For centuries, Christians have been entrenched in the secular versus sacred model for most things but it’s a new era for the church. In this new era, God is shifting our view of work (and our families). God is also revealing to us that these are actually our primary ministries and that all workplace believers are missionaries. The Word of God tells us clearly that we are to glorify God in all that we do (see Col. 3:17, 24). One way we can do this is through in-house prophetic prayer teams. These prophetic prayer teams can be characterized as a fervent type of intercessory prayer that provides strategic insight into any situation. Having spiritually gifted people to pray for our workplaces is consistent with the will of God.
Imagine if companies had a Director of Strategic Insight as a paid position. We would see the Kingdom of God advance greatly as Christians are strengthened to fulfilled God’s purpose on their jobs and within their businesses. When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked rule, the people mourn. (Prov 29:2). Strengthening the marketplace with the presence of God will also rapidly transform our cities into cities up on a hill (Matt 5:14).
I am pleased to tell you that in at least one case, this is already happening. Since 2016 I’ve served as a part-time Prayer Coordinator with Austin Bridge Builder’s Alliance and a paid Marketplace Intercessor for several businesses. I’m paid as a Business Coach, not for praying but for providing strategic and timely insight, clarity, vital encouragement, for my time and travel expenses. I primarily sit in business meetings, quietly praying and listening with both natural and spiritual ears. As a prophetic person, I try to articulate to the world that God is still really active in our lives today. It’s my responsibility to translate spiritual principles and insights (received through visions, impressions, and other revelatory gifts), into business verbiage. In doing so, I also identify any actions, mindsets, or goals that are contradictory to God’s will or word. I’m responsible for recalling and often revealing His will and purpose for a particular office or team that will indeed come to fruition even in circumstances that we can’t imagine. My job requires me to face the facts, reveal what’s hidden (and needs consideration), and to encourage teams to co-participate, in faith, with God’s existing plan for their company or project.
The bible speaks to God’s interest and participation in our work. The books dedicated to the major and minor prophets covers a range of conditions in the life of Israel, each of which brings its own challenges. The unifying theme of these prophets is this – in God there is no split between the work of worship and the work of daily life. Nor is there a split between individual wellbeing and the common good. The people of Israel are faithful or unfaithful, in varying degrees, to God’s covenant with them, and the degree of their faithfulness is immediately apparent in their worship or their neglect to worship. The people’s faithfulness, or lack of faithfulness, to God’s covenant, is reflected in not only the spiritual environment, but also the social and physical environment, including the land itself. The people’s degree of faithfulness is also visible in their ethics in life and work. This, in turn, determines the fruitfulness of their labor and their consequent prosperity or poverty. In the short term the wicked may prosper, but both God’s discipline and the natural consequences of unjust work will eventually reduce the unjust to poverty and despair. But when people and societies work in faithfulness to God, He blesses them with an integrated spiritual-ethical-environmental health and prosperity.
So, what can your company expect from instituting your own prophetic prayer team? Most importantly, you’ll receive a reliable stream of strategic insight that will both bring hope and even some correction to perspectives. A mature believer, seasoned in the operation of their spiritual gifts, known for discretion and confidentiality, lovers of the Word of God, and above reproach. These are the qualifications of a prophetic prayer team member. The best prayer teams are always built by God. Size doesn’t determine their effectiveness; two or three gathered in His name is quite powerful. A truly effective team operates in unity, trust, and a healthy respect for each other’s unique gifts and contributions. The best teams are built through God’s divine connections.
I believe intercessory prayer is needed at every level of any organization. If you are called to great levels of intercession, begin to pray about who you are to intercede for. Just as God is calling forth business leaders to incorporate intercession into their leadership methods, so too is God raising up intercessors for the marketplace. I believe that your heartfelt yes to God in prayer will cause him to lead you to your marketplace assignment.
