The month of October is Pastor Appreciation Month where members celebrate the work of the men and women who serve as leaders of the flock. One act believers should do is pray for pastors and all those who are spiritual leaders over the fivefold ministry. Pastors and other spiritual leaders need our prayers. It is a biblical principle to pray for pastors and others in spiritual authority over us. ( 1 Timothy 2:1-2) Paul asked the church to pray for Him. (1 Thess 5:25, Col. 4:3) Our prayers for the spiritual leaders enable them to perform the ministry God has called them to serve.
Bishop Eddie Long, Jamal Bryant, and Jack Haygood are all symbols of pastors or ministerial leaders who have fallen or are perceived to have fallen prey to the wiles of the devil and or moral decline.
Without the prayer support pastors are more vulnerable to the wiles of the devil. It is for our own benefit to pray that God will make your pastor a great leader and teacher (See 1 Tim 2:1-4)
One of the most effective ways you can minister to your pastor is to pray for his personal and spiritual needs.
Jonathan Graf a prayer warrior , author ,speaker and teacher on prayer states why pastors are a special target of the enemy. In Pray Magazine July/August 2004 Graf states:
1. A pastor is more accountable to God than the average parishioner. James said that not many should desire to be teachers because they will come under greater judgment (Jas. 3:1). The accuser would like nothing more than to defeat the pastor/teacher and rub his or her nose in it.
2. As the pastor’s spiritual life goes, so goes the congregation. If Satan can keep a pastor defeated and prayerless, most believers in his or her church will not grow spiritually. The prayer level of a church seldom rises above that of the pastor.
3. When a pastor falls, more damage usually is done to the church than when anyone else in the church falls. People look to the pastor as their spiritual leader. Less mature believers are often very confused when someone they look up to spiritually lets them down. They may even fall away from the Lord in the confusion and hurt.
4. The pastor is the most visible member of a church, so more damage is done to the ministry’s reputation in the community when he or she fails. It may affect the ministry of the church for a significant length of time. When scandal hits a church, nonbelievers tend to think there is no power in that religion.
Praying For Your Pastor is very important. They are serving God and the attacks of the enemy are non -ceasing. They must be covered in prayer on a daily basis. Here are a couple of suggestions to encourage your Pastor.
1. Put a picture of your pastor(s) in your church prayer room to remind people to pray.
2. Distribute copies of your pastor’s preaching text to adult Sunday school classes so they can pray for the Word to go forth with power and authority before he preaches.
3. Ask church members to write prayers based on Scriptures and mail them to the pastor as an encouragement.
A Prayer for Your Pastor.
Wayne Dillard posted this prayer to pray for pastors and asked if you would share it with your pastor. He would like to bless your pastor. This is a prayer he would pray over the pastor if he had the opportunity to do so to enable the pastor to walk in all the grace God has for them.
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Pastor, as a servant of the Lord Jesus, I extend a blessing to you today in His name. I bless you today in the power of Christ’s resurrection, with the courage of His dying, and the strength of His rising. With the revelation of the Holy Spirit released to you through His ascending, and the grace imparted to you through His atonement.
May you stand today in the firm knowledge of His everlasting love for you, and experience in the depths of your soul the never-ending peace He has purchased for you. May you hear clearly what He speaks to you today, and may His words stir an overcoming faith in your heart.
May you walk in the center of the path He lays before you without fear, and with the conviction to move mountains that stand in your way. May you inspire those around you to seek out the God you serve, and find the rest you have found in His arms.
May you be blessed as you rise up and as you lie down. May your day be filled with the sweetness of serving others, and your nights bring dreams and revelation of the God who loves you.
I bless you today with all that Christ has purchased for you. With forgiveness of sins, and freedom from guilt, with the Sabbath rest that frees you from religion. With the truth He revealed to set you free and the faith he imparts to empower your life, and ministry
I bless you today in the resurrection power of Christ, with the courage of His dying, and strength of His rising. May you walk unafraid, rise above the struggles of this earthly life, and move in power from your position in the heavenlies where you are seated with Him. And may His name be glorified today through your life, and the Body of Christ be blessed through your service.
Blessings,Wayne Dillard
www.prayercentral.net
Share this prayer by Wayne Dillard with your pastor. Write a prayer for your pastor and identify your pastor.
Linda Fegins ,