Adults

Posts Tagged Prayer

Jul
8
F Leader , L Leader , Susan Hill

Praying for the Spiritual Growth of Those You Lead

By Susan Hill

Experienced LIFE Group leaders know that each new week brings a variety of prayer requests vocalized by group members. All of us would agree it’s important to intercede on behalf of those we lead and many of us have seen extraordinary answers to prayer.
But how often are we praying for the spiritual growth of those God has entrusted to our leadership? Are we praying as fervently for their spiritual growth as we are their temporal circumstances? The prayers of Paul recorded in Scripture reveal how often he prayed for the spiritual growth of those he led.
Here are just a few examples of Paul’s prayer requests:

  • I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. (Ephesians 1:17)
  • And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment. (Philippians 1:9)
  • For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. (Colossians 1:9)
  • And in view of this, we always pray for you that our God will consider you worthy of His calling, and will, by His power, fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith. (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

In biblical community, it is both appropriate and necessary to pray for one another’s temporal circumstances.  However, as leaders we will be wise if we look to Paul to gain insight into how he prayed for those entrusted to his spiritual leadership. Spiritual growth is dependent on prayer. While it’s important to pray for good test results, approved mortgages, traveling mercies, and a variety of other requests, it’s crucial we pray for the spiritual growth of those we are called to serve.

Oct
31
JourneyOn Today Videos , Roger Severino

FOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL JOURNALING

by Roger Severino  

[vimeo 109255917 w=640 h=360]  
I am not consistent in my journaling, but have at one time or another practiced each of these methods. Maybe you will find at least one of these helpful to you.

  1. Journal Your Experiences. I know people who do this on a consistent basis. They keep a diary of their experiences and then can look back on ways God has been at work in their lives. Without capturing these with pen and paper, we can lose the opportunity to see how God delivered us from a trying season, or miss the chance to see growth in our lives. Unfortunately, I have tended to practice this only during particularly dark or difficult times, so if someone reads my journals when I die, they will think I lived a pretty sad and sorry life. Nevertheless, it has been therapeutic for me to write out what I am feeling and invite God’s presence into the experience.
  2. Journal Your Bible Study. Donald Whitney has said that the difference between Bible reading and Bible study is pen and paper. I have been a little more consistent in this area. Sometimes I take notes on what I am reading, perhaps writing out the main principles or how I will apply the text to my life. Occasionally, I create an outline of a passage as if I would teach it. There are times I merely copy onto paper the exact words I am reading. That might sound strange, but I absorb and process a text differently when I write out the words compared to when I simply read them. I would encourage you to have pen and paper in hand when you do your Bible study.
  3. Journal Your Prayers. Why write out your prayers? This process gives structure and coherence to your prayers. If you’re like me, my mind often drifts when I pray, and writing out my prayers has helped me to stay focused and voice what I wish to pray. It helps me be intentional on what I want to praise God for, or what I want to confess, or what I need to request for myself or others. This is not a daily habit of mine, but I have found this profitable when I have practiced writing out my prayers.
  4. Journal Your Prayer List. OK, this relates to journaling your prayers, but this is a little different. Do you want to be intentional about who you pray for? If so, write out a prayer list in your notebook or journal. For example, I want to pray for my family members each day. This goes on my daily prayer list. Also, there are other things I may wish to pray for daily, such as my Oikos list (5-10 unbelievers who I have identified that are in my sphere of relationships). There are others who I want to pray for on a weekly basis. In the back of my notebook, I have divided the sheet into eight quadrants by drawing a line down the middle and three horizontal lines. The top left quadrant is for daily prayers. The remaining seven quadrants are the days of the week. Under each of these, I have identified family, friends, missionaries, countries, co-workers, ministers, etc., that I wish to pray for on a weekly basis.