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Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High Impact Leaders
Praying with Giants: Learn the Real Secret of Leadership
All others factors being equal, the common denominator of great spiritual leaders throughout the ages involves a focus on prayer. Prayer is the determining factor for maximum spiritual impact. The more we pray the more God works. Of all the skills needed by the difference-making spiritual leaders, none is more important than prayer.
Tracing the lives of high-impact Christian leaders from Abraham to Billy Graham, Dave Earley reveals the central role that prayer played in their effectiveness. In doing so, he points out the eight practices Christian leaders can apply to become more effective in their prayer lives, and therefore, more spiritually influential as a leader.
While prayer is not the only weapon in the Christian leader's arsenal, it is one of the most powerful and often under-utilized. This book will inspire, transform, stretch, enhance, strengthen, and renew the prayer lives of readers.
Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High-Impact Leaders is filled with juicy quote and anecdotes: it gives dozen of practical application of the principles discussed.
All others factors being equal, the common denominator of great spiritual leaders throughout the ages involves a focus on prayer. Prayer is the determining factor for maximum spiritual impact. The more we pray the more God works. Of all the skills needed by the difference-making spiritual leaders, none is more important than prayer.
Tracing the lives of high-impact Christian leaders from Abraham to Billy Graham, Dave Earley reveals the central role that prayer played in their effectiveness. In doing so, he points out the eight practices Christian leaders can apply to become more effective in their prayer lives, and therefore, more spiritually influential as a leader.
While prayer is not the only weapon in the Christian leader's arsenal, it is one of the most powerful and often under-utilized. This book will inspire, transform, stretch, enhance, strengthen, and renew the prayer lives of readers.
Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High-Impact Leaders is filled with juicy quote and anecdotes: it gives dozen of practical application of the principles discussed.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2008
About the author
Dave Earley
71 books16 followersDave Earley’s life passion is to know, love, and glorify God and be used by Him to make a difference by reaching as many people as deeply as possible in the least amount of time. For twenty years that passion was lived out by planting and pastoring a healthy, growing multiplying church. Recently Dave accepted God’s call to move from local to global impact. His role has shifted from being a pastor to training pastors, from starting a church to equipping church planters, from leading small groups to developing small group leaders, and from pastoring the congregation of a local church to encouraging the followers of Jesus in many congregations.
Dave’s unique blend of passionate practicality and innocence, intensity, and idealism have given him a platform to many through teaching, training, writing, and speaking.
Dave’s passion for a vibrant personal adventure with God has resulted in several books, including The 21 Most Effective Prayers in the Bible (Barbour publishing, 2005) and Living In His Presence: The Immanuel Factor (Bethany House,2005). The 21 Most Encouraging Promises in the Bible (2006), The 21 Most Amazing Truths about Heaven, (2006) The 21 Reasons Bad Things Happen to Good People (2007) and The 21 Most Dangerous Questions in the Bible (2007). As a nationally recognized expert on small group ministry, he has written several popular books for small group leaders: Eight Habits of Effective Small Group Leaders (2001) and Turning Members into Leaders (2003) and The Pocket Guide to Leading a Small Group: 50 Ways to Help You and Your Group Grow (2007). Those books are published by Cell Resource Network and have been translated into several languages.
Dr. Dave Earley is Chairman of the Department of Pastoral Ministries and Church Expansion at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He also serves as Director of the Center for Ministry Training at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, the Director of the Center for Church Planting of Liberty University. (www.liberty.edu/cmt)
Prior to teaching at Liberty, Dave was the founding sr. pastor of the New Life Church of Gahanna-Columbus, Ohio. New Life started in his basement with 12 people and grew to nearly 2,000 a week in attendance with over a 100 small groups. (www.enewlife.com)
Dave, and his wife, Cathy, have three highly active teenaged sons, Daniel, Andrew, and Luke. They enjoy rafting, biking, hiking, hanging out, and art.
