In my ministry, there have been many times of intense activity. These also seem to be seasons of sharp spiritual opposition. Everything seems to "hit the fan" at once, with multiple crises and ministry headaches to juggle. Early on, I chalked up the pushback I encountered to simple coincidence. I didn't make the connection between the resistance and the lack of prayer covering over my life and ministry.

Though I said all the right things about prayer, I honestly viewed it as just one more activity on my long to-do list. Soon I had to rethink this. With growing ministries inside and outside of our church, the challenges and stress of high-output ministry were becoming too much. During that time, I learned that everything rises and falls on your prayer life. Even if you're a good leader, you will not survive if you don't know how to prevail in prayer. It's not about getting something done or checking it off your list. It's about suiting up for the day, being able to stand against attacks ...