How to Pray Powerfully for Revival

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Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.

(Ps. 33:8)

Our culture cannot get enough exposés on fallen Christian leaders. Something about the revealed hypocrisy, told in such delicious detail, makes a cynical world feel much more at ease in their own sinful skin. But a true Christ Awakening would change all of that. If our church leaders were kept on their faces before God, sure in their callings and submitted to all accountability for their actions and motives, we would see revival in our land.

Jesus obviously saved His sharpest rebukes for religious leaders who failed to deal with the pride and sense of entitlement they felt in their own vaunted positions. But the Word is clear that a holy, courageous army of leaders, committed to right teaching and the character to match, is a pleasing sight in the eyes of the Lord. If we genuinely expect a renewal of purity and justice in the land, we are off-base to expect it to begin anywhere other than here, in God’s house, with us. Pray that our church and ministry leaders would open their hearts wide for an awakening to the “fear of the Lord” rather than the approval of people, thus restoring integrity and credibility.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:7)

“. . . become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe. (Phil. 2:15)

Where has God’s glory gone in American ministry? When did we make the shift from laying it all down for the sake of Christ to joining the latest “bless me” club? When did the simple, pure gospel of the Savior become about “me,” “my,” and “mine”? What happened to the transparency and integrity that marked the church for centuries, when following Christ meant hardship, denial, and even death

Do we as spiritual leaders realize how precipitous is our position as a nation? The world financial markets are spiraling downward. Rogue nations are going nuclear and possibly proliferating their weapons to others. Terrorists are constructing endless plots to wreak havoc in our safe cities. We feel secure, but even secular programs show us that we are one blast, one germ, and one market turn away from collapse as a nation.

In the church world, education, connections, manipulation, innovation, entrepreneurship, and aggressiveness can amplify a person’s gift. The fact that someone’s ministry continues to expand and looks exciting is no guarantee that the person is operating in the anointing. The anointing operates in brokenness and is yielded at the cross. The anointing focuses people on Jesus instead of a person. It is “pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). The anointing submits to the correction of others, is transparent, and operates in relaxation and peace.

God is calling for change. Every day our newspapers relate the stories of what we thought were exemplary ministries, announcing the amicable divorce of their leaders or a violent end to their marriage. Conservative, pro-family political leaders face public humiliation when their names appear on a prostitute’s phone list or a policeman catches them in a compromised position in a restroom. Pastors divorce their wives, marry assistants, sell church properties, and simply start other churches elsewhere. Huge, mainline denominations as well as independent churches are reeling from the im pact of the exposures of so many fallen leaders. We must do something radical and immediate. The patient is internally bleeding, though perfect in outward health and appearance. It’s difficult to quantify a code of conduct by which pastors should live. However, for the sake of changing our nation, the following ten points provide a basic commitment by which to live. These “Ten Commandments of Ministry” will help restore integrity and credibility to ministry leaders.

Prayer and Fasting

The first commitment of ministry leaders involves pledging to a life of prayer and fasting, making time with God the highest priority.

Faithful to Scripture

The second commitment of ministry leaders includes pledging to faithfully studying, teaching, and preaching Scripture.

Life of Integrity

The third commitment of ministry leaders involves pledging to integrity in the areas of financial accountability, commitments, honesty, and doctrine.

Moral Purity

The fourth commitment of ministry leaders relates to pledging moral purity in thoughts, media, appearance, and the marriage covenant.

Being an Example

The fifth commitment of ministry leaders includes pledging to be an example in work habits, community reputation, and family relations.

Covenant Relationships

The sixth commitment of ministry leaders regards pledging to covenant relationships, which foster accountability, net working, team building, and a kingdom mentality.

Kingdom Philosophy

The seventh commitment of ministry leaders involves pledging to a philosophy of implicity, sincerity, and sacrifice.

Life of Faith

The eighth commitment of ministry leaders includes pledging to a life of faith through clear vision, fearless trust, and a conquering mentality.

Spiritual Warfare

The ninth commitment of ministry leaders relates to pledging to spiritual warfare against principalities, not people.

Walking in Wisdom

The tenth commitment of ministry leaders involves pledging to walk in the humility, teamwork, order, and creativity of wisdom. Though certainly not all-inclusive, these ten commitments form a good foundation on which to base a solid, fruitful, lifelong ministry. We can change our nation if we first change ourselves. Pastor by pastor and leader by leader, a new leadership will emerge, “blameless”, “innocent”, and “above reproach”. Let’s purpose from this moment forward that we will make our highest aim in ministry to be a part of the remnant who are committed to the “fear of the Lord”, rather than approval of people.

Larry Stockstill, The Remnant: Restoring Integrity to American Ministry (Lake Mary: Charisma House, 2008), x-xiii, 167-69, used by permission.

Thanksgiving

Thank You, Father that “the fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever” (Ps. 19:9).

We are grateful, Lord, for Your eyes “are on those who fear” You, “on those whose hope is in” Your unfailing love (Ps. 33:18).

Dear God, we appreciate Your concern for our integrity and the way in which we represent ourselves to others, for “a good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold” (Prov. 22:1).

Confession

Purity has become a laughable term. Forgive us, Lord, for not taking actions to filter out impurity, for it is “the little foxes that ruin the vineyards” (Song of Songs 2:15).

We repent of an unwillingness to be an example, not to go the second mile in our neighborhood and community. Dear God, we regret that we often have not “set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in pu rity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

We have often focused on stockpiling our resources, rather than building our relationships. Jesus, cleanse us for not “being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” (Phil. 2:2).

Our philosophy of ministry has often created a burden for others. Change us, Lord, for Your “yoke is easy and burden is light” (Matt. 11:30).

Petition

Let us “serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling” (Ps. 2:11).

Let us “who fear the LORD praise him!” (Ps. 22:23)

“Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them; let all the neighboring

lands bring gifts to the One to be feared” (Ps. 76:11).

Promises to Claim

Moral Purity

We, beginning with me, pledge to moral purity in thoughts, media, appearance, and the marriage covenant—for “marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral” (Heb. 13:4).

Being an Example

We, beginning with me, pledge to be an example in work habits, community reputation, and family relations—to “be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach . . . manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect . . . have a good reputation with outsiders” (1 Tim. 3:2, 4, 7).

Covenant Relationships

We, beginning with me, pledge to covenant relationships, which foster accountability, networking, team building, and a kingdom mentality—to “obey leaders and submit to their authority . . . as men who must give an account” (Heb. 13:17).

Kingdom Philosophy

We, beginning with me, pledge to a philosophy of simplicity, sincerity, and sacrifice—so that “our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world . . . in the holiness and sincerity that are from God” (2 Cor. 1:12).

Life of Faith

We, beginning with me, pledge to a life of faith through clear vision, fearless trust, and a conquering mentality-to “fight the good fight of faith.” (1 Tim. 6:12)

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Author Larry Stockstill penned this prayer guide as a chapter in Praying for a Christ Awakening by Dr. David Ferguson.