Dave’s unique blend of passionate practicality and innocence, intensity, and idealism have given him a platform to many through teaching, training, writing, and speaking.
Dave’s passion for a vibrant personal adventure with God has resulted in several books, including The 21 Most Effective Prayers in the Bible (Barbour publishing, 2005) and Living In His Presence: The Immanuel Factor (Bethany House,2005). The 21 Most Encouraging Promises in the Bible (2006), The 21 Most Amazing Truths about Heaven, (2006) The 21 Reasons Bad Things Happen to Good People (2007) and The 21 Most Dangerous Questions in the Bible (2007). As a nationally recognized expert on small group ministry, he has written several popular books for small group leaders: Eight Habits of Effective Small Group Leaders (2001) and Turning Members into Leaders (2003) and The Pocket Guide to Leading a Small Group: 50 Ways to Help You and Your Group Grow (2007). Those books are published by Cell Resource Network and have been translated into several languages.
Dr. Dave Earley is Chairman of the Department of Pastoral Ministries and Church Expansion at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He also serves as Director of the Center for Ministry Training at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, the Director of the Center for Church Planting of Liberty University. (www.liberty.edu/cmt)
Prior to teaching at Liberty, Dave was the founding sr. pastor of the New Life Church of Gahanna-Columbus, Ohio. New Life started in his basement with 12 people and grew to nearly 2,000 a week in attendance with over a 100 small groups. (www.enewlife.com)
Dave, and his wife, Cathy, have three highly active teenaged sons, Daniel, Andrew, and Luke. They enjoy rafting, biking, hiking, hanging out, and art.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 12, 2016
Earley has written a wonderful book on the discipline of prayer. This book was fun to read, convicting, and extremely practical. It is filled with examples of high-impact Christian leaders' testimonies and examples of those who have gone before us in Scripture, all of which illustrate the principles and encourage the reader.
January 29, 2023
Very good in the sense of reinforcing what you already know, which is the reason you pick up the book to begin with: we all should be praying more. More frequently. More passionately. More specifically. I enjoyed it and certainly found it impactful, though.
Takeaways
- J. Oswald Chambers: “Leadership is influence.” “Prayer influences men by influencing God to influence them.”
- J.C. Ryle: “I have read the lives of many eminent Christians who have been on earth since Bible days. Some of them, I see, were rich, and some poor. Some were learned, some unlearned . .. some were Calvinists, and some were Arminians . . . But one thing, I see, they all had in common. They all had been men of prayer.”
- Henry and Richard Blackaby: “There will be times when leaders will come to the end of their own resources. In those times they will understand there is nothing more they can do for their people. Giving speeches will not fix the problem. Issuing memos will change nothing. Calling in consultants will be futile. There are simply some things that can only be achieved through prayer (Psalm 50:15).”
- “If Jesus Christ, the Son of God, needed to pray, how much more do you and I?”
- “If it be, as you have heard, the proper excellency of a minister of the gospel to be a burning and a shining light, then it is your duty earnestly to pray for your minister, that he may be filled with divine light, and with the power of the Holy Ghost, to make him so.”
- “In all cases recorded in the Bible in which prayer was answered, it is noteworthy that the petitioner prayed for a definite object."
- 'Thanks for Fleas
Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) was a Dutch Christian who helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II. Because of her efforts she was sent to the notorious Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany. Her sister and her father died in the concentration camps, but miraculously she survived. She left the camp as a very effective spiritual leader who returned to Holland and set up rehabilitation centers for Germans who worked under the Nazi regime.
While in the concentration camp, Corrie learned the power of thanksgiving prayers. Her sister, Betsy, challenged her to give thanks in all circumstances, including giving thanks for the fleas that infested their crude, cold, wooden dormitory. Corrie struggled to do so.
A few weeks later, the ten Boom sisters had attracted a crowd of prisoners each night as they read the Bible under a lightbulb.
Corrie was shocked that no guard disturbed this nightly Bible study. One night Corrie asked a woman, "Why don't the guards ever come into the dormitory?"
