Pray for Your Pastor

This will be a shorter post, but I think it contains information that is vital for the body of believers to have.

We all know the devil is real. He tempts, he leads away, he harasses, and he desires the ruin of souls. But one thing that is often neglected is the fact that the devil is intelligent. He plans, plots, and waits for the perfect time to put his plans into motion, causing the most catastrophic amount of damage. The devil has tactics that he uses, and he also has targets that he prefers over others. One of those targets is your pastor.

Now, theoretically, everyone is the target of demonic temptation. After all, he wants the downfall of humanity. But there are some that the devil chooses to target more than others. Part of the reason is strategy. While the army of satan may be vast, it is not infinite. Because of this, the devil must be wise in choosing who to target for attack. Some targets are better for the plan of destruction than others. Targeting an atheist who doesn’t believe in the supernatural is pointless. After all, the atheist already belongs to the devil, so why spend resources on someone he already has? But pastors, now those people are, in the devil’s eyes, commanders in his enemy’s army. Better to take out a commander than some common foot soldiers. If the devil can bring down one Christian, that is a victory. Suppose he can take down a family, even better. But, take down a pastor? Well then, he has brought down an entire portion of the body of God by dismantling the church through its leader. If the pastor falls into temptation, then the devil has the opportunity to drag dozens, possibly hundreds, of congregants away from the faith. Because of this, pastors are targeted much more than a regular attendee in the audience. They are a threat to the devil’s plans, a threat he desires to corrupt and eliminate.

In the Eastern Orthodox church, there is a ceremony in which a priest is ordained to be a Bishop. The presiding bishop lays hands on the priest, instills him with the office, and hands the newly ordained bishop a shepherd’s crook. The presiding bishop then says, “In his diocese, a bishop’s power is absolute. I pray that, in handing you this office, I am not also damning your soul.” Satan will attack those in spiritual authority much more than the regular laity of a church. Because of that, I urge you to pray for your pastor. Pray for their salvation, their ongoing guidance, and for protection from demonic forces that seek to pull them away with temptations.