When God calls us to do His work, He provides everything we need to do it.
If we ask Him, He will gladly give us the strategies we need as well.
The question is, are we asking?
When we pray for our ministries, do we ask God to lead us? We present our good ideas and ask for His blessing, but are we seeking His direction?
The truth is, on our best days, when we’re at our sharpest and brightest, what we have to offer pales in comparison to God’s ideas and strategies.
What if we flipped it upside down? What if, before charging the hill, we sat in His presence and asked God to reveal how He wants us to pursue ministry?
Here are 4 practical ways you can incorporate more asking (and listening) into your prayer life.
1. Acknowledge that He is God
We are blessed to be able to talk to God whenever and wherever we want.
Scripture encourages us to pray without ceasing, living constantly aware of God’s presence. In doing so, may we never become so familiar with Him that we forget that He is God. He is the Creator and we are the created. He is holy and it’s only by His grace that we can approach Him at all.
If He did nothing more than simply allow us the pleasure of His company, wouldn’t that be enough?!
2. Come Expectant
Know that God loves you!
Our great and powerful God is tenderhearted towards you. His face lights up when you walk in the room. And when you come asking for strategies to advance the kingdom of God, to invade earth with heaven, that is a prayer He wants to answer.
He desires to give you the kingdom. (Luke 12:32)
Come expectant. Come confident that God will answer your prayer. He will bring to light the strategies you need.
3. Listen – Allow the Time and Space for God to Respond
We have lost the art of listening – to one another and to God.
Being heard is very popular these days — we wear personal statements on our t-shirts, we post our opinions and feelings on social media, we want to be heard. We might even believe it is our right.
This mentality bleeds into our relationship with God as well. Yes, God wants to hear from you, but to hear the strategies from God we long to know we must simply listen.
Stop talking.
Set your heart and mind on hearing from God.
Intentionally listen for God to reveal insights that are not your own.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declared the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 5:8-9)
Listen.
God is faithful and will make known heavenly strategy for your specific ministry.
4. Obey – Implement God’s Strategy
In Christian community, we celebrate when God makes himself known… and we should!
However, God’s word says that the wise are NOT simply those who hear. The wise are those who hear the words of God and put them into practice! (Matthew 7:24)
Now is your time to act. Carry out what God has shown you.
Clarity breeds confidence. Confidence breeds courage.
With the clarity God reveals in listening prayer, step confidently to do your work — His work. Your confidence will produce courage when courage is necessary.
God will give you the strategy you need to advance His Kingdom.
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