The woman answered, "They are repelled by the fleas.”
- Jerry Falwell: “You cannot imagine how the shape of your day can be changed when you begin with prayers of thanks... See how grateful you can be. Add to your gratitude list every possible good thing in your life at this time and in the past. Look ahead and thank Him for the blessings yet to come. Fill your life with thanksgiving. Develop the attitude of gratitude. Even if you don't feel particularly grateful at that moment, thank Him! The very act of praying prayers of thanksgiving can transform a black and ugly day into a day of joy and wonderful surprises.”
- Billy Sunday: “O God, help this old world. May the men who have been drunkards be made better; may the men who beat their wives and curse their children come to Jesus; may the children who have feared to hear the footsteps of their father rejoice again when they see the parent coming up the steps to their homes.
Bring the church up to help the work.”
Takeaways
- J. Oswald Chambers: “Leadership is influence.” “Prayer influences men by influencing God to influence them.”
- J.C. Ryle: “I have read the lives of many eminent Christians who have been on earth since Bible days. Some of them, I see, were rich, and some poor. Some were learned, some unlearned . .. some were Calvinists, and some were Arminians . . . But one thing, I see, they all had in common. They all had been men of prayer.”
- Henry and Richard Blackaby: “There will be times when leaders will come to the end of their own resources. In those times they will understand there is nothing more they can do for their people. Giving speeches will not fix the problem. Issuing memos will change nothing. Calling in consultants will be futile. There are simply some things that can only be achieved through prayer (Psalm 50:15).”
- “If Jesus Christ, the Son of God, needed to pray, how much more do you and I?”
- “If it be, as you have heard, the proper excellency of a minister of the gospel to be a burning and a shining light, then it is your duty earnestly to pray for your minister, that he may be filled with divine light, and with the power of the Holy Ghost, to make him so.”
- “In all cases recorded in the Bible in which prayer was answered, it is noteworthy that the petitioner prayed for a definite object."
- 'Thanks for Fleas
Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) was a Dutch Christian who helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II. Because of her efforts she was sent to the notorious Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany. Her sister and her father died in the concentration camps, but miraculously she survived. She left the camp as a very effective spiritual leader who returned to Holland and set up rehabilitation centers for Germans who worked under the Nazi regime.
While in the concentration camp, Corrie learned the power of thanksgiving prayers. Her sister, Betsy, challenged her to give thanks in all circumstances, including giving thanks for the fleas that infested their crude, cold, wooden dormitory. Corrie struggled to do so.
A few weeks later, the ten Boom sisters had attracted a crowd of prisoners each night as they read the Bible under a lightbulb.
Corrie was shocked that no guard disturbed this nightly Bible study. One night Corrie asked a woman, "Why don't the guards ever come into the dormitory?"
The woman answered, "They are repelled by the fleas.”
- Jerry Falwell: “You cannot imagine how the shape of your day can be changed when you begin with prayers of thanks... See how grateful you can be. Add to your gratitude list every possible good thing in your life at this time and in the past. Look ahead and thank Him for the blessings yet to come. Fill your life with thanksgiving. Develop the attitude of gratitude. Even if you don't feel particularly grateful at that moment, thank Him! The very act of praying prayers of thanksgiving can transform a black and ugly day into a day of joy and wonderful surprises.”
- Billy Sunday: “O God, help this old world. May the men who have been drunkards be made better; may the men who beat their wives and curse their children come to Jesus; may the children who have feared to hear the footsteps of their father rejoice again when they see the parent coming up the steps to their homes.
Bring the church up to help the work.”
October 28, 2019
I had to read this for a seminary course. Very basic and practical, but not very theological and poorly written. I wish it had more of a focus on what prayer says about God’s character and a deeper approach to understanding prayer and fasting. It felt like only a list of suggestions and testimonies of successful prayers of key Christian figures. What about when God doesn’t answer prayer?
