ESOCS Devotional 4 November 2023 – The Place of Ministerial Success
MEMORY VERSE“And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.” Mark 6:46
TEXT: MARK 6:45-END(KJV)
And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.
46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.
47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.
48 And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.
49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:
50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.
51 And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.
52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
53 And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore.
54 And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew him,
55 And ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.
56 And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
The importance of prayer in ministerial success cannot be overemphasized. Most a times we get so engulfed with ministerial activities that we forget the most important aspect of our walk with God which is personal communion.
Our Lord Jesus Christ showed us a great example of how not to do ministry at the expense of personal communion with God.
It is in the place of prayer that we draw the needed spiritual strength and guidance for effective ministry. It is therefore a necessary requirement for us to consistently fall back to the place of prayers. When ministry is done at the expense of personal communion, we will end up with ministerial activities void of the spirit; mere sensationalism and nothing life changing. God’s design is never that ministry should be done by human wisdom and the dictate of the flesh but by the power of the Holy Spirit hence there is need for consistent spiritual refreshing to keep us burning in the spirit. There is a time to retreat from the crowd; it is the time of spiritual refreshment in the place of prayers. A prayer-less ministry always turns out to be self-serving and mere sensationalism.
IMPORTANCE OF PRAYERS IN MINISTRY
- Prayer keeps us in line with God’s will: Consistently seeking God in prayers helps us align with God’s plans and purposes in ministry. When we stop seeking God in prayer, we step out with our own plans instead of following His plan.
- Prayer keeps us dependent on God: Prayer is a way of saying “God I cannot do this on my own”. When we pray, we express total reliance on Him. No matter how long we have been in ministry, we should never grow to the point where we see prayer as inessential. Spiritual maturity is not growing independent of the Holy Spirit growing much more dependence on Him.
- Prayer strengthens us: Lack of prayers can make us to be overwhelmed by the challenges that accompany the ministerial task.
Our Lord Jesus considered his personal communion with the Father so important that He never allowed even ministry to disrupt. This is one of the secrets to His success. We also ought to do the same if we desire the same result. The success and stability of our ministry lies in our ability to consistently draw strength from the spirit through prayers. We must consciously and deliberately create a time for personal communion with the Father.
FURTHER READINGS: Matthew 26:38-44; Luke 5:15-16; 6:12-16
ESOCS Devotional 3 November 2023
