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Today, Eric Bents is leading us in prayer. Eric is a retired United States Air Force Colonel and former pastor. He developed the nonprofit The Storehouse Movement and his LLC Win Your Wars. Eric is also the Midwest Development Director for Pinnacle Forum.
As we pray today, Eric commends the example of the centurion Cornelius mentioned in Acts 10. Cornelius was not only a military leader of extraordinary character and compassion; he was also the penultimate example of a godly marketplace leader in the New Testament whom God used to change the world.
As we pray for the next Great Awakening, the next move of God, Cornelius got to experience it. He was awarded the high privilege of being the initial landing zone for the extension of Christ’s Kingdom to the Gentiles. Think about it: here was a man, a foreigner, assigned to the Jewish people. It was against their religion and their customs to even cross the threshhold of his house, and he was serving as the executive agent of an occupying pagan empire notorious for their oppression of their Jewish subjects!
Cornelius was a centurion, the highest-ranking officer in his region of Caesarea, and his assignment was to keep the Jewish people under the brutal thumb of the pagan Roman Empire. This stark reality of Cornelius’ incredibly difficult leadership assignment only makes it more remarkable that ultimately, via his character; his prayers; his gifts to the poor; his wisdom and administration, he won the favor of the Jewish people. More importantly than that, he won the favor and the attention of God.
An angel came to Cornelius and told him that his prayers and gifts to the poor had been received as a memorial to God, who directed Cornelius to send for Peter…we’re going to get this whole thing started!
I want to speak encouragement to all marketplace leaders, whether you are military or not, you are serving in difficult assignments. Take a look at Acts 10; consider the example of Cornelius and how, through his prayers; his wisdom; his humility; his contriteness; his willingness to learn in a foreign land in an incredibly difficult assignment, what it means to follow God in these circumstances and do his job well. God considered him worthy for the pole position of the rapid expansion of His Kingdom.
I want to be that guy! I know you do, too, so let’s pray:
Prayer
Lord, we ask in this hour that you would raise up many Cornelius’s, both men and women, who are serving per your direction, in incredibly difficult circumstances with all kinds of equities that they need the wisdom of Heaven to administer.
Lord, help us and them to gain a heart of compassion with an eye toward the poor, a prayerful posture, looking to heaven, looking for You to move, looking for You to do something that only You can do.
Lord, we pray that You would meet us as we stay hungry and humble and obedient, and that You would meet us somehow and cause us to be the portal for the massive release of your love into this earth.
Lord, may we be lightning rods in this hour, that the lightning rod of Heaven can hit us again and again, as we ground it into earth and into the circumstances You’ve placed us in.
Lord, we thank You for this privilege of leading in difficult times. We ask, Lord, that we would consider the example of Cornelius in this dark hour, not only for how he was able to personally succeed, but Lord that You had so much more downrange that you accomplished in and through him in that day. May it be so in our day as well, only more so. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Eric Bents
Eric Bents is a retired United States Air Force Colonel, who served in a wide variety of combat and non-combat roles, including deployments to Bosnia and Afghanistan.
Eric served ten years active duty, then ten years pastoring on the staff of the largest church in Nebraska while serving in the Air Force reserves, then ten more years active duty while developing Christian marketplace leaders part-time via his nonprofit, The Storehouse Movement, and his LLC, Win Your Wars. Eric helps people and organizations win their wars—the hardest 15% of their problem set, using his hard-won insights into wartime strategy and operations to provide a framework for tackling the most challenging life, business or community problems.
Another way Eric pursues his passion to coach and equip leaders is through his role as Midwest Development Director for Pinnacle Forum. Pinnacle Forum exists to help Christian leaders develop their personal character, leadership competency and cultural influence via facilitation of confidential peer forums.
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