Prayer and effective leadership (I)

AS Christians we have been positioned and equipped for advantage in life because of our connection/relationship with God and we must resolve to translate this advantage in every department of our lives

We must be careful not to be religious and limit spiritual realities/resources to church alone but make them work for us outside the church, especially in our leadership in the marketplace.

One of our advantages is prayer.

Prayer is a tremendous resource and a great opportunity to receive divine help in leadership. Prayer will give any leader an edge in his leadership operations. When we do not pray we shoot ourselves in the foot.

“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” Samuel Chadwick

Prayer must be taken with every sense of responsibility.

“Mind how you pray. Make real business of it. Let it never be a dead formality…plead the promise in a truthful, business-like way…Ask for what you want, because the Lord has promised it.” Charles Spurgeon

What prayer brings to the table for the leader:

1. a) Access to God and His resources. “That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything.” Mark 11:24 MSG.
2. b) Wisdom. (The how and know-how of generating ideas, solving problems and doing things.)

“If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it.” James 1:5 MSG.

1. c) Resolutions. “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” Phil 4:6-7 MSG.
2. d) Instructions and directions. “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” Isaiah 48:17.

“The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Psalms 32:8 NLT.

1. e) Problem solving. “Daniel then went home and told his companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what was going on. He asked them to pray to the God of heaven for mercy in solving this mystery so that the four of them wouldn’t be killed along with the whole company of Babylonian wise men. That night the answer to the mystery was given to Daniel in a vision. Daniel blessed the God of heaven.” Daniel 2:17-19 MSG.
2. f) Favour. “And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.” Acts 7:10.

TO BE CONTINUED.

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Prayers and Effective Leadership Part 2

Last time we began looking at prayers and effective leadership. We saw that as Christians we have been positioned and equipped for advantage in life because of our connection/relationship with God. We must translate this advantage to every department of our lives.

We must be careful not to be religious and limit spiritual realities/resources to church alone but make them work for us outside the church especially in our leadership in the marketplace.

One of our advantages is prayer.

A leader must know where he needs prayer and faithfully engage in it.

Let us look at seven critical prayer focus of a leader:

1) Wisdom, answers, solutions, insight.

Leadership comes with problems and challenges. Leaders don’t create but solve problems and this can be daunting.

 

“It is only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually. When we desire to encourage the growth of the human spirit, we challenge and encourage the human capacity to solve problems, just as in school we deliberately set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of confronting and resolving problems that we learn.” M. Scott Peck

 

A leader solves problems and problem solving demands wisdom

“Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems.” Brian Tracy

“If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.” James 1.5-6

2) Growth, increase, advancement, promotion.

Every leader wants growth. He wants his leadership to thrive and have great impact and prayer is relevant here.

“May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 115.14-15.

3) Favour, open doors, opportunities. A competent leader needs opportunity to exhibit his competence and when he lacks such opportunity his potential is buried and his effectiveness frustrated. This is why every leader needs to pray for favour – opportunities to exhibit his potential and let people be blessed with the stuff he is made of.

“For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.” Psalm 5.12.

4) Protection, longevity, security. Leadership is not always a smooth sail. Sometimes the ship of leadership hits turbulent weather and at such times prayer is a very good help.

“Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.”So we can be sure when we say, “I will not be afraid, because the Lord is my helper. People can’t do anything to me.” Hebrews 13.5-6.

5) Resources and means.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4.19.

 

6) Confessions, declarations and decrees. The words of a leader must carry weight and in prayer this is a vital key. A leader must learn to shape things by making declarations and decrees.

 

CONCLUDED. FOR ENQUIRIES AND COMMENTS PLEASE SEND EMAIL TO [email protected]

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