Pastors Get Up!!

A couple months ago, I waited quietly after praying one afternoon and shortly after, Ephesians 5:16 came to mind. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. I pondered for a moment, trying to figure out what this verse was saying to me - that's when the Lord brought my blog to mind and reminded me He's the one that gave me this object to write, so why did I stop? At that moment, I felt He wanted me to stay occupied with my time by writing. He assured me there are still many blogs He wants me to write, including this one that I’m about to share with you. He reminded me that I was called to share My Truthful Journey, and that I should not be afraid of what others might think or say. At the end, it’s for His honour and glory,  not mine. 

Last September, the Lord impressed on my heart to make a prayer list, and to intercede for pastors, ministers and deacons using 2 Chronicles 7:14 as my scriptural reference. Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. Some pastors I knew personally, and others I did not; nevertheless, I made the list. At first, I was not as consistent as I should be in praying for them due to the fact I was overwhelmed by the task of praying for over twenty-five pastors - but I prayed anyway. 

Later that month, I was about to head out for my morning walk but I felt the urge to spend time praying for the pastors, ministers and deacons on my list. I glanced outside and noticed the gloomy and grey skies - a storm was coming.  Feeling discouraged that I may have to forfeit my long, anticipated walk, the Lord assured me by the time I finished praying, it will be sunny - my ideal weather for an afternoon stroll. Once I finished praying, I looked outside and couldn't believe how dark it was, but with the promise of a sunny walk, I left. Within about 5 minutes of my walk, I literally saw the clouds moving away and the sun began to shine in all its glory. I was so excited, I began lifting my hands on the sidewalk worshipping God. Yes, I looked like a mad woman, but I didn’t care! As I crossed the street, for some reason I tripped and fell face down on the sidewalk - how embarrassing! I glanced around to ensure no one saw and quickly got up. I dusted off my knees and my hands which were red with stone bruises.  Just as I got up, a truck came around the corner and I wondered, did he see me? Did anyone see me fall through their window, and if they did, did they laugh? Feeling embarrassed and with my knees hurting, I decided to abort my walk and head home. Just then I felt impressed by the Lord to “continue on with your walk.”

As I walked, I tried to understand why I fell. I had passed this route on many occasions. So why did I fall?  Nevertheless, about 55 mins later I arrived home and quickly checked my knee to discover there were no bruises and the redness on my hands was gone. This is a miracle, I thought. There must be a reason for this, but what is it?

A few days later as I was getting ready to head out, my embarrassing fall replayed in my mind. I kept thinking there must be something to glean from this experience, and shortly after, I received my answer. God wanted me to learn something about the people I was praying for. He said there are some pastors who had fallen and were able to get up, dust themselves off and continue on with their walk because they were healed from the pain of the fall. There are others who fell, but ended up quitting because the embarrassment of the fall was too much to bear. Then there were those who were seriously injured and never fully recovered - they waited, hoping someone would help, but sadly no one did and they remained in a fallen state for years. 

Wow, what a revelation. I was so thankful that God took such an embarrassing moment and used it to provide insight toward what many pastors and leaders were experiencing. From that moment, I began praying differently for christian leaders. I prayed for those who had fallen into sin - whether sexual sin, fraud, adultery, pride or heretical teaching. I prayed that they would repent, turn from their wicked ways and continue on their walk. I prayed for those whose egos were hurt during their fall which had caused them to abort their mission - I prayed they would get back on the path and continue faithfully running the race. I prayed for the ones who fell, but continued on in their walk - that God will heal every aspect of their lives. I prayed as a people, they will walk with integrity.

  Although I was thankful for this revelation, I was still trying to figure out why I fell - after all I was worshipping God, so why didn’t He protect me? Then it came to mind, I was so focused on the sun shining, focused on worshipping and feeling good that I forgot to pay attention to where I was stepping. I walked that route before, but I was unaware of all the construction in the area that created new and unknown obstacles on my usual path. Similar to my experience, many leaders may not walk circumspectly, which may cause them to stumble and fall into sin - sins which are often broadcasted for the world to see. 

During the last few months, I’ve discovered various incidents about a few leaders who were on my prayer list. At first, I was broken and even shocked by what I discovered; however I was reminded that like myself, we all have fallen short of God’s glory. There are those who humbled themselves and confessed their faults; but there were also those who refused to admit their errors due to pride and chose to continue in their sinful ways. We need to pray for our leaders. Let’s not join the critics who slander them when they falter, or condemn them when they err - let us pray for them and pray against the schemes and snares set up by the enemy to destroy them. For the scripture says, “if we His people  who are called by His name will humble ourselves  and pray and seek His  face and turn from our wicked ways, then God will hear from heaven and will forgive our sins and restore our land. 

No matter if we have fallen, or God forbid, if we do fall, the words God has spoken remains - STILL STAND. Humble yourself before Him, confess your sin, and continue running the race. To God be the glory, even though we fall, we can rise again! 

I dedicate this post to every Pastor, Minister and Deacon, encouraging you to be mindful of your walk. Pay close attention to where you are stepping. Flee temptation. Walk circumspectly since the times are evil. Seek God and keep your eyes fixed on Christ. Never think you are strong enough to withstand the wiles of the enemy - for with that mindset you’ve already lost the battle. Clothe yourself with the armor of God so you can withstand the evil of the day.