January 5, 2013
Credible, easy to read, FUN to read. I highly recommend this book; it is motivating.
Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High-Impact Leader
By Dave Earley
1. Value the Power of Prayer
a. Ephesians 6:19–20 (ESV) — 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
b. Luke 18:1 (ESV) — 1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
c. Pray more, do TV or Internet less
2. Make Time to Pray
a. First thing in the morning
b. In a quiet, alone place
3. Pray for Those You Serve
a. For whom you are burdened, have a holy concern
b. Numbers 21:7 (ESV) — 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
c. Pray for the things that break God’s heart
d. Jeremiah 8:21 (NLT) — 21 I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief.
4. Train Others to Pray for You
a. Find a prayer partner
b. Pray for the pastor
5. Turn Your Problems into Prayer
a. Prayer stewardship
b. 2 Chronicles 14:11 (ESV) — 11 And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”
c. “Pray and let God worry” – Martin Luther
d. Develop a Worry List/Prayer List- one week, next two weeks
6. Fast and Pray
a. “Fasting is one of the great privileges of the Christian life. It is an act of self-denial that great enhances the power of our prayers.”
b. Pray: “Please do in me what You need to do and do for me what You want to do”
7. Possess a Bold Faith
a. Hebrews 4:16 (ESV) — 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
i. Boldly claim God’s promises
ii. Be specific
1. Pray about what to pray for
2. Pray about what you really desire
3. Pray with pure motives, that God will be glorified
4. Go on record: write it down or tell others
iii. Ask big
8. Build on the Basics
a. Ps 109:4 Spurgeon – “I became prayer”; his life became prayerPsalm 109:4 (ESV) — 4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.
b. The Model Prayer
c. A.C.T.S. / T.A.C.S.
i. T. Psalm 100:4 (ESV) — 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
ii. A. Psalm 106:1 (ESV) — 1 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (attitude of gratitude)
1. “To sing once is to pray twice” – Augustine
2. “When I cannot pray, I always sing” – Martin Luther
iii. C. Nehemiah 1:6–7 (ESV) — 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.
iv. S. Luke 9:16–17 (ESV) — 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
9. Adopt Best Practices
a. Pray without ceasing – Paul, Spurgeon
i. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV) — 17 pray without ceasing,
b. Be persevering in prayer
i. Matthew 7:7 (ESV) — 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
c. Take personal prayer retreats if necessary
i. Luke 5:16 (ESV) — 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
d. IM / Arrow Prayers to God
e. Pray the Scriptures
f. Group prayer meetings
g. Listening prayer /smuggler’s prayer
h. Prayer walking - praying on-site, with insight; being on the scene without making one
10. Putting it All Together
a. Inventory
b. Assessment
c. Application
d. Goal
Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High-Impact Leader
By Dave Earley
1. Value the Power of Prayer
a. Ephesians 6:19–20 (ESV) — 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
b. Luke 18:1 (ESV) — 1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
c. Pray more, do TV or Internet less
2. Make Time to Pray
a. First thing in the morning
b. In a quiet, alone place
3. Pray for Those You Serve
a. For whom you are burdened, have a holy concern
b. Numbers 21:7 (ESV) — 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
c. Pray for the things that break God’s heart
d. Jeremiah 8:21 (NLT) — 21 I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief.
4. Train Others to Pray for You
a. Find a prayer partner
b. Pray for the pastor
5. Turn Your Problems into Prayer
a. Prayer stewardship
b. 2 Chronicles 14:11 (ESV) — 11 And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”
c. “Pray and let God worry” – Martin Luther
d. Develop a Worry List/Prayer List- one week, next two weeks
6. Fast and Pray
a. “Fasting is one of the great privileges of the Christian life. It is an act of self-denial that great enhances the power of our prayers.”
