Leading as You "Pray without Ceasing"

If you’re a Christian leader, you probably know Paul’s directive, to “pray without ceasing.” It’s in a list of concise instructions in 1 Thessalonians 5. This verse can be applied in a variety of ways: we should always be in communion with God, we should seek God’s guidance in all decisions, our lives should be characterized by prayer. I recently saw “pray without ceasing” from a fresh, leadership perspective. I believe that prayer is best understood as a conversation with God, and a true conversation is two-way. We should be fully engaged as we listen because the other party has something valuable to say to us. I also believe that self-awareness is vital for effective leadership. The more that we’re aware of our strengths and weaknesses and of how others perceive our leadership, the more opportunities that we have to grow and improve. On the flip side, leaders who are not self-aware are more prone to mistakes and less likely to ask for help. So to pray without ceasing means that I should allow God to speak into my leadership decisions and actions at all times. If I am truly listening to God, my true motivations behind a decision might be challenged. I might realize that a “frank” conversation (from my perspective) was intimidating to the person on the receiving end. I might be nudged to replace anxiety about a decision with dependence on God. If a meeting didn’t seem to go well, I can ask God to show me what I should have done differently rather than blaming someone else for the poor outcome. A great danger for Christian leaders, whether they work in ministry or in the marketplace, is that they will separate their leadership from their spiritual practices. A great opportunity for these leaders is for their faith to be integrated into every aspect of their lives. Praying without ceasing – which includes listening to God without ceasing – is surely one step in that direction. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>