Shepherding God,
Thank you that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thank you that you are the Good Shepherd who gave up his life for us on the Cross so we could know eternal life in you. Thank you that you know those who are yours and they know and recognize you. Thank you for the many men and women you have put into places of leadership in your Church. Thank you for all those you have appointed with your Grace to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. We pray that by the power of Holy Spirit they would be able to fulfill their calling to nurture and prepare all the holy believers to do their own works of ministry so the Body of Christ is enlarged and built up. We pray that each of them would have hearts that are set on You. May their relationships with spouses be pure and godly. May they be sensible, well-behaved, self-disciplined, hospitable, not lovers of money, patient, kind, generous, and gentle. May their hearts be set on guiding their households and their local churches with wisdom and dignity, bringing up physical and spiritual children to worship with devotion and purity. Protect them from falling into pride or greed or ay other sin that would damage and disgrace their testimony. We pray for those in Church leadership who are struggling with fear, sin, discouragement (even despair) and/or overwhelming circumstances. We pray for Holy Spirit to pour out upon them the grace, strength, courage, wisdom and discernment they need. We know that your weapons of warfare include your divine power to demolish strongholds, arguments, and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. So, we pray in the name of Jesus that you would break the power of every wicked stronghold, burden or scar in their lives. Take every thought and action captive to you, and help them to come out of the darkness into the fullness of your love. Give them encouragement, peace, and joy as they go about the ministry work you have set before them. We pray that the blessings of divine grace and supernatural peace that flow from God our wonderful Father, and our Messiah, the Lord Jesus, be upon their lives and ministries, in Jesus’s name. Amen and Amen.
“I am the Good Shepherd who lays down my life as a sacrifice for the sheep….I alone am the Good Shepherd, and I know those whose hearts are mine, for they recognize me and know me, just as my Father knows my heart and I know my Father’s heart.” (John 10:11, 14-15 TPT)
“And he has appointed some with grace to be apostles, and some with grace to be prophets, and some with grace to be evangelists, and some with grace to be pastors, and some with grace to be teachers. And their calling is to nurture and prepare all the holy believers to do their own works of ministry, and as they do this they will enlarge and build up the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-12 TPT)
“If any of you aspires to be an overseer in the church; you have set your heart toward a noble ambition, for the word is true! Yet an elder needs to be one who is without blame before others. He should be one whose heart is for his wife alone and not another woman. He should be recognized as one who is sensible, and well-behaved, and living a disciplined life. He should be a “spiritual shepherd” who has the gift of teaching, and is known for his hospitality. He cannot be a drunkard, or someone who lashes out at others, or argumentative, or someone who simply craves more money, but instead, recognized by his gentleness.
His heart should be set on guiding his household with wisdom and dignity; bringing up his children to worship with devotion and purity. For if he’s unable to properly lead his own household well, how could he properly lead God’s household? He should not be a new disciple who would be vulnerable to living in the clouds of conceit and fall into pride, making him easy prey for Satan. He should be respected by those who are unbelievers, having a beautiful testimony among them so that he will not fall into the traps of Satan and be disgraced.” (1 Timothy 3:1-7 TPT)
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NIV)
“May the blessings of divine grace and supernatural peace that flow from God our wonderful Father, and our Messiah, the Lord Jesus, be upon your lives.” (Philippians 1:2 TPT)
“Freedom”
Step out of the shadows, step out of the grave
Break into the wild and don’t be afraid
Bring all of your burdens, bring all of your scars
Come back to communion, come back to the start
Where the Spirit of the Lord is
There is freedom, there is freedom
Come out of the dark just as you are
Into the fullness of His love
Songwriters: Edward Goltsman / Kim Crawford; “Freedom” lyrics © Worshiptogether.com Songs, So Essential Tunes, Sixsteps Music, Capitol Cmg Genesis, Be Essential Songs