Reporting on Your Executive Administration Activities
Praying for “You Incorporated” – Part 2
The Business of Prayer – Part 5.2
I’d like to share with you a department we call “Executive Administration ”. This department gives you a peek into what it would look like answering to God on the activities of such a department in your life. Remember the idea is to treat your life like the business God has given you, “You Incorporated.” This department is made up of the decision makers, advisors, and overseers you have for your life. Have you ever considered having overseers? What about advisors? In fact, that one is easier than the former because we have advisors or go-to-people in our lives all the time, but don’t acknowledge them formaly. However, have you ever considered praying for your advisors? To be honest with you (going to the left), I don’t know how you call yourself a believer and certainly a pray-er (person who prays) and don’t pray for the people who help you.
With that said, this lesson is designed to do two things:
- give you some next-level thinking as it relates to prayer, and
- provide examples of what prayer specific to the executive administration of your life could look like.
I will begin by giving a few examples you will find in our list of responsibilities for the executive administration department of our life. Warning this is extreme or goes beyond normal so that you can have uncommon results.
Let’s start building your executive administration and give God the updates on this department’s progress. We have ten points so let me get right to it.
Define the vision for your family.
If you don’t have one, start by asking God why does my family exist? What’s the purpose for our family? What is our family going to do together throughout our lifetime? If you have a vision for your family, when you pray, give God an update on how your family is aligning with the vision that’s been set. Obviously, vision for one’s family isn’t something that’s going to be fulfilled in one day. There will be progress and setbacks. This is what God wants to hear from you. How are you doing on that which He’s planted in your heart? This is the business of prayer!
What are your goals: annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly, etc.?
Do you have a place where your family’s goals or your “You Incorporated” goals are laid out? Maybe you don’t have any. Then you should ask God to help you with your goals. For those of us who have them, then you need to explain to God what’s the status. Are you on target? Do you have the resources needed? Ask Him for the resources you lack. When should your goals be completed? These are good questions to discuss with God when you pray. By the way, we do this type of thinking and preparation all the time, so it’s not new. We just do it in our office and not in our homes. However, what is new is you talking to God through it and about it. This is the business of prayer.
What are your church obligations?
Our family is obligated to 1) attend church and 2) to serve our church by building up people. We also have a list of church affiliations that we’re connected to. These ideas actually came from prayer. Ask God what your church obligations should consist of? Should your family be committed to being involved and to what degree? Pamela and I made the decision that I would be a leader in our church and that we would do it together. This decision came from prayer and we discuss our progress with God every weekend. This is the business of prayer.
Overseers
It amazes me when people who attend church Sunday after Sunday miss out on the key practices made available through simply watching their church organization. You see, our local church has overseers. That means this organization has a group of people who have been selected to provide spiritual protection to our church. If our church can use overseers, what about your life? Pamela and I have selected overseers in the same way. Ask God to show you your overseers? Ask Him to give a few people the role of spiritual protectors for you and/or your family? Also, pray for your overseers. If you want to take your life to the next level, take notes from the next level examples you already have around you. This is the business of prayer.
Spiritual Leaders
Our spiritual leaders, also known as our pastors, are the people we have selected and prayed over to lead us spiritually. Have you ever asked God who are the people you should be listening to and taking advice from spiritually? Pamela and I have four pastors and we pray for them daily. They’re our leaders just like any other leader. When you declare a person as your leader, you’ll begin to change your perspective about him or her; because they’re involved in your life you should pray for them just like you pray for anyone else. [1]
Mentors
Do you have any mentors? As a next level exercise, get more intentionally and serious about mentors by making a list of them. Because they are your mentors, you’re serious about them and wish for them to continue to have success in their life. Guess what I’m goin go say next; pray for them and I mean really pray for them. Because these are people you follow closely, then you know all about them and should pray specifically about all you know about them. I recall when one of our mentors (Michael Hyatt) was releasing his Full Focus Plan, Pamela and I prayed for his success. Our mentors’ success is also our future success. Pray for your mentors. [1] This is the business of prayer.
Small Groups
Are you involved in small groups? Have you made a list of all the members of each respective group? Probably not because that’s normal. You’re not normal. You’re on your way to the next level, no longer common. Make the list and not only pray for each group, but pray for each person in the group. Did I say this already? This is Next Level Prayer. [To the left] If this is too much for you, close this chapter now. We’re just getting started. Prayer, next level prayer takes work. Next level prayer gets next level results. This is the business of prayer.
Life Scriptures
Most people who actively attend church services have a favorite scripture; we call these life scriptures. In fact, we challenge our family members to always have a life scripture. I recall one occasion where I asked a family member for his and he didn’t have one. My response went something like this. How in the world can you call yourself a follower of Christ, Bible reading, church-goer, baptized-believer and not have one verse of scripture that speaks to you? Do you not have one verse that you’ve committed to memory? Let us help you take prayer to the next level, start a list of your favorite (life) scriptures and use these in prayer over your life. Prayer begins and ends with what you know about God and getting to know God better starts with reading your Bible. I pray (ask) God to inspire you with a desire to consume His word, your Bible, in Jesus’ name! Amen. This is next level prayer.
Imagine your future.
Think of everything you desire to see in your future. I mentioned Michael Hyatt earlier, a mentor of ours. He helped us enhance this practice of imagining our future. When you make a vision script for a company, he encourages the leaders to speak of their vision as if they’ve gone to the future state and describe it in the present tense. Instead of I will, I have. At any rate, look at your life as a business and begin describing what your future looks like as if it has already occurred. “Speak those things that be not as though they are…” [2] Pray over what you see for your future. This is next level prayer.
Bucket Lists
I remember when Pamela and I added our bucket list to our time of prayer. We’ve had a bucket list for many years and it was just a list like most normal people would have. However, it all changed when we began adding it into the rotation of our prayer times. Your bucket list is a great target for prayer. Ask God about your bucket list items so that you can involve Him on your journey through life. If you want to see extraordinary results occur with your bucket list, begin praying over it and every line item. This is next level prayer!
All of this is just a part of department one of our life, the executive administration. Allow me to say as you might just be beginning your journey into your next level in prayer. Start slow. Begin with one area and add your own notes and content. Start with your own method of tracking and documenting. If you want serious results, you’ll need to take serious actions. In our next episode we will discuss another department and how, with prayer, we take it to the next level. Join us next week.
Question: what other executive administrative activities can you add to our list as targets for next level prayer?
[1] 1 Timothy 2:1-3 NLT, Bible.com, accessed May 11, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/1TI.2.1-3.NLT
[2] Romans 4:17 NKJV, Bible.com, accessed May 11, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/114/ROM.4.17.NKJV
All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.
You must be logged in to post a comment.