A couple months ago I went to a leadership intensive at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham Alabama. It…was…awesome! But sadly, I could relate all too well to the following three comments by Chris Hodges:
- One of the side effects of not spending enough time in prayer is that you’ll begin loving crowds, but not people.
- We ought to have a relational prayer life with God and not just a rescue prayer life. In a relational prayer life you spend time with God just to nurture the relationship. In a rescue prayer life you only spend time with God when you need something.
- Ministry flows out of our personal relationship with Jesus.
Maybe these comments convict you as they did me? I knew that God was using this conference and Pastor Chris to let me know that my prayer life wasn’t where He wanted it to be. The old adage is true: The work of God can sometimes get in the way of the God you are working for – and that had become true in my life. So I repented the same day I heard this message on prayer and my prayer life hasn’t been the same since. Here’s what I’m doing different:
- Prayer is on my calendar.
- I’m using the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 as a guide to lead me through my prayer time.
- I’ve made a prayer list.
As I’ve been more faithful in prayer, here are the side effects:
- I love people more.
- I have a relational prayer life, not just a rescue prayer life.
- Ministry is flowing out of my personal relationship with Jesus.
If you’re feeling convicted (as I did) when I evaluated where my prayer life was at, maybe you need to repent (as I did) and make the necessary changes. What’s the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart about your prayer life?
Leave a Reply