b. Pray: “Please do in me what You need to do and do for me what You want to do”
7. Possess a Bold Faith
a. Hebrews 4:16 (ESV) — 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
i. Boldly claim God’s promises
ii. Be specific
1. Pray about what to pray for
2. Pray about what you really desire
3. Pray with pure motives, that God will be glorified
4. Go on record: write it down or tell others
iii. Ask big
8. Build on the Basics
a. Ps 109:4 Spurgeon – “I became prayer”; his life became prayerPsalm 109:4 (ESV) — 4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.
b. The Model Prayer
c. A.C.T.S. / T.A.C.S.
i. T. Psalm 100:4 (ESV) — 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
ii. A. Psalm 106:1 (ESV) — 1 Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (attitude of gratitude)
1. “To sing once is to pray twice” – Augustine
2. “When I cannot pray, I always sing” – Martin Luther
iii. C. Nehemiah 1:6–7 (ESV) — 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.
iv. S. Luke 9:16–17 (ESV) — 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
9. Adopt Best Practices
a. Pray without ceasing – Paul, Spurgeon
i. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV) — 17 pray without ceasing,
b. Be persevering in prayer
i. Matthew 7:7 (ESV) — 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
c. Take personal prayer retreats if necessary
i. Luke 5:16 (ESV) — 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
d. IM / Arrow Prayers to God
e. Pray the Scriptures
f. Group prayer meetings
g. Listening prayer /smuggler’s prayer
h. Prayer walking - praying on-site, with insight; being on the scene without making one
10. Putting it All Together
a. Inventory
b. Assessment
c. Application
d. Goal
September 13, 2015
[ after describing the fierce opposition he was facing, at the end of verse 4 David simply wrote, "...I am a man of prayer." In the Hebrew, this multiword phrase is all one word, tephillah, meaning "prayer. ..... I prefer Spurgeon's view that David is saying in response to the persecution, "I become prayer."
I especially like the way Adolph Saphire renders this word tephillah in Psalms 109, as simply, "I prayer" or "I'm prayer. Prayer was such a part of David's life that it defined him. His life was prayer. I love it. "}
Earley gives very doable ideas on how to improve your prayer life, as well as many biblical and historical inspiring examples of praying people. There is amazing power in prayer. I intend to use some of these ideas to up my prayer time.
I would love to be able to say "I'm prayer."
I especially like the way Adolph Saphire renders this word tephillah in Psalms 109, as simply, "I prayer" or "I'm prayer. Prayer was such a part of David's life that it defined him. His life was prayer. I love it. "}
Earley gives very doable ideas on how to improve your prayer life, as well as many biblical and historical inspiring examples of praying people. There is amazing power in prayer. I intend to use some of these ideas to up my prayer time.
I would love to be able to say "I'm prayer."
December 7, 2012
This book challenges and edifies the reader to pray more regularly, powerfully, and spiritually in nine distinct areas. Additionally, with the stimulating questions at the end of each chapter, this book can be used to organize small-group studies on the necessity of prayer and how to improve personal prayer.
January 25, 2015
Good book! Earley does a wonderful job reaching into church history and Bible stories to prove that prayer alone was the common denominator found among great spiritual leader. Perhaps a great source book for a new sermon series.
November 30, 2009
"Read" is a half-truth. I only read certain chapters.
July 11, 2012
Most practical book on prayer I have ever read.
October 26, 2012
Very, very practical book on prayer. It is both inspiring and instructional.
May 7, 2013
This is a "must read" for Christian leaders. Earley will challenge you to develop a stronger spiritual life in his classic book. I was greatly convicted in reading this book.
June 23, 2014
Theologically tenuous and suspect on numerous occasions, this book is just an ok primer on biblical prayer.
January 27, 2015
Wonderful!
May 28, 2015
I highly recommend this book on prayer.
April 8, 2017
I read this again.
I originally read this book for seminary, and it was so impactful, I've committed to reading it yearly. I highly recommend this book for all Christian leaders, especially in times of challenge.
I originally read this book for seminary, and it was so impactful, I've committed to reading it yearly. I highly recommend this book for all Christian leaders, especially in times of challenge.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews