Like I said yesterday, staying humble is easier said than done. I don’t expect you to do it in your own power. That brings us to today’s principle: stay on your knees. It’s important that we are men and women of prayer. When we have a vibrant relationship with Christ and spend time communicating with Him in prayer, the natural attitude that will come out of us is one of humility. This is also where the fruits of the Spirit flourish (this and what we’ll take about tomorrow).
Prayer is the lifeline for the Christian leader and pastor. Prayer keeps you grounded, focused, connected, informed, encouraged and most of all – it displays a true dependence on God. We all need to be dependent on God and the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. Not praying shows a spirit of independence and thus leads to an attitude of pride and also can become overwhelming. We feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders and get stressed out.
I don’t have to tell you what a huge problem burnout is for ministers, but I would like to point out that I think this concept is a great contributor to our burnout epidemic as a Church. Leaders try to operate out of their own strength and eventually crumble under the pressure. Only dedicated time with God and hearing from His heart can fuel us and also keep us from sin (pride, lust, ambition to the point of sin, drivenness to the point of sin, etc.).
Staying on our knees (along with staying in the Word, which we’ll cover tomorrow) is absolutely essential to your (and my) physical, spiritual and emotional health. At the end of the day, it all comes down to health. We won’t to be healthy in every way possible. Prayer can calm the storm that rages within and all around us.
Prayer (and staying on your knees) is also a huge acknowledgement of submission to God. We acknowledge Christ as Lord and submit to His will, His way, His purpose. So… how’s your prayer life going?
