Archive for the 'Leadership' Category
Seeds of Burden and Hope were Planted
Seeds of burden and hope were planted last week in our Senior Pastors Prayer Gathering held in Southlake, Texas. God gathered 178 Senior Pastors from 27 different states in order to plant burden and hope in their hearts. What do I mean?
Seeds of Burden for Revival were Planted
Since this Senior Pastors gathering’s purpose was for praying for spiritual revival in the church and spiritual awakening in America, there was a level of longing that captured the hearts of the Pastors before they even came. Yet, after twenty-four hours together, hearing short but powerful challenges on principles of revival and awakening and being on our face before God, seeds of burden were planted.
These pastors came into this gathering expecting God to move in their life. Therefore, they came. Their hearts were fertile ground in which the Holy Spirit planted seeds of burden.
Revival and awakening always begin with a burden. Look at Nehemiah. It was a burden that arrested him in his tracks, called him back to his homeland, and led him to action to see his land awakened for God. It all started with a leader, then transferred into the people of God, and ultimately moved upon an entire country for God’s glory.
Nehemiah dealt with it. I deal with it. You will deal with it. Warfare will rage as you pursue God in your life. The enemies of God did their very best to discourage Nehemiah, but he stated clearly he would not come down off of the wall, doing God’s will, to answer their silly nonsensical concerns. What a leader! What a spiritual leader!
We need to become like Nehemiah, men of greatness, who understand God’s calling on our lives is far greater than the nonsensical concerns of many. If it distracts us from the will of God and word of God, we need to ignore it. We need to plant seeds of revival burden into the churches of America so they will move into action of becoming the people of God, in order to influence their country for God.
Seeds of Hope for Awakening were Planted
I have been in some settings through the years that were so dismal about the country’s conditions, I wanted to go home and never leave the house again. Last week, this was not so. Oh, let me be clear: We left Dallas burdened to see revival in the church, but we also left Dallas with hope that spiritual awakening was on its way in America.
When we pray, our faith is increased, believing God will revive His church and awaken the United States of America. For way over 100 years, believers like us have called upon the God of Heaven, pleading with Him for awakening to come into the land. Have all those prayers gone unheard? Absolutely not!
When we gathered, we gathered with the hope that one day, and prayerfully soon, all of those prayers will so move the Sovereign will of God, that He will send a mighty spiritual awakening to America! By no means did I come in discouraged and by no means did I leave discouraged. I am confident that one day God will do it, and I pray that I will be alive and our entire generation will be affected. May this be the Revival Generation!
Whether God uses Southern Baptists or some other evangelical people does not ultimately matter, as long as He ushers revival and awakening into the church and our nation. I had a friend who tweeted last week that he prayed God would raise up another Jonathan Edwards who could be entrusted with the leadership of the next awakening in our land. I agree wholeheartedly! Whether he be in his twenties or nineties does not matter to me; whether he wears a suit or jeans does not matter to me; or whether he likes traditional or contemporary music does not matter to me, I just want God to raise up His mighty work through His church that will awaken our nation spiritually.
Hope abounds in my heart that God will do it! Yes, I am believing God for it!
I am asking, seeking, and knocking relentlessly and persistently! Read the last of the Bible: Jesus wins! He is our hope!
Share the burden and the hope!
Everywhere you go, share the burden for revival and the hope of awakening. Our churches need it and America is hoping for it. Yes, I believe that. Politicians know it is broken and almost to a point that even they believe it cannot be fixed. This is why Pastors of local churches need to stand everywhere they go, imparting the burden for spiritual revival in the church, but concluding with the rising hope for spiritual awakening in America.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Will You Pray Today and Tomorrow for Our Senior Pastors who are Gathering to Pray for Spiritual Revival and Awakening?
There is power in sharing your heart with one another. There are 178 Senior Pastors from 26 states who are gathering today and tomorrow because a few pastors shared their hearts with one another about the need for spiritual revival and awakening. We let time test what we felt God was putting in our hearts, He confirmed it clearly, and we began to extend to other Senior Pastors, A Call to Pray For Revival and Awakening.
Today is the Day
The day has finally arrived for us to gather from across the nation to pray for spiritual revival and awakening. After a challenging Sunday in all of our lives, we gather from across America with a spiritual resolve: We must have spiritual revival and awakening in the church and in America. While I am confident the enemy has tried his best to place excuses before many of these men, providing reasons they cannot come, they are gathering in spite of it with a holy anticipation that God is up to something great. We do not want to miss it.
Since today is the day, we need you to come alongside us in prayer and support. Our goal is to see God move among His church and in our nation. While crises are looming in the church and in our nation, we gather to pray with faith and confidence that God will hear our prayers.
The Big Question
The big question is, “Will you pray for us?” We must know in our hearts as we gather to pray, that Christ-followers and local churches are praying with us. We are not here with some kind of political or denominational agenda.
We are here, reporting for duty to our Lord, ready to follow His call to us to pray. He states in Jeremiah 33:3,
Call unto Me, and I will show you great and mighty things that you do not know.
Therefore, we gather to do just that. Our agenda is singular: to obey God’s Spirit as He moves among us.
What we do will be based upon the Word of God, but also empowered and led by the Holy Spirit of God. We gather believing with all of our hearts, that God has called us to be here at this certain time, in this period, for our generation.
Therefore, will you pray for us? Will you pray with us? Technology allows us to go global with what we are doing. That is right, global. Spread the word now with people all over the world, and let’s petition the God of Heaven to meet with us like we have never known before. How should you pray? A few days ago, I wrote about how you can pray for us and with us.
Standing in the Gap
We are here in Southlake, Texas, just minutes from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. We are here to stand in the gap, praying and believing God together. What will we pray for?
- We will begin by preparing ourselves spiritually to pray and stand in the gap.
- We will pray for pastors across our nation.
- We will pray for our churches across the nation.
- We will pray for America.
Our single desire: We gather to pray for spiritual revival and awakening. Could this be the day that God answers the prayers of people who have been praying since the last great move of God in our nation? Could it be the day when God meets with us in ways like we have never known before? God is able. We are willing.
I close with this Scripture today that perhaps will stir you, but yet encourage you in your life. Ezekiel 22:30 says,
I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one.
The need is urgent. Will you stand in the gap today for us? Be encouraged that here in Southlake, Texas, God has called 178 Senior Pastors from 26 states across our nation, to be here, standing in the gap.
We are standing in the gap for pastors, churches, and our nation. When our prayer gathering was planned and this date was chosen, not one of us knew that on this very same day, a crisis would be looming in Washington D.C. over whether or not the government will be shut down. While our nation’s politicians and leaders are in this major conflict, we are praying.
Our Hope and Answer
Our hope and answer will not come from the White House nor from the People’s House; but our hope and answer will only come from the church house when God wakes us up like never before and pours out upon us a mighty, fresh outpouring of His Spirit that will become the catalyst for the next great move of God in our nation. Thanks for praying for us and praying with us. May God do all He wants to do when we gather on Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.