benefit
from your committed prayers on their behalf? Despite
God's promise of the power of prayer to change our world,
many of us never experience it. John Maxwell shows you
how to strengthen your prayer life and reap the benefits
awaiting those who become Partners in Prayer.
Christian Living/Pastoral Helps
ISBN 0-7852-7439-1
THOMAS NELSON PUBLISHERS
Nashville
$10.99 U.S.
[Just for a tiny peak into what the rest of this book
is about--learning how to pray for your pastor--here
are excerpts from the next short chapter]
5
EXPANDING YOUR PRAYER FOCUS
My intercessor is my friend as my eyes
pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads
with God as a man pleads for his friend.
Job 16:20-21
THE POWER OF PRAYING FOR OTHERS
The act of praying or pleading with God on
behalf of someone else is commonly called intercession.
It is a selfless act and it is considered by some people
to be the highest form of prayer. Jesus was an intercessor.
During the last hours before He was arrested and crucified,
He spent time interceding for the disciples and the
believers who would come after them, which includes
us! He said:
I pray for them. I am not praying
for the world, but for those you have given me,
for they are yours...Holy Father, protect them by
the power of your name--the name you gave me--so
that they may be one as we are one...My prayer is
not for them alone. I pray also for those who will
believe in me through their message, that all of
them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and
I am in you. (John 17:9-21)
Jesus came into this world to talk to people
about God, but while He was here, He also talked to
God about people. And now in heaven, He continues to
pray for us, interceding on our behalf (Rom. 8:34).
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN INTERCESSOR
Occasionally I find people whose desire to
pray for others is so strong that they are compelled
to intercede for others. Sometimes they pray primarily
for one particular person, but usually they pray for
many. Bill Klassen, who started the prayer partner ministry
at Skyline, and his wife Marianne, are two people who
feel that way about prayer. I believe they have been
called to be intercessors. Men and women like
them who have that kind of heart for prayer often share
three characteristics:
- IDENTIFICATION: People who feel called to
intercede for someone usually have a very strong identification
or empathy for that person. Sometimes that identification
begins with a respect for that person's ministry or
position, such as that of their pastor. But the feelings
of connection and empathy almost always deepen on
a more personal level.
- SACRIFICE: Intercessors display a willingness
to make sacrifices for the people for whom they pray.
Intercessors display a willingness to make sacrifices
for the people for whom they pray. They often spend
lengthy periods of time pleading with God on others'
behalf. For example, look at Moses. He interceded
on behalf of all the children of Israel after the
fiasco of the golden calf. He was willing to sacrifice
even his own soul. He said to God, "Please forgive
their sin--but if not, then blot me out of the book
you have written" (Ex. 32:32). Moses had an enduring
relationship with the people of Israel and felt responsible
for them. He spent a lot of time interceding on their
behalf.
- AUTHORITY: Willingness to sacrifice is the
price of intercession, but with it comes authority
with God through the power of the Holy Spirit. God
rewards those who are willing to stand in the gap
for others and plead for